ONEONTA, N.Y. – The second-largest Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree ever; a 94-foot tall, 56-foot in diameter, 14-ton Norway spruce was cut down in Oneonta and hoisted by two All Terrain Cranes supplied by Bay Crane onto a 115-foot long trailer for the drive to New York City on Thursday.
On Oct. 31, crews came in to start tying the limbs off. This week they brought in the platforms for the cranes, and the cranes themselves were delivered on Wednesday.
The tree came down without a hitch.
An Oneonta native will be operating the crane at 30 Rock to hoist the 94-foot Norway spruce into place.
Crane Operator Hoyle moving the space shuttle in 2012.
Todd Hoyle, an employee of the Long Island City-based Bay Crane Service who graduated from high school in Oneonta before studying architectural engineering in college, has been hoisting heavy things with a crane for almost 20 years and takes his job seriously.
More than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights will be strung on the Christmas tree along with a Swarovski star at the top.
The tree will be lit during the annual “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The ceremony will be televised and will feature live performances at Rockefeller Plaza from 7-9 p.m.
