pkeith@altoonamirror.com
Christmas tree donor Rod Gottshall adjusts a decoration on the Heritage Plaza tree in downtown Altoona on Monday. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
This year’s Christmas tree in the Heritage Plaza in Downtown Altoona grew in the Grandview Heights backyard of Rod Gottshall.
The 19-foot-tall Blue Spruce began its journey 20 years ago, when Gottshall and his late wife, Cheryl, purchased it to decorate their back deck for their first Christmas season in their home. When spring came, they planted it in their backyard, where it’s been growing in height and beauty.
Two years ago, Gottshall said he started to think about what to do with the tall pine as it was outgrowing its space. On one of his weekly strolls downtown, he thought about the tree tradition in Heritage Plaza.