Over the weekend, I was driving my grandson from Peoria to his dad’s country, farm house, fixer-upper on the outskirts of tiny San Jose. I took the wrong exit off I-155, on to Route 122 and rolled into the little town of Delavan, with less than 2,000 inhabitants, in rural Tazewell County.
Near the main intersection in town, just off Rt. 122, a huge, decorated Christmas tree sat smack dab in the middle of the street, with no warning signs, barricades, ropes or markings to keep it from getting run over. I posted this pic on my and the GLO Facebook pages and got feedback from the natives that this is an annual Christmas tradition in Delavan and in nearby tiny, Hopedale, too. It elicited comments like,”What in the world?” and “Where is this, Whoville?”
Someone on the GLO FB page said London Mills once popped a Christmas tree on its main street before vandals ruined the tradition. And another commenter said that Hermistown did this, too, but I couldn’t find where the Hell Hermistown is, unless it’s a city in Oregon. Do you know of any other towns that partake in this holiday tradition?
Doc Watson
