MOLINE, Ill. — Editor's note: This is part of a series looking back at stories out of the WQAD archives. This particular one was a piece from November 1995, reported on by WQAD's Greg Vandegrift.
It was a frosty early morning as the KONE Tower was trimmed in its annual holiday decor.
Morning rush hour traffic got a holiday treat as Montgomery Kone hoisted a 500-pound Blue Spruce 18 stories.
“We in our research and development department designed the crane and then built it, then Montgomery built the crane.”
Once up top, eight ropes secure the 20-foot Christmas tree.
For good measure, the tree is bolted to this permanent rooftop stand.
It takes a crew about a half dozen strong to put the tree in place.
Lab manager John Prinsell is a veteran crew member.
“We get a lot of input from people that we know around town that say ‘well Christmas season starts when you guys put the tree up’ so I guess we feel pretty good about that,” Prinsell said.
For 29 years, the tower’s tree has highlighted the local holiday season. Just ask Quad Citians.
“Well it’s a symbol that the Christmas season has started and that somebody worked hard to get that thing up there,” one woman said.
“Appreciate that they do it every year and it’s up there where everybody can see it from the whole Quad City area here,” another Quad Citian said.
The Quad Cities have a month to enjoy the holiday landmark. The tree doesn't take the trip back down until the new year. Greg Vandergrift, NewsChannel 8.