Bringing people together

Three years ago, Heather Niccoli sat in Denny’s Auto Service and waited for her car to get fixed.

Niccoli, the editor-in-chief of Home and Harvest Magazine, peered to the side of her chair and found a book on the history of Moscow. She began to flip through its pages to pass the time.

Suddenly, the Moscow native came across an odd site — a large Christmas tree placed in the intersection of Sixth and Main streets, creating a makeshift roundabout in the middle of the road.

Niccoli — who also owns Little Shop of Florals with her husband, Tony — said she attempted to learn more about the tree, but couldn’t find any mention of it after the 1960s. She didn’t know why it disappeared, nor did anyone else.

But Niccoli was determined to bring it back. In 2016, she did.

However, it wasn’t easy. Niccoli needed to find a tree vendor, someone to build a stand strong enough to withstand Palouse winds and various donors to help cut costs.

Olivia Heersink | Argonaut
Moscow’s holiday tree was unveiled Friday in Friendship Square.

She said she met with members of the Pullman City Council to learn the specifics of their holiday tree,  so she could do something similar eight miles east.

“Until I met with them, I wasn’t even really considering all the logistics,” Niccoli said. “And after, my head was filled with them.”

Woodbury Tree Farm agreed to supply the tree, Bill’s Welding and Machine Shop said they would construct the stand and several businesses decided to donate. The tree was coming together better than Niccoli expected.

Next, she had to get the City of Moscow’s approval.

“We were worried the city wouldn’t allow it,” Tony said. “And by that point, we already had the tree, the stand and money for decorations — it was happening, it was just a matter of where.”

To the Niccolis’ delight, Moscow officials were on board.

Due to new traffic patterns, the tree wouldn’t be able to stand in its former spot. Niccoli said her first choice was Friendship Square, but she secured a spot in the Palouse Mall as back-up in case it couldn’t be placed downtown. The former won out.

After months of hard work, Niccoli finally saw her vision come to fruition, despite a few hiccups a few days before the reveal.

“That first year was crazy, and the second after they put it up, it started snowing — it was pure magic,” Niccoli said. “I still just wish I knew why it went away, but I’ll never forget the kindness of the people who helped us pull it off, and continue to do so.”

Now in its third year, Niccoli said the tree — which made its debut Friday evening during the Moscow Winter Carnival — has brought in thousands of visitors to the around 25,000-member town.

Scrolling through Facebook, Niccoli said she has even seen photos of people getting married and engaged in front of the tree.

“Growing up here, I really wanted to bring people together,” she said. “There was never this huge thing that everyone, of all backgrounds, went to — and now there is.”

The holiday tree isn’t the only Moscow custom the Niccolis have revived. They brought back Vandal I Mums, a University of Idaho Homecoming Week tradition dating back to 1921.

Olivia Heersink | Argonaut
Moscow’s holiday tree was unveiled Friday in Friendship Square.

These lost traditions are why Niccoli wanted to return to her hometown — a place Tony had yet to visit.

“I’d always been rooting for Ohio (his home state), until the first time we came here,” Tony said. “I was like, ‘Moscow works. Idaho is good.’”

The Niccolis left Long Beach, California, devoting their energy into giving Moscow residents a glimpse of the past.

With Tony at her side, Niccoli hopes to continue bringing vintage traditions back to the people of the Palouse.

“It’s our goal, as the Niccolis, to keep vintage traditions in Moscow alive and do everything we can to bring people together,” she said. “I want to make sure whatever I do means something — it’s easy to get stuff going, but I want it to last through the years.”

Olivia Heersink can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @heersinkolivia