An annual holiday celebration of Manitowoc’s aluminum history has reached its “Aluminum Anniversary.”
It’s the 10th anniversary of Evergleams on Eighth, put on each year by Manitowoc Aluminum Kitchmas.
The aluminum Christmas trees can be seen now until January 4th in local businesses and at the Manitowoc Public Library.
MAKI President Barb Bundy-Yost calls this year’s event the biggest yet, with 40 businesses putting up the trees built in Manitowoc by Aluminum Specialties from the 1950s until the 1970s.
She explained on WOMT’s Be My Guest program that one building this year that became available was the Schutte Building, which allowed a local collector to display different aluminum trees.
“She’s got a tree by the Warren Company, a pom pom tree,…another that came from Canada, and she has an Evergleam tree,” she noted. “So, we’ve got a little spice of life there.”
Bundy-Yost says it’s incredible to see all the people from outside the Clipper City come to see the aluminum trees.
“People from Milwaukee, northern Wisconsin, Chicago, we’ve got them coming from all over,” she listed. “We met a couple from California last year.”
The first Evergleams on Eighth took place in 2015, an idea from Steve Sears to showcase Manitowoc’s history through unique Christmas trees.
What started with 40 trees the first year is now up to at least 160 around the city.
Manitowoc Aluminum Kitchmas is also looking to make this holiday permanent. Bundy-Yost says one fundraiser for a future permanent museum this year, they are hosting is called the Evergleam-a-ganza, which takes place on December 20th at the Manitowoc Yacht Club from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The event will feature an auction of some of the aluminum trees and other items.
“We thought, you know, if anybody has an Airstream, they’d like to get rid of, wouldn’t that be fun,” she admitted. “We could start with a mobile unit, go around, and really tell people what our vision is and how wonderful this part of Manitowoc’s history was for the community that we live in.”
The event will cost $50 per ticket. As always, tours are available to see the trees.
That includes a private walking tour, a guided walking tour, and the Trolley to the Trees, which takes place throughout December.
More information about Evergleams on Eighth can be found at evergleams.org.
