From 'timber!' to tidings, Nampa moves city's Christmas Tree to its holiday location

NAMPA, Idaho — Jim and Susan Gramkow donated the 55' Colorado Blue Spruce from their front yard to the Nampa Train Depot. City crews moved it 1.5 miles to its location in front of the Nampa Train Depot in time for the holidays.

(

"Several times we thought this would make a great Christmas Tree," recalls Nampa homeowner Jim Gramkow.

After decades of holidays at their home, the Gramkow's now-adult daughter will finally get to see the tree live out its potential.

"She grew up here all her 'growing up' years - she always wanted to decorate this tree, we had no way of decorating that whole tree," remembers Susan Gramkow, "She did sneak bulbs from our tree out and put on it a few times."

Nampa's Christmas tree made the mile-and-a-half journey across town on Monday, people pining for views every step of the way to the 10-foot-deep tree stand in front of the Nampa Train Depot. Along the way, crews collected fallen limbs and spruced up with a street sweeper.

"Oftentimes there's significant damage to one side of the tree that was laying on the trailer and that requires a lot of repair," says Nampa's Forester Adam Mancini.

But those repairs don't leave the team stumped.