Deering Oaks Gets Lit Up

The Friends of Deering Oaks, which sponsors the annual lighting display in Deering Oaks Park, held the lighting of the special Candelabra Tree on December 12.

The magnificent 100-year old Candelabra Tree is the largest pin oak in Maine, listed on “Maine’s Big Tree List.” It is approximately 85 feet tall, with a circumference of 120 inches.

Candle-like forms, developed by local sculptor Pandora LaCasse, were installed in the spreading branches of the tree, bringing it to life as the community’s candelabra. Lighting the tree also symbolically united the two major sections of Deering Oaks, currently bisected by the State Street traffic through the park.

Anne Pringle, President of the Friends of Deering Oaks, said that USM students engaged in an interdisciplinary course focused on Deering Oaks called “Portrait of a Space” and assisted LaCasse in restringing the lighting display around the pond.