Our latest press release is the inspirational story of a Wayside Gardener (Molly Gill of Pratt, West Virginia) who planted a small tree in her front yard in 1996. The tree was only supposed to get 8 feet tall, but to her surprise it kept growing and growing until it towered around 20 feet tall! Gill donated the overgrown tree (appropriately from the variety ‘Fat Albert’) to be displayed outside of the Capitol building in Charleston, West Virginia. Click here for the full story.
What ‘Fat Albert’ Looked like when it was planted in 1996.
UPDATE:
Since the writing of this press release, the media has run with the story. WCHS-TV8 (an ABC Network affiliate) interviewed Gill about the tree and watched as it was cut down. Gill remembered the tree fondly, but was also glad to donate it because it had just about taken over her whole yard! It just goes to show the quality and vigor of Wayside’s trees.
Then on December 6th, ‘Fat Albert’ and another donated tree were both lit up in a lighting ceremony called ‘Joyful Night 2014’. Here is a youtube video capturing the festivities. At 0:16 you can see Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin flipping the switch, and Gill’s ‘Fat Albert’ makes its grand entrance at 0:22.