During the early morning hours of Thursday, July 28, southeastern Kentucky experienced severe flooding that inundated the area with catastrophic damage, particularly to the city of Whitesburg. 

In an effort to support the recovery efforts of the people of Whitesburg, Donald Sorah (Wise, VA) and Roy Crawford (Whitesburg, KY) are donating 100% of the proceeds from the sale of their new work for concert band “The Trestle Tree” to the clean-up and rebuilding in Letcher County. 

What is “The Trestle Tree” and why is this piece being used to raise funds to support the people of Whitesburg?

In December of 2021 one of Santa’s elves decorated a small pine tree in Whitesburg, Kentucky. The site was a trestle that had been abandoned by the railroad many years ago.  In recent years this trestle, which was originally double tracked, had been made part of an exercise trail on one side.  The other had grown up in weeds and small trees.  There is a fence on either side of the exercise trail, so the elf must have thought it would be a good choice of locations since it would be seen by many but separated so that it wouldn’t be tampered with.

 The mystery of how the decorations appeared and the novelty of its being outdoors caused its popularity to grow.  One man took a picture of it to send his grandchildren.  A woman who lived away and had never visited it saw a picture of it on social media and had a friend paint a watercolor of it that now hangs in city hall.

The elf probably never expected that the tree would become an inspiration to many because it grows out of a rotten railroad tie rather than the ground.  It is thought of as a triumph of perseverance over adversity.

 In early March a leprechaun added green tinsel with small shamrocks to help prepare us for Saint Patrick’s Day.  After heavy snows the tree lies almost flat on the ground, worrying some that the decorations are harmful to its survival.  However, when the snow melts the tree is always back up.

Roy Crawford shared some original themes (the A and B section of the completed work) with Donald Sorah in the Spring of 2022, commissioning a Grade III-IV composition for wind ensemble to be premiered with the KYVA Winds (Jason Griffith, director) in Whitesburg just a few yards front the Trestle Tree itself that summer. 

On Thursday, July 28, flood waters poured through the city of Whitesburg destroying the majority of the buildings in the city along with the bridge that gave birth to The Trestle Tree. 

Because this piece has come to represent perserverence over adversity, we feel that this piece serves as a great illustration of the strength and resilience of The Trestle Tree and - more importantly - the people of Whitesburg and surrounding areas.

A recommended donation of $50 or more is suggested. Upon receipt of your donation, Donald Sorah will send a full score and all parts in PDF format to your email address.