Under a slight drizzle, the 70-foot blue spruce that beat out more than 70 other trees in the first-ever online vote was lit up Wednesday afternoon in Chicago's Daley Plaza.
During her remarks, actress Joan Cusack offered kind words for Mayor Richard Daley, repeatedly using the phrase "what a great mayor" to describe his beautifcation efforts in the city, his relationship with the citizens and the obvious love he has for his wife, Maggie Daley.
It was Daley's final tree lighting as mayor of the City of Chicago.
The tree was donated by the Colomer family from McHenry. The Mayor's Office of Special Events for the first time held a contest for submissions and left the final decision to an online vote. The Colomer's tree beat out more than 70 other entries.
Colomer said the blue spruce sat in the oldest part of the city of McHenry right across the street from Montini Catholic High School.
"Many classes have started at the school, graduated and moved on from the school but the tree still stands tall in its place," John Colomer said earlier this month.
The tree, which is quite a bit taller than last year's 56-foot blue spruce, made its way to Daley Plaza on Nov. 5.
