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WWEHlSTORlAN t1_jdvgzyz wrote

The owner of that quarry had parents who were heavily addicted to illicit drugs. He never had a good Christmas so he puts that Christmas tree up and leaves it there year round to remind all the children of Maine, who may share a similar upbringing, that there is hope on the horizon.

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DidDunMegasploded t1_jdw5l0n wrote

That wasn't the answer I was expecting, but damn was it a good one either way.

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Standsaboxer t1_jdwi420 wrote

I grew up in Topsham and never heard this story. I always thought it was just a noticeable spot to put a Christmas tree.

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thrownaway_me t1_jdwkqul wrote

Citation please. I never heard this tale of the Crooker family.

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gatsby_101 t1_jdxhbva wrote

Yea, this sounds highly apocryphal – particularly coming from someone who reports having lived in-state for only a couple years. Fun story though.

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WWEHlSTORlAN t1_jdxyd42 wrote

Jesus, you still holding on to that crappiest town thing (which was a joke)

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ashlyn42 t1_jdydlj2 wrote

Not the comment OP but I actually heard a version of this story (not sure about the drugs or the parents), and one about the little white church on Old Bath Rd about Crooker when he was being honored at an annual Southern MidCoast Maine Chamber event at the Taste of Maine around 2010/2012

Supposedly the church on Old Bath Rd was the church where Crooker met his wife, and when he heard it was being torn down, he bought the building, took it apart and had it rebuilt where it currently stands, so that that memory/place could live on.

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TruthintheBones t1_jdvnu82 wrote

After complaints from residents about the unsightliness of the towers, measures were taken to blend the structure into the natural environment. /s

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[deleted] t1_jdwf498 wrote

[deleted]

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vsanna t1_jdxu471 wrote

Everything flows downstream no matter where you put it.

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ppitm t1_je0o3yd wrote

They should build another one across the street to hide the shopping center from view.

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Mainah888 t1_jdvvuqf wrote

For the same reason there is one on top of the #11 crane right now at BIW.

They are only lit during Christmas. But safer to leave it up all year long. Locals don't even notice them anymore except during Christmas at night when they are lit up.

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spellyourname t1_jdwk8hw wrote

It's always there, lit up at Christmas. Enjoy your Wendy's.

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Seppdizzle t1_jdxtdgh wrote

Sir, this is an Arby's.

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megaman368 t1_jdy6odx wrote

I’m so hungry I could eat at Arby’s

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momsequitur t1_je07d17 wrote

I thought I was hungry enough to eat Arby's one time, traveling home to Portland from my in-laws' in Rumford/Dixfield after a family holiday. My husband still tells the story of me biting into a sandwich and asking, dismayed, "People eat this? On purpose?" He doesn't include that I continued, "It tastes like I already threw up!"

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MrLeeman123 t1_jdvs8d5 wrote

Been there my whole life. The guy that owns that place just likes Christmas I think.

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dogmom603 t1_jdvkxbs wrote

Tradition in construction. “Topping out” signifies a project has reached its full height.

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Cold-Shopping-1758 OP t1_jdvlte5 wrote

That was quick. I wish people in Rhode Island were this helpful. Thanks for clearing my confusion.

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GrowFreeFood t1_jdy5ix7 wrote

It's to test air quality. If it starts to wilt they need to turn down the burner.

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PencillCat t1_jdxp3a2 wrote

I like how most of the answers here are different yet equally plausible

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Admiral_sloth94 t1_jdw44jk wrote

I mean you could volunteer to lug the tree up there every year and then take it down a few weeks later. /S

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EconomicsNo7090 t1_jdwgo8w wrote

They light it up in this winter time for Christmas been doing it since the 80s maybe even before but I was too young

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cerebralailment t1_jdxn11v wrote

Its actually a prop from the World War II Era - they used it to help disguise the towers from raiding Japanese bombers.

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pearithead t1_jdy51yq wrote

Great. Now everyone will see it.

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SheSellsSeaShells967 t1_jdy7xof wrote

I had totally forgotten about that tree. Been there since at least the early 90s.

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dannoGB68 t1_jdyn85n wrote

Look at the logo for this sub, then look at the tree. Coincidence?

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CountryBoy72 t1_je040s1 wrote

It's a Xmas tree. They put it up there with a crane, and normally take it down in the spring when they fire the paving plant up. Those silos hold hottop

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slothscantswim t1_jdxa0sx wrote

They put it up for Christmas, and just haven’t taken it down

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home-for-good t1_jdxmttv wrote

Been there for the last decade or so at least

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pepperjill t1_jdy5fgf wrote

We just drove by there and my Husband asked me what the hell that tree was doing up there.

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tbone985 t1_jdzv28b wrote

This is that same intersection where there’s something like seven signs saying you can’t turn right on red. Hard to tell the cop you didn’t see the sign.

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Antnee83 t1_jdzvhca wrote

It's a pretty arbitrary "no right on red" though.

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John_Yossarian t1_je83hao wrote

There are a lot of reasons to do that in an intersection. For this one, I'd imagine it's because the traffic from 196 on the left is coming down a hill, and if you turn right out of Topsham Fair Mall Road, you're immediately heading uphill and accelerating slowly, so it could cause traffic issues or accidents.

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Sezu1701 t1_je05amj wrote

Well, it IS the pine tree state.

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mydogcecil t1_jdw4zdv wrote

You can actually call them and ask.

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