On the Water: Trees in the Bay are already on the water

Jack-o’-lanterns haven’t been carved and costumes haven’t been doned — but the Trees in the Bay are already lined up like “Babes in Toyland” soldiers.

The iconic, wooden-framed holiday trees that light up the water in Alamitos Bay each winter have been set up, reminding us that Christmas is just around the corner.

The Long Beach Parks, Recreation & Marine Department annually places 68 Trees in the Bay platforms on the water in Alamitos Bay, Colorado Lagoon and Rainbow Lagoon each holiday season. The process takes about two months.

“To insure the platforms go active on Thanksgiving night,” Marine Bureau Director Todd Leland wrote in an email, “our Marine Bureau — Marine Maintenance Division directs staff resources each day from late-September all the way to sunset on Thanksgiving night t