Capitol Christmas Tree 2010: From Freezing to Fun

Sunday, November 14, 2010

From Freezing to Fun

November 14, 2010 - Team Tree woke up in Riverton this morning. Freezing. Our celebration in Riverton the night before was truly amazing and all of us were sad to leave the town behind, but it was cold.

We fueled up and cleaned off our trucks before heading onwards to a warmer place. As any Wyoming resident knows, the drive into Thermopolis is truly spectacular. Seeing the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree wind its way through the hills and tunnels was amazing. However, this press gal doesn't have it in her yet to radio our leaders and ask them to pull over an 8 car, two semi caravan for a "photo-op" on a two-lane road. So all you get for now is a photo through our car window. We'll see how brave I get by Sundance.

We cruised into Thermopolis later in the morning where we found none other than Santa and Mrs. Clause. The couple were in town to celebrate the Capitol Christmas Tree with the people of Thermopolis. Capitol Christmas Tree Coordinator Mary Cernicek had a nice chat with Santa and asked him to see what he could do about great weather, little traffic and smooth sailing for Team Tree over the next month.

One of the best things about "going on tour with the Tree" is hearing so many wonderful stories about people who have volunteered their time to help the project or contributed ornaments to represent our state. It is wonderful when we receive ornaments directly from those who made them and get to hear the neat stories about why they decided to make an ornament and what the Tree means to them. Here is one of those stories:

There was another very special memory made today in Meeteetse. The Tree stopped in Meeteetse where we were greeted by a 102 year old woman named Gracie Carlson. Gracie was born in Meeteetse and has spent her whole life living in the area. It was incredible to have her there and see her excitement over the Tree as she came to get a closer look at the Tree and meet our team. Below is a photo of Gracie with her daughter.

After our stop in Meeteetse, we continued onto Cody. Our caravan was led into the town by a team of horses before we set up right in front of the Irma Hotel. Hundreds of residents were there waiting for us as we pulled in. A true western town, it was so fun to see the Tree parked right in the middle of it all.

We ended the day with a very special birthday dinner at the Irma for one of our law enforcement officers - Phelan Whitehair. Happy Birthday Phelan!

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About the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

The Bridger-Teton National Forest, at the request of Senator John Barrasso, is leading the State of Wyoming in the delivery of the Capitol Christmas Tree for 2010.

The Capitol Christmas Tree will grace the west front lawn of the U.S. Capitol in December 2010. This past summer, the Architect of the U.S. Capitol selected a 67-foot Engelmann spruce from the Bridger-Teton National Forest which has been cut, loaded, covered and prepped for travel to Washington, D.C.

Throughout November, the tree will be toured across the state of Wyoming before heading east to the U.S. Capitol. In late November, the tree will be delivered to the U.S. Capitol, where it will be lowered into a 5-foot deep hole, strung with lights, and decorated with thousands of handcrafted ornaments made by Wyoming people from across the State. On December 7, the Speaker of the House, along with student Daniel Sitter of Fairview, will light the tree and showcase Wyoming's historical, cultural and natural beauty.