LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 35-foot Norway Spruce stands in Jefferson Square Park in downtown Louisville, adorned with thousands of lights. It was the centerpiece of the city's annual Light Up Louisville celebration, but before that, a few Louisville families watched it grow in their front yard.
One day last month, the Kaelin family on Pindell Avenue in Louisville's Schnitzelburg neighborhood watched as the beloved tree was cut down and hauled away. Cutting down the tree was a decision made focused on the safety of others, as Greg Kaelin said the tree was simply outgrowing the space.
"It's getting too big," he said in mid-November. "We're on a corner. It's getting kind of dangerous. It's just too big. We're really thrilled to share it with the city."
Kaelin said the tree was already growing in the yard by the time he purchased the house in 2006. So, WDRB News did some digging and found out it was planted in 1998 thanks to the Lichtefeld family.
The Kaelins stand in front of the tree in their front yard before the city cut it down. Nov. 15, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
Paul and Laura Litchefeld — who used to live in the house — said they were scrolling through Facebook one day when they spotted this story.
"'Wait a minute! That's our old house!'" Laura Litchefeld recalled saying. "And I see Ryan's tree is the Light Up Louisville tree."
Ryan is one of the Lichtefeld's two adult sons. When their two boys were born, they had a tree planted for each one in the front yard. A family friend planted the trees as a gift.
"We could decorate it every year for them," Laura Lichtefeld said.
Time moved on, and the Lichtefeld family moved out of the house. With at least one other buyer in between, eventually, the Kaelin family moved in.
Greg Kaelin, right, and Paul and Laura Litchefeld admire the tree Friday in Jefferson Square Park. Dec. 2, 2022. (WDRB Photo)
So, unknown to the Lichtefelds, the Kaelin family decided the best way to honor the life of this tree would be to share it with the city for Light Up Louisville.
"It's such an honor," said Paul Lichtefeld, understanding that the tree and outgrown the yard.
Paul Lichtefeld said the tree was about 4 feet tall when it was originally planted in the yard.
On Friday, Paul and Laura Lichtefeld and Greg Kaelin got to meet for the first time. They met downtown at Jefferson Square Park, in front of the Christmas tree they had all enjoyed outside their home at one point over the years. The trio reminisced about the little neighborhood memory that's now commemorating the holiday season for the entire city.
"Louisville's been good to us, and now that we've got a tree here, it makes it that much more special," said Paul Lichtefeld.
According to the city, after Christmas, the tree will serve another purpose as it is turned into mulch and spread through the city's parks system.
Related Stories:
- 42nd annual Light Up Louisville returns downtown Nov. 25
- Louisville homeowner donating Christmas tree for city's 'Light Up Louisville' event
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