A 35-foot artificial Christmas tree was installed at Memorial Park in Slippery Rock for the Festival of Trees event organized by students in Slippery Rock University's resort, recreation and hospitality management program. Its lights will be turned on at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Slippery Rock University plans to light up a new tradition Sunday.

For the first time, a 35-foot, artificial Christmas tree will be lit at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

“Having a tree like this can be a game-changer for a community,” said Mary Jo Ross, SRU associate professor of hospitality, event management and tourism.

The towering Christmas tree last stood in the entertainment district in downtown Orlando, Fla., and has since been donated by Ross.

Slippery Rock University faculty members, student volunteers and multiple community partners have worked diligently in recent weeks to install the tree, which was fully up but not lit during Slippery Rock’s multiple coinciding events last weekend.

Ross said the hope was to jump start a new traditional event called the Festival of Trees, but COVID-19 has created problems for their ideal event.

Because of the pandemic and safety precautions to limit public gatherings, this year’s inaugural Festival of Trees will consist only of the one-time lighting ceremony on Sunday, which will be live- streamed on the festival’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

However, in holiday seasons to come, the Festival of Trees will feature bunches of decorated Christmas trees, live entertainment, craft and food vendors, horse-drawn carriage rides and more, all centered around the tree in Memorial Park.

“We want to generate interest now so that next year we’ll hopefully be able to have a whole month of activities that will give people another reason to come to Slippery Rock during the holidays,” Ross said. “Getting the tree here is a big deal because it can be a destination point for people to have a holiday photo taken.”

The tree, consisting of metal hoops and accompanying decorations, was donated to Slippery Rock Development, a nonprofit community organization that also organizes the community’s annual VillageFest.

The Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau provided a $22,500 loan to add LED lighting on the 158 branches and to have it transported to Slippery Rock on a box truck. Ross estimates the value of the tree, with recent upgrades, at $80,000.

Slippery Rock Borough Council accepted the donation on behalf of Slippery Rock Development and the borough will store the tree in the offseason.

“We didn’t want to lose the opportunity for this fantastic gift that we’re hoping draws people into Slippery Rock during the holiday season,” said Tom McPherson, executive director of Slippery Rock Development. “The tree looks really nice in the center of the park, and you can see it coming up and down Main Street.”

Justin Zackal is a communication specialist for Slippery Rock University.