A documentary on the Norway spruce from the State College area selected to be this year’s Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will air on Christmas Eve on the Pennsylvania Cable Network.
‘‘The Tree that Visited New York City for the Holidays’ produced by the Central PA Convention and Visitors Bureau and local media company BlueWhiteTV will air at 10 a.m. on Dec. 24.
First spotted in 2010 by Rockefeller Center’s head gardener, the 75-foot, 12-ton spruce was donated from the College Township property of Jason Perrin. Crews removed the tree in November and it made the 239-mile trip to midtown Manhattan, where it is the centerpiece of one of the world’s most famous holiday displays.
Adorned with more than 50,000 lights, it’s lighting was the culmination of a nationally televised broadcast on Nov. 29.
BlueWhite TV produced the documentary in less than four weeks, using local talent with help from around the world.
‘We worked with local artists, local children and even an animator from Bulgaria,’ BlueWhite TV’s Kelly Porterfield said. ‘It was a little confusing at times, but the result is exactly what we hoped it would be.’’
The short film features the work of Central Pennsylvania musicians Hannah Richardson, who also narrates, and Aaron Bossinger, the film’s musical director.
A tribute to the local tree and the history of the Rockefeller Center tradition, the television premiere also will include behind-the-scenes snippets.
The documentary also is available on DVD at www.bluewhitetv.com.
