The year was 1962. Packy the elephant was the biggest draw in the City of Roses. John F. Kennedy we the new President of the United States, and Mark Hatfield was the Governor of Oregon. Gas cost 31 cents per gallon, and the average house sold for $15,000.
In a small room at a local church, a group of people gathered to discuss the possibility of bringing something new to Portland…a Singing Christmas Tree! With optimism, zeal, a budget of $500 and lots of faith, these “pioneers” began what is now become a 49 year tradition in the city of Portland. The vision of the early founders was to give the city a gift. Benson High School Auditorium was chosen as the location of the first performance. The decision was made not to sell tickets, but to take an offering to cover the costs of building the TREE, renting the school and buying the music and decorations. The first offering raised $515…and Portland’s Singing Christmas Tree was launched!
A move to the Oriental Theatre was made to provide greater seating capacity. In 1968, the Civic Auditorium completed an entire renovation and the TREE presented one performance to a standing room only crowd. A second year of standing room only crowds made the sale of tickets a must. One performance grew to two, two to three and so on, until this year when there will be seven sold-out performances. In 1984, Jim Boehner was appointed Producer/Director. Over the years his leadership has provided the TREE with continuity, stability new innovations, as well as a high standard of music excellence. 1989 marked the beginning of a new concept; the choir coming from throughout the community verses a local church. Since then there have been hundreds of singers making up the TREE Choir representing 131 area churches. This year’s choir is made up of 265 adults, 40 children and a 40 piece orchestra. Volunteers continue to be the heart and soul of the TREE and at each performance 35 to 40 give of their time in front and behind the curtain to keep this amazing Portland tradition alive.
The TREE has been blessed with local sponsors including: Reser’s Fine Foods and the Reser’s Family, KPDQ and the FISH, United Grocers, 1190 KEX Radio, Thriftway, KOIN TV, KGW Northwest News Channel 8, The Oregonian and many many more. In the spirit of giving, the TREE began making donations to local children’s programs, which, since 1991, have totaled over $93,000. Donations have included $45,000 to Bob Miller’s Needy Kids Fund, $25,000 to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, $14,000 to Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, $4,000 t o the Piano Santa Foundation and $2,500 each to Portland Youth for Christ and Camp UKANDU. The TREE has provided thousands of free tickets to organizations over the years that are unable to afford to come. These organizations include: The Salvation Army, NW Pilot Project, Freedom House Ministries, My Father’s House, Albertina Kerr, Hillyard Group, Washington County Mental Health, Inn Home for Boys, Language and Culture Institute of Oregon.
What began as a local church choir’s gift has grown into what has become a Portland Christmas tradition. The sacrifice and commitment of this year’s choir and all of the choir alumni is what has kept the Portland Singing Christmas Tree alive! Their unselfish giving has been done in the true spirit of the season. Collectively, our desire has been and continues to be that the gift of music we give will inspire gifts of Hope, Joy, Peace and Love to live on through each person who attends a performance.
