The Holy Cream
12 nov. 2024
To mark the 100th anniversary of the former town of Isle-Maligne in style, Saint-Crème, in collaboration with the citizens' committee, will light up two enormous Christmas trees for this year's Christmas celebrations.
The first illumination will take place on Friday, November 22 at 6 p.m., at the same time as the opening of the traditional and very popular Saint-Crème Christmas market. The trees will then be illuminated every day for the holiday season, until January.
The record for the tallest illuminated Christmas tree
The fir trees located on the grounds of the former Isle-Maligne church, now a hotel, creamery and restaurant, each measure 66 feet high.
“According to my research, we are at least breaking the record for the tallest illuminated Christmas tree in Quebec. Not with one tree, but with two while we’re at it!” Vincent Lavoie, owner of Saint-Crème
A collaboration between citizens and companies in the sector
This project was carried out in collaboration with the Isle-Maligne 100th Anniversary Committee. The committee provided half of the budget and the other half was sponsored by companies in the sector, either in money or in contributions to the project: Autocar Jeannois, Béton Préfabriqué du Lac, Construction Blackburn et fils, Desjardins, Déneigement Serge et Marc, Lou Max Alma, Proco, Potvin Bouchard, Rémi Bouchard Électrique and Solutions Nk all said yes right away to get involved in this big project!
“The committee had this idea and I committed to it during the press conference for the opening of the 100th anniversary festivities of Isle-Maligne almost a year ago. I had said that quickly. Afterwards, it was a much bigger project than I thought! But since I keep my promises, we made it happen” Vincent Lavoie, owner of Saint-Crème
A major challenge
It took 3,300 feet of commercial light strings and an 85-foot nacelle to complete this grandiose project. A project costing approximately $20,000, not including volunteer labor. It was Vincent Lavoie himself, accompanied by his father, who installed the lights in the trees over a weekend.
A legacy from the committee
It was important for the citizens' committee to make a legacy to close the festivities of the 100th anniversary of Isle-Maligne. They wanted to be able to see the fir trees from afar and directly upon entering the old town in order to remind everyone of the history of the neighborhood.
“We wanted to put Isle-Maligne on the map ! Like in the movie The Christmas Tree Has Balls, where you can see the Griswold family’s illuminated decorations from space.” Vincent Lavoie, owner of Saint-Crème