Cardboard Christmas Tree Gets Mixed Reviews in New Jersey Town
2021-12-05
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Every year, workers put up a big, freshly cut evergreen tree in a historic building in Asbury Park, New Jersey to celebrate Christmas.
2The Grand Arcade at the Convention Hall rises above the town's boardwalk, a walking path along the Atlantic Ocean.
3But recently workers put up a very different kind of Christmas Tree in the Arcade.
4Unlike an evergreen, it requires little care and can never die.
5That is because the 2021 Christmas Tree is made wholly of a thick and strong paper material called cardboard.
6When the winter holidays end, the "tree" is to be recycled.
7The tree's creators sought to honor elements of Asbury Park's natural environment, cityscape and rich musical history.
8Opinions on the tree are mixed.
9"I like that it's different...It's pretty interesting," said local man Chris Trifari. He lives in Neptune, a neighboring town.
10Local Elizabeth Khimitch offered similar praise. "I think it's very creative."
11She had come to the Grand Arcade to take pictures of her dogs in front of the tree.
12Others on the boardwalk were not as pleased by the tree.
13Anthony Solimando said it looked "like an Amazon package."
14"Not a fan," added Amy Mackey.
15"Asbury has conformed into this artsy town, but tradition is tradition!
16This is art, and I wouldn't take my child's picture in front of this tree. Can't we just have our traditional tree?"
17The change came about this year when the city's art community contacted Madison Marquette, the private owner of the Asbury Park boardwalk.
18They asked about creating a Christmas tree sculpture for Convention Hall, said Austin Leopold, the manager of the property.
19Leopold said the property company "passionately embraced" the idea for the sculpture.
20He said it honors the boardwalk's image as a center for Asbury Park's arts and music community.
21Michael Lavallee, a local artist who goes by the name Porkchop, created the piece with Brad Hoffer.
22They call it The Giving Tree.
23He said the company told him there would not be a natural Christmas tree at Convention Hall this year.
24"I was asked to come in and do something festive-ish," said Porkchop.
25Festive means celebratory, especially in connection with a holiday.
26Porkchop said he did not want to take away anyone's Christmas tree.
27He added, "If you're not going to give people the big tree they want, some of them are going to hate it. I understand that.
28But they weren't going to get that traditional Christmas tree anyway."
29The piece uses natural and artificial lighting to darken parts of the tree while shining light on others.
30In this way, the piece's appearance changes throughout the day.
31Amy Quinn is Asbury Park's deputy mayor.
32Quinn said that the city is not involved in the Convention Hall decisions, but that she likes the piece.
33"I love the take that the local artists had on the tree," she said.
34"I love that it's different. Love it or hate it, people are talking about it."
35I'm John Russell.
1Every year, workers put up a big, freshly cut evergreen tree in a historic building in Asbury Park, New Jersey to celebrate Christmas. The Grand Arcade at the Convention Hall rises above the town's boardwalk, a walking path along the Atlantic Ocean. 2But recently workers put up a very different kind of Christmas Tree in the Arcade. Unlike an evergreen, it requires little care and can never die. That is because the 2021 Christmas Tree is made wholly of a thick and strong paper material called cardboard. When the winter holidays end, the "tree" is to be recycled. 3The tree's creators sought to honor elements of Asbury Park's natural environment, cityscape and rich musical history. 4Opinions on the tree are mixed. 5"I like that it's different...It's pretty interesting," said local man Chris Trifari. He lives in Neptune, a neighboring town. 6Local Elizabeth Khimitch offered similar praise. "I think it's very creative." She had come to the Grand Arcade to take pictures of her dogs in front of the tree. 7Others on the boardwalk were not as pleased by the tree. 8Anthony Solimando said it looked "like an Amazon package." 9"Not a fan," added Amy Mackey. "Asbury has conformed into this artsy town, but tradition is tradition! This is art, and I wouldn't take my child's picture in front of this tree. Can't we just have our traditional tree?" 10The change came about this year when the city's art community contacted Madison Marquette, the private owner of the Asbury Park boardwalk. They asked about creating a Christmas tree sculpture for Convention Hall, said Austin Leopold, the manager of the property. 11Leopold said the property company "passionately embraced" the idea for the sculpture. He said it honors the boardwalk's image as a center for Asbury Park's arts and music community. 12Michael Lavallee, a local artist who goes by the name Porkchop, created the piece with Brad Hoffer. They call it The Giving Tree. 13He said the company told him there would not be a natural Christmas tree at Convention Hall this year. 14"I was asked to come in and do something festive-ish," said Porkchop. Festive means celebratory, especially in connection with a holiday. 15Porkchop said he did not want to take away anyone's Christmas tree. He added, "If you're not going to give people the big tree they want, some of them are going to hate it. I understand that. But they weren't going to get that traditional Christmas tree anyway." 16The piece uses natural and artificial lighting to darken parts of the tree while shining light on others. In this way, the piece's appearance changes throughout the day. 17Amy Quinn is Asbury Park's deputy mayor. Quinn said that the city is not involved in the Convention Hall decisions, but that she likes the piece. 18"I love the take that the local artists had on the tree," she said. "I love that it's different. Love it or hate it, people are talking about it." 19I'm John Russell. 20Wayne Parry reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 21_____________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23package - n. a box or large envelope that is sent or delivered usually through the mail or by another delivery service 24conform - v. to do what other people do : to behave in a way that is accepted by most people 25passionately - adv. having, showing, or expressing strong emotions or beliefs 26artificial - adj. not natural or real : made, produced, or done to seem like something natural