A lightning strike Wednesday was so strong that it knocked out the lights in Shallowford Park, damaged the irrigation system and even overturned a picnic table. But the damage it did to one of the park's majestic oak trees is what most worries Town Manager Cecil Wood the most.

"We can replace wiring," Wood said. "I can't replace a 75-year-old tree."The tree is one of three large oaks that make for a shady area at the park's northwest corner, next to the veterans' memorial. It took the brunt of the lightning strike.

It's not the first time that the beloved old trees have been threatened -- two years ago, the trees were severely damaged by heat and drought.

Town officials worried that they wouldn't survive. Last year, the town moved the stage for the annual "beach blast" party away from the trees to help protect them. Improved maintenance including a revamped irrigation system and a layer of fresh mulch helped save the trees.

"In the last couple of years, we've done a pretty good job of bringing them back around," Wood said. The tree that was damaged is the southernmost of the old trees. Although it survived the drought, Wood said he's not sure if it can survive the lightning strike, which stripped a large swath of its bark from its trunk.

"It took a pretty substantial hit," Wood said. Next week, a private arborist will examine the tree to try to determine if it can survive, Wood said. If the tree cannot be saved, it will have to be cut down, because a dead tree poses too much of a hazard, Wood said. If it has to be removed, the town council will determine if and how the tree should be replaced.

Wood said he hopes that it won't come to that. "They're kind of the signature of the area out there," Wood said. "It will certainly look a lot different to have one of the trees gone."Wood said he is still assessing the other damage to the park, and he expects to talk to an insurance adjuster next week.