The city of Lufkin will unveil its “Locked With Love” tree Wednesday in a downtown park.
The tree is inspired by the Ponts des Arts bridge in Paris where for years couples attached padlocks to symbolize their love and tossed the key away into the River Seine.
The bridge was dismantled last year after almost a million padlocks weighing 45 tons caused it to partially collapse.
Main Street director Barbara Thompson hopes to create a similar, permanent sentiment in Lufkin.
“My husband and I had gone to Paris. While we were in were Paris, we realized that they were putting a lot of locks on the bridge there. I thought in Lufkin’s downtown it would make people happy if we had something like that where the people could use it as a stamp, a lock of their love on this tree,” Thompson said.
Thompson met with the city engineer who got a local steel company on board. Thompson says they used scrap metal to create rings and branches designing an 8-foot-tall metal sculpture tree where people can hang their padlocks.
Thompson says the city’s Locked With Love” tree is an attempt to draw people to downtown. There is no fee to hang a lock. Some downtown jewelers are selling padlocks and offering engraving.
The unveiling ceremony in Cotton Square Park is set for Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 9 a.m., 102 Lufkin Ave.
