Every year, the Basking Ridge Fire Company accepts a large evergreen tree donated by a resident or business. The all-volunteer members take responsibility for cutting the tree down and placing it on the village green in Basking Ridge Center. Firefighters and volunteers also decorate the tree for the holidays, relying on fire equipment to reach the top.
The Fire Company will arrive in a couple of hours to down the tree, clean up the donor’s property, and transport it away. The traditional date for the tree to be set up in downtown Basking Ridge each year is the Saturday following Thanksgiving Day, which this year falls on Saturday, November 30, 2024.
See the tree go up live stream!
The only requirements is it needs to be a evergreen, at least 30 feet tall, and come from Basking Ridge.
History
In 1926, the Cerino brothers owned the small patch of land in front of the store and wanted to donate it to the town. But they had a condition. The condition of the donation was that the three items on the green were the ONLY items to be allowed on the small patch of grass. Nothing else could be added. What were the items? The first was the American flag and pole. The second was the WWI memorial stone that recognizes residents who served in WWI. The third was a WWI cannon (3 mortars). All three were permanent fixtures on the town square. Another account does not include the mortars.
The site was once Cerino’s general store, whose grocery and hardware store is where the Coldwell Banker realtor is today. It was also once Carlins and the Pepper Mill deli.
Yes the Cerino brothers owned the plot of land and donated it to the town. I remember when kids would tie the bread box in front of Cerinos up the flag pole back in the day.”
Craig Kampmier, local resident
People asked what happened to the WWI cannon and learned that the township later donated the cannon to be melted down for scrap metal needed during WWII. So there is a reason why a tree can’t be planted on the Basking Ridge green.
Tree Donations
Every year the Basking Ridge Fire Department solicits the community for a Christmas tree. The tree has to be at least 30 feet, evergreen and must reside in Basking Ridge. That’s it. They come to your house, cut down the tree for free, and hoist it on the Basking Ridge town green on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. It’s been done for almost 100 years.
Do you have a tree that has become too large or might be worthy of honoring Christmas for the township? Residents who have a tree to donate can contact BRFC at: [email protected]. We’d like to thank our local residents for their generous donations. Please submit your name and year if you donated a tree – click here
December 24th 7pm Sharp
Every year, on Christmas Eve, at 7 p.m. sharp, thousands of neighbors, friends, family, and others join in singing carols to ring in the holiday. The songs are the same as they’ve always been (read that story here).
More MLH Holiday Stories
