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Ladera signals season with Christmas star

This story was submitted by Nancy Segbarth of Portola Valley, and a member of Ladera Community Church since the 1960s.

For fifty years a star shining from the top of a tall tree on Alpine Road next to the Ladera Community Church has signaled the holiday season for Portola Valley. It is lit from the beginning of Advent to Epiphany, or Twelfth Night. The first star was hung shortly after the young church congregation was able to construct its sanctuary in 1959.

Two of those early members were Charles Coale and Frank Coale, unrelated neighbors in Ladera. Together they built the original star and chose an old Italian cypress at the edge of the church's parking lot as a good display site.

Frank was an avid rock-climbing expert with the Sierra Club and not at all deterred by the difficulties of ascending through the thicket of branches. Later, the two families enlisted the next generation, Frank's son Kenneth and Charles' son Roger, to continue the star in their fathers' memory.

Firmly installed as a holiday tradition, the church formally took over the star project about the time the original cypress tree started to fail.

The cypress was removed and everyone agreed the star should be moved to the much taller redwood tree right next to Alpine Road, where it now resides.

The S.P. McClenahan company, arborists in Portola Valley, kindly agreed to bring their cherry picker equipment to safely install the star, and a wonderful relationship was started. A McClenahan crew continued, without charge, to provide routine maintenance as needed over the decades.

When a strong storm with high winds managed to knock the star completely to the ground a few years ago, the star was rebuilt using new "green energy" light bulbs. Another McClenahan crew then reinstalled the star.

The members of Ladera Community Church sincerely thank The McClenahan company for its ongoing support, without which the star's tradition would not have continued.

The star is lit in the early morning hours from 5:30 to 7 a.m., and in the evening from 5 to 10 p.m.

Merry Christmas to all in the community who enjoy its light!