Editor's Note: This week, we'll take a look back at some of the biggest news stories of the year in Orillia. For our sixth feature, we'll focus on a bizarre incident that catapulted Orillia on to the international radar — for all the wrong reasons.
The Christmas season did not get off to a very merry start in Orillia.
On Nov. 17, hundreds of people gathered around the Orillia Opera House for the annual tree-lighting ceremony that serves as the unofficial kickoff to the Christmas season.
Wide-eyed kids and adults alike turned their attention to the big evergreen tree as Mayor Don McIsaac led a countdown to the big moment.
But the big moment became a big letdown as, to everyone’s surprise, only the trunk of the tree was lit up.
Some started a second countdown, hoping it was just a glitch.
It was not.
It was “very disappointing,” said OrilliaMatters reader Lynda Wiltse, echoing the sentiments of many who found the whole thing underwhelming.
In the afterglow, a video of the “very sad” event took on a life of its own and Orillia became a laughingstock far outside its municipal boundaries.
So why did the event fizzle so dramatically?
Known by many as “Fred’s tree,” the blue spruce was planted in front of the Opera House at the suggestion of Fred Noakes. Back in the 1970s, he urged council to plant the tree rather than cut down a tree in the forest each Christmas to be decorated downtown.
For years, the tree grew in stature and became a festive focal point of the downtown. In recent years, Hydro One crews used a boom truck to adorn the tree with countless strings of lights.
While magical, the annual exercise did harm to the tree and its branches over time. Such was the extent of the damage that the decision was made to just illuminate the tree’s trunk this year.
But that was not communicated to those in attendance - or anyone else.
“Unfortunately, the tree at the Orillia Opera House has deteriorated over time,” said Mike Ladouceur, the city’s director of business development, tourism and modernization.
“Arborists, as well as the lighting contractor, determined that lighting the entire tree posed a risk to the tree. The weight of the lights on the branches could also pose a risk to public safety,” he added.
“Given the event had already been planned and advertised by the Downtown Orillia BIA, staff worked with the Orillia Downtown BIA and contractors to find an alternative option. The decision was made to focus on lighting the trunk as a compromise to preserve the festive spirit of the event," he added.
Ladouceur said the future of the tree is on shaky ground.
“It has been recommended by the city’s arborist that a further assessment by a specialized arborist will need to be completed to determine future plans for the tree,” he explained.
As for the future of the event itself, that's up to the BIA, said Ladouceur.
It’s unfortunate the truncated tree lighting overshadowed the event, says Leslie Fournier, who founded and continues to spearhead the Streets Alive project. In a social media post, she said this year’s event was better than any other.
While the ceremony was underwhelming and communication of the change in lighting plans could have been better, Fournier conceded, there are positives to celebrate.
"Let’s celebrate the fact that some volunteer shop owners in downtown Orillia thought it was important to have a Candlelight Parade and an evening of events and festivities to bring families together,” Fournier wrote.
“With the absence of BIA staff (who have recently moved on to other jobs) the owners of Jack & Maddy - Kids' Store pulled up their sleeves to make sure we could continue our community tradition of our candlelight parade.”
Things got worse before they got better.
On Nov. 20, the local tree-lighting fiasco made the big time, hitting the radar of one of America's marquee programs, The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon.
Fallon explained how "a town in Canada" had its "big tree lighting." He showed the video and aired the reaction that was caught at Friday's event in front of the Orillia Opera House in downtown Orillia.
"What the hell?" one person can be heard saying after the trunk was lit up.
"You know you messed up when you get a Canadian mad enough to say hell," Fallon quipped.
Social media reaction was not favourable.
"It's so embarrassing for all of us. Imagine we hit the news in the U.S.," said one commenter on Facebook.
Another person said, pun intended, people should "lighten up. Yes, it was underwhelming. Yes, the commentary was funny. Just remember, though, that we can have a laugh about things without being so damn serious."
But as they say, any publicity is good publicity. Some local citizens took that adage to heart and vowed to turn the negative into a positive.
On social media, local residents posted photos of their trees decorated a la Fred’s tree.
Meanwhile, Creative Nomad Studios owner Anitta Hamming started a unique fundraiser when she began selling a line of merchandise with the theme, ‘Lit Happens,’ featuring photos of Fred’s tree in front of the Orillia Opera House with its trunk lit up.
"I felt like it was something we had to have a little fun with," Hamming said. "I thought we should find a way to make this something positive."
Just over two weeks after the launch of the merchandise, Creative Nomad Studios had raised just under $3,500. They decided to donate the funds to The Sharing Place Food Centre, which was matched by Jim Wilson Chevrolet, bringing the total to almost $7,000.
"It's amazing," Hamming said. "I love that we impacted the city by almost $7,000. It's huge."
When Hamming launched the idea, she wasn't sure if anybody would purchase the merchandise.
"It's a pretty awesome thing," she said. "I feel like the tree created more Christmas spirit in Orillia than I've seen in a long time."
Hamming thanks Orillians for rallying around the unique fundraiser.
"People really came together and got on board," she said. "It makes me proud to be a part of this town."
This year, the Merry Streets Alive Christmas event challenged artists to use the theme of Fred's tree while handcrafting their ornaments. Ornaments were given away on Saturday afternoon for a donation to the Couchiching Conservancy.
Streets Alive founder Leslie Fournier says the ornaments "turned out great" this year.
"The artists always rise to the occasion," she said. "They always come forth with wonderful art and a giving spirit."
Fournier says she is proud of how the community turned the tree-lighting fiasco into a positive. The Streets Alive fundraiser raised $1,500 for the Couchiching Conservancy.
"I'm honestly thrilled," Fournier said. "I can't think of a better way that this could have gone."
Fournier hopes Fred's Tree will be decorated the same way during the holiday season of 2024.
"We have a great opportunity to use this as a story that lives on," she said. "It also raises awareness about environmental issues and Fred Noakes' desire to not keep cutting trees down."
