Crew taking down Carillon’s Tree of Light

UPDATE @ 2:15 p.m. (Dec. 16)

A crane and crew is out at Carillon Park Wednesday afternoon to remove the Tree of Light after it was damaged by wind and rain over the weekend.

UPDATE @ 6:30 p.m. (Dec. 14)

The Tree of Light display at Carillon Park was damaged early Monday morning as strong wind gusts and rain came through the Miami Valley.

The damage was so severe that the display will not be repaired in time Christmas, so it will be taken down until next year, said Brady Kress, president and CEO of Dayton History, which put up the Tree of Light.

Initially, Kress said the organization thought the damage was done maliciously, but after investigating most of the day Monday they determined the high wind gusts were solely responsible. A crane is expected to arrive at the site Tuesday afternoon to take the display down for repair, he said.

“We’re bummed, but we will be back next year with the Tree of Light along with additional holiday activities here at Carillon Park,” Kress said.

The damage was discovered around 6:40 a.m. Monday, when several strands of lights had collapsed. By 6:55 a.m., the display had been turned off.

“We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Kress said.

The inaugural lighting of the tree was set off on Dec. 1.

The Deeds Carillon, a beloved bell tower, is one of Dayton’s best-known landmarks and the largest carillon in Ohio. It had been transformed into the shape of a holiday tree towering 200 feet in the air and glowing with 20,000 white lights.

The plan was for the Carillon Tree of Light to be turned on nightly through New Year’s Day and be accompanied by programmed carillon music.

The tower supporting the strand of lights was damaged around the same time strong winds moved through the Miami Valley on Monday, News Center 7 Meteorologist Brett Collar said.

Official reports from the National Weather Service indicate the strongest wind gust at the Dayton International Airport was 39 miles per hour.

“However, it is important to note that the tree of light stretches 200 feet into the air, and winds aloft are generally stronger than winds at the surface,” Collar said. “This tells us that the winds at the top of the tree of light could have been in excess of 40 or even 50 miles per hour.”

UPDATE @ 1:37 p.m. (Dec. 14)

The Tree of Light display at Carillon Park was damaged early Monday morning as strong wind gusts and rain came through the Miami Valley.

In addition to the damage potentially caused by the inclement weather, Brady Kress, president and CEO of Dayton History, said it could have been malicious.

The organization will investigate the incident, and a crane is expected to arrive this morning to see how much damage there is and what can be done to fix it, Kress said.

“We’re bummed,” he said. “The wind was a major component, but we’re trying to figure out if the structure was compromised in some way” around the base.

Around 6:40 a.m. Monday, several strands of lights had collapsed. By 6:55 a.m., the display had been turned off. It is unclear when, if at all, the Tree of Light will be re-lit this holiday season.

“We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Kress said.

The inaugural lighting of the tree was set off on Dec. 1.

The Deeds Carillon, a beloved bell tower, is one of Dayton’s best-known landmarks and the largest carillon in Ohio. It had been transformed into the shape of a holiday tree towering 200 feet in the air and glowing with 20,000 white lights.

The plan was for the Carillon Tree of Light to be turned on nightly through New Year’s Day and be accompanied by programmed carillon music.

The tower supporting the strand of lights was damaged around the same time strong winds moved through the Miami Valley on Monday, News Center 7 Meteorologist Brett Collar said.

Official reports from the National Weather Service indicate the strongest wind gust at the Dayton International Airport was 39 miles per hour.

“However, it is important to note that the tree of light stretches 200 feet into the air, and winds aloft are generally stronger than winds at the surface,” Collar said. “This tells us that the winds at the top of the tree of light could have been in excess of 40 or even 50 miles per hour.”

First report:

The Tree of Light display at Carillon Park was damaged as strong wind gusts and rain came through the Miami Valley Monday morning.

As of 6:40 a.m., several strands of the lights had collapsed. By 6:55 a.m., the display had been turned off.

This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.