By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

VINCENT – A large evergreen tree stands tall in the heart of Vincent. At 77 years old, the tree may qualify as a senior citizen, but it continues to represent the Christmas spirit in a big way as the largest Christmas tree in the state.

“I don’t know the exact date it was planted. It was around 1934,” said Geraldine Waldrop, who works in the Vincent mayor’s office. “It was planted by Lallouise McGraw and Lucille Florey. They planted it for the purpose it is used, as they planted it to grow and become a Christmas tree for the town.”

The tree stays decorated year-round, as pulling off the lights would cause extra, unnecessary work.

“To tell you the truth, I have no idea when it was first decorated,” Waldrop said, “but it has been there forever and a day.”

As the highlight of the town’s annual Christmas parade, Waldrop said the tree had a star topper at one point, but the tree outgrew the star.

Vincent’s street employees turn the white lights on in the early evening during the month of December, and the police department turns them off around midnight to save electricity.

Waldrop said the town is proud of how well the tree has lasted throughout the years.

“It’s always been healthy, and, strangely enough, the water board discovered a couple of years ago that underneath the tree there was a large water leak,” she said. “It has been watered all these years by that water leak. That might explain why it’s stayed healthy all these years. That’s why it grew so well.”