On Sunday, Rising Leaders of Bradford (RISE) decorated their “adopted” pine tree located on the corner of Main Street and Festival Way — the tree on the corner of Top’s property.

Putting on the finishing touches are Tony Scrivo with Northwest Bank and Christian Smith with the Bradford Area Alliance. Scrivo is assuming the role of leading RISE in 2023, its fifth year of creating a culture for the community’s young professionals by facilitating social and networking events, professional development workshops and community projects. Smith is new to the area and a new member of RISE.

Scrivo advised, “This will be the third year RISE has supported efforts to increase pride in our community by decorating the tree. Decorations were initially obtained through the generosity of the Blaisdell Foundation. In previous years Pure Tech provided a lift truck to aid in decorating the 20-something-foot tree. However, a storm took down the long-standing tree and a new tree was planted by Bob Esch. A 3-foot tree is much easier to decorate.”

Established in 2018, RISE’s goal is to promote and enhance the vitality of our community by creating a strong culture for young professionals.

For more information about RISE visit the “Rising Leaders of Bradford” Facebook page.