Kickstarter

It has been just over a week since we had to delay the opening of the Tree of Light. The day after the branch broke, I went to the metal shop that we originally hired to build the aluminum skeleton of the Tree to talk about fixes and further reinforcements. They made suggestions, but I wanted us to go the extra mile with safety and durability.

So, on Monday of this week, my architect friend, John Drake, graciously gave of his time to come take some measurements and photographs to begin creating a 3D rendering of the Tree. Once the rendering is done, this model will be handed off to a structural engineer for approval of the weight loads, angles and materials. This will ensure safety and durability for years to come.

Then, it's back to the metal shop where they will make the necessary additions and modifications. 

We're currently engaging in conversations about a new location so that we can get the Tree of Light up as quickly as possible!! Thanks for your continued support!

Honestly, it has been a tough day. Josh and I are so excited about this project and all it means to us, our friends and our city. As the sun came up this morning, we were finishing the assembly of the Tree of LIght downtown.

We love you all, and we are thankful for the amazing amount of support you've shown us. Today is a lesson in perseverance. Please persevere with us. We're as excited as ever to see this through to the end!

cole

We're excited to start raising this thing from an idea in our minds and hearts to a physical structure! But... as with many things, there is a lot that has to happen behind the scenes to make it come to life.

So, Josh and I are continuing to work diligently to assemble the right team to make this dream a reality. Who knew a sculpture of a tree would need a computer programmer - but, alas, it does! That is just one of the skills needed to make everything work just right.

So, as things continue to move forward behind the scenes, we wanted to keep you updated and let you know that progress is being made! Once all the preplanning is taken care of, it should make the actual construction process a breeze. We're hoping for an August opening!

Thanks for your continued support.

Hey friends,

Thanks again for supporting the Tree of Light project. It has been about a month since our fundraising ended. So, I wanted to give you an update. 

Josh and I have met with the very talented local carpenter Blair Sligar, and he's gotten us going on the wood we'll be using to build the tree. He has lots of great local woods... and for our project we'll be able to use the scraps that mills have left over that they can't make boards out of. Additionally, we'll be using some recycled cypress wood from a couple old storage boxes from NASA - complements of our friend, Nick Sambrato, from over at Mama's Sauce. And maybe some pallet wood.

This week, we have a meeting with an electrical engineer to figure out that aspect of things. The possibilities around the final functionality of the interactive component as SO exciting. I'm going to keep that stuff a secret for now so there will still be some surprises!

Thanks for your love and support!!

Thank you so much to everyone who gave to help make this project possible.

The next steps : Get this thing built and secure the location.

Because of the complexity of the project, the coming weeks will mean meetings with structural and electrical engineers. This is the part where hard work comes in. We'll keep you updated with how those meetings are going and the time table that is established.