May 21, 2013
An 80-foot Norway spruce that made it through Superstorm Sandy is getting its chance to shine.
It's being lit tonight as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The tree comes from the Mount Olive, N.J., home of Joe Balku, who lost power and other trees during the storm at his residence about an hour outside of Manhattan.
Wednesday night's tree-lighting event is scheduled to include performances from Rod Stewart, Cee Lo Green, Mariah Carey and Tony Bennett, and appearances from Billy Crystal and Bette Midler.
The first Christmas tree was set up in 1931 by workers who were building Rockefeller Center. The first tree-lighting ceremony was held in 1933.
You can watch the tree-lighting ceremony starting at 8:00 p.m. on WITN.
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