News | Peachtree City

Legion post plans to boycott ‘holiday’ event over name of tree

Thu, 12/01/2005 - 4:19pm
By: John Munford

The American Legion Post in Peachtree City is boycotting the city’s Hometown Holidays event Saturday because the city is calling its Christmas tree “The Grand Tree.”

But Mayor Steve Brown said there was no slight or political correctness intended by calling the city’s large, planted Christmas tree by its special moniker.

“We’re calling it the Grand Tree to build up the significance of it,” Brown said. “It’s a bona-fide lit-up Christmas tree.”

John Zerillo, Commander of Post 50, noted in an e-mail to The Citizen that the city doesn’t display any “Merry Christmas” banners. The city has already erected its Christmas wreaths around town, Brown noted.

Zerillo said he was upset with the “politically correct nonsense.”

“Peachtree City is an overwhelmingly Christian community,” Zerillo wrote in the e-mail. “Who is the city worried about offending — a half-dozen left-wing kooks?”

Zerillo noted that Fayetteville and Newnan are lighting “traditional Christmas trees” this year.

Peachtree City is, too, said Brown, who hopes Zerillo will reconsider and attend the Hometown Holiday event, which starts at 6 p.m. with a concert at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. The crowd will migrate to City Hall for the lighting of the tree and visits with Santa after the concert.

At the concert, donations of canned goods and other non-perishable food items will be collected for the Real Life Center, an organization that operates a food bank for the needy.

login to post comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Legion Post plans boycott
Submitted by ole sarge on Sat, 12/03/2005 - 6:39am.

It is shameful to observe that the city found a place for two wreaths on the cart bridge over Highway 54. It must be more political correctness that they had to remove the American flag to find a place for the "holiday" wreaths.

login to post comments
Its a Christmas celebration.
Submitted by Investq on Sat, 12/03/2005 - 6:42am.

Its a Christmas celebration. Its a shame that Logsdon twisted the armas of one or two clowns in leadership at the Legion to politicize a holiday. Your facts are wrong. And besides, you should have taken a vote of your membership before you did your press release; I would have voted against it.

login to post comments
Mayor: Logsdon co-horts should avoid Christmas politics
Submitted by Mayor Steve Brown on Thu, 12/01/2005 - 11:07pm.

To the best of my knowledge there is no American Legion Post in Peachtree City, only Fayetteville. Geography aside, Mr. Zerillo noted to a member of the press that Mr. Logsdon encouraged him to write a letter to the editor on the “Christmas” vs. “Grand” tree issue. By chance, yea right, Direct PAC member and Logsdon sidekick John Dufrense is in that same American Legion post. Look up Dufrense’s letter to the editor in Wednesday’s Citizen and you will get a good idea what he is all about.

I conclude by saying that our series of events will be the largest Christmas-time effort in the Peachtree’s history. We bought an expensive, large (you can even call it “grand”), living Christmas tree that future generations will be able to appreciate. We have men, women and children that have practiced their hearts out for an event that has been in the planning stages for a full year. The boy scouts will be placing luminaries along the cart path from the amphitheater to Drake Field (City Hall) and city staff has worked diligently stringing lights in the trees at the City Hall plaza. We are doing a silent auction at the amphitheater for decorated “Christmas” trees to benefit hurricane relief and we are accepting canned food items for a local food pantry at the amphitheater event.

How sad it is to make a political jab, just because I spearheaded the event, at such a worthwhile event and talk about a boycott. I am a big boy. If you want to call me names, write mean letters about me, rip up all my campaign yard signs and tear down my mailbox, I can take it. But please leave the city’s Christmas program alone and let those of us who have worked so hard to make the holiday memorable for our residents carry on without interference.

Mr. Zerillo’s “Peachtree City is an overwhelmingly Christian community” comment could very well be true, but let it be known that everyone is welcome to attend the music and fun at the amphitheater (6:00 PM), the trail of lights on the golf cart paths and the lighting of the tree. You do not have to be Christian to participate. I am very thankful to be celebrating the birth of our Savior – the One who loved those that the others despised (tax collectors, harlots, the lame, etc.) and led us all to a greater understanding of God the Father. Let’s keep the runoff politics out of the Christmas program.

login to post comments
Another show of Brown's "Love" for all citizens
birdman's picture
Submitted by birdman on Thu, 12/01/2005 - 11:39pm.

Come on Steve, like it or not Dufresne is one of your "beloved citizens." Couldn't you just write SOMETHING...ANYTHING without taking a cheap shot at someone you so profess to "love?" By the way Steve, why aren't YOU a member of the American Legion? Oh...that's right, you actually have to serve your country to join. I know that because I, too, am a member. John Dufresne served honorably.

Are we now moving from "gee those evildoers stole my signs" to "gee those evildoers tore down my mailbox?" Does anyone out there (except Steve Brown of course) really believe that all these "evildoer developers" would spend their time "ripping up signs" or "tearing down" mailboxes? Come on Steve, it's time to get "real." People just don't feel sorry for you.

Steve, if you want to keep the "runoff politics out of the Christmas program," I suggest you "take the lead" and quit whining about all the "conspiracies" against you when you are addressing the Christmas program. And oh, practice more of what you preach and try...just TRY once not to take a CHEAP SHOT at someone. We are pretty tired of it. In fact we are so tired of it that we are going to:

VOTE YOU OUT OF OFFICE!!!


login to post comments
Who put the X in Christmas?
Submitted by Reality Bytes on Thu, 12/01/2005 - 8:18pm.

Well, we don't have Christmas in Peachtree City, if you read this one. We have "holiday greetings". Yet City Council starts with a prayer.

Will the real Peachtree City please stand up?

login to post comments
Who Put it in?
PTC Guy's picture
Submitted by PTC Guy on Thu, 12/01/2005 - 8:31pm.

The Politically Correct.


login to post comments
Who Put the "X" in Christmas (X-mas)
Submitted by mewsicpstr on Sun, 12/04/2005 - 2:22pm.

A seasonal and interesting etymology question: was the X a "commercializing" thing to make Christmas more edible for non-Christians? Is the X really a cross?

Neither, in fact; it appears that the X is really the first letter of the word Xtos (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ), which in Greek is the word for Christ.

login to post comments

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.