TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Tucson Christmas tradition of the Winterhaven Festival of Lights is cherished by many, but especially by the residents who put it all together.
Jeffrey Scott Brown grew up in his Winterhaven home and is going on 59 years there. He lives in the house with his mother now, and they had no idea what was coming when the storm hit on Friday evening.
“They jumped into action, neighbors helping neighbors. It was really kind of neat to see, I’ve lived here for 59 years and it was just really cool to see the reaction. People were like ‘do you need anything, do you need anything?’ Because we were without power for over 24 hours,” he said.
His neighbors were especially worried when they saw he had lost a tree that had been standing outside his home for his whole life.
Brown said, “It was a perfect fall. It’s just very emotional because we just decorate these during the Festival of Lights and there’s not going to be anything there.”
The tree fell directly across Christmas Avenue and blocked travel through the street. Luckily no one was hurt, but Brown shared his sentiments of losing the tree.
“It’s like a friend that you’ve lost, someone that’s always been there. And suddenly they’re gone. Mom and I were out there that night touching it and realizing… it’s gone,” he said.
He’s hoping the storms lay off until he can get the stump removed because he’s worried it could do even more damage. Once the stump is gone, he plans to keep the memory of the tree—with its rich history—alive by putting up a memorial at this year’s Winterhaven celebration.
“We’ll miss our old friend, we’ve got a piece of it. We’ll remember it,” he said.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
