Rockefeller Center Christmas tree begins its journey from State College

If a stranger comes to your front door inquiring about the 75-foot Norway spruce tree in the backyard, maybe hear him out.

That’s exactly what happened to Jason Perrin in September 2010 and it paid off — not for him, exactly — but for the thousands of people who will now be able to enjoy the tree this holiday season at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

Perrin, who donated the spruce free of charge, was on site Thursday morning as the massive crane in his backyard hoisted the tree off the property toward a truck waiting on Benner Pike.

“There are lots of ways that trees eventually come down and I figured people would enjoy this,” Perrin said.

It already has one admirer in Rockefeller’s head gardener, Erik Pauze, who first laid eyes on the spruce while passing through State College to attend a football game with his son.

He came to Pike View Road and knocked on Perrin’s door the very next day — but no one was home.

Undeterred, Pauze returned two weeks later and secured the tree’s future in Rockefeller Center.

The gardener is perpetually on the lookout for straight, tall trees that are nice and full. He’s not afraid to wait either, as was the case with Perrin’s spruce.

“I kept an eye on it and waited until it was perfect,” Pauze said.

Perfection, as it turns out, is a 75-foot spruce with a 50-foot diameter and an approximate weight of 12 to 13 tons.

A growing tree needs its nourishment. Pauze has been watering and feeding the tree at least once a week since June, catching the attention of Perrin’s curious neighbors.

Don Burris and his wife, Bonnie, had a clear view of the tree from their porch across the street, giving them an advantage over some of the other passersby who gathered around the property early Thursday morning.

Burris said that he’s gotten used to all of the extra traffic — foot and otherwise — that has descended on the neighborhood since the tree’s celebrity status was made public last week.

“Usually we have 50 cars a day in this neighborhood and we had 50 cars an hour this last weekend,” Burris said.

More than 50,000 multi-colored LEDs are awaiting the spruce in New York City. If it’s easier, just think of it more like 5 miles worth of Christmas lights.

The truck responsible for transporting the tree will be traveling at speeds no more than 40 mph and Pauz said that he expects the trip to take days.

If everything goes according to the plan, the spruce will make its grand debut on Saturday, hoisted into position at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

The lighting ceremony will be televised live from 7-8 p.m. Nov. 29 on WNBC-TV, but there’s no such thing as a quick getaway when you’re lugging a 75-foot tall Norway spruce.

Nearly six hours after it was cut from the yard in College Township, the newest addition to a long line of Rockefeller Christmas trees was finally headed west on U.S. Route 322.

Men, women, children — and even a FedEx worker — gathered along the side of Benner Pike to pose for selfies and swap looks of astonishment.

Karen Hazel was on her way home from Wegmans when she spotted the tree and looped around the neighborhood to park and take a closer look.

“I could see it when they were wrapping it but it looks bigger on the truck,” Hazel said.

She was proud that Centre County was able to contribute something that will be featured on a national level.

“It’s iconic. The Christmas tree, it’s a tradition,” Hazel said.

Stephanie Savereno works as a branch manager at the First National Bank on Elmwood Street. She used her lunch break to get a better view of the spruce.

“We saw it coming down this morning and I had to come take a peek,” Savereno said.

Her 5-year-old daughter was still in school, but Savereno took plenty of photos to share.

“My little girl will be happy to see it,” she said.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 11:28 AM with the headline "Rockefeller Center Christmas tree begins its journey from State College."