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Lemoore honors Volunteer Fire Department for 100th community Christmas tree
Summary
The Lemoore City Council presented a certificate recognizing the Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department’s 100th annual donated Christmas tree. Alex C. Walker, a department firefighter and local historian, detailed the tradition’s history and the logistics volunteers use to source and erect the tree.
The Lemoore City Council presented a certificate recognizing the Lemoore Volunteer Fire Department (LVFD) for donating the city’s 100th community Christmas tree, a tradition with roots dating to the early 20th century. Alex C. Walker, speaking as a private citizen and LVFD fireman, told the council that the first documented tree-raising in Lemoore took place in 1919 and that the fire department began leading the effort in 1925.
Walker described the multi-step volunteer process: selecting a tree with a ranger’s approval, coordinating a crane and utility connections, transporting the tree on a custom trailer, and attaching lights (including a star mounted using an American flag motif). He praised longtime volunteers including members identified in the presentation as Faith and Ted and recognized the 2025 tree chairman, Crew Captain John Powers. “It’s a memory that firemen cherish for the rest of their lives,” Walker said.
Mayor and council members thanked LVFD for the decades-long civic contribution and called the tree a cherished seasonal tradition that brings families together. The council presented LVFD with a formal certificate and invited department members to accept it onstage.
The recognition is ceremonial; no council action or funding measure was taken at the meeting. The city encouraged residents to learn about LVFD’s volunteer opportunities and to attend related community events later this year.
