Spokane Valley Tech builds decorative trees for Winter Glow

Riverfront Park is lighting up this holiday season, and Spokane Valley Tech will shine in every display.

The school’s aerospace and advanced manufacturing class made 95 steel Christmas trees – outlined in LED lights. Three of those will be in every display at the park’s first Winter Glow Spectacular.

The new event in Spokane’s downtown park will feature thousands of lights, some strewn through trees to light pathways and others outlining playful seasonal figures and an animal light zoo near the IMAX.

“The biggest part I love about this is all the community involvement,” said Courtney Schmidt, Winter Glow Spectacular project coordinator, who was thrilled with the students’ efforts.

Winter Glow Spectacular’s organizers first asked Spokane Community College if they would make the trees, and the college opted to make larger bases for some of the bigger displays instead.

Mark Bitz, a Spokane Valley Tech teacher, jumped at the opportunity to help with the event. He saw this as an opportunity to teach skills and involve students in a citywide project making 7-foot and 4-foot Christmas trees.

“Repetition is what I wanted them to learn because the industry pays you for what you’re good at, so I wanted them to get good at something,” Bitz said.

Using steel donated by Haskins Steel Co., Inc., the students learned welding and grinding, how to use a band saw and a drill press. Along the way students also figured out organization of a more efficient work space and the importance of being more accurate with each weld.

“Make as few defects as possible,” said Hayden Diesburg, 16. Classmate Michael Holder said, “You spend twice as much time grinding out defects.”

“It’s over $10,000 worth of labor my students will have done,” Bitz said.

Organizer Jerry Schmidt, who also had a hand in starting Hoopfest, will start setting up displays this week. The lighted animal zoo will include a polar bear, a lion, salmon and a peacock. There are 30 lighted displays sponsored by local companies and nonprofits, including a waving Santa, a train and two gingerbread men playing volleyball.

Mayor David Condon will flip on the lights at Riverfront Park, 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 28; they will be on 5 to 9 p.m. every night through Jan. 1. Horse-drawn rides will be offered for a small fee. Walking tours will be free.

The idea that thousands of people will see Spokane Valley Tech’s trees makes student Jason Pierre “proud of our work.”