A Parade in Wheatland, a Jackalope in Douglas and a Wind Delay in Wheatland

Thursday, November 18, 2010 - Today we had the opportunity to see the very best of the people of Wyoming. From Wheatland, to Douglas, to Gillette, we saw the enthusiasm and excitement of the people of Wyoming over our state's Tree and their patience and understanding in dealing with unexpected challenges.

Winds at speeds of over 55 MPH sidelined the Capitol Christmas Tree outside of Wright today for more than three hours causing us to miss a stop at the FCA Country Store in Gillette as well as most of the community celebration at the local college. We were so disappointed to miss these celebrations, but the residents of Gillette continued on with their festivities and many stuck around until we arrived around 7:00 p.m. The community even created their own banners for Wyomingites to sign which we will take with us to Washington, DC. Thanks for your understanding Gillette!

Before the wind, we started our day out in Wheatland with a fantastic parade and event in front of the court house. Nearly 1,000 people showed up in Wheatland to see the Tree and sign the banner. Talking to one of the residents there, we were reminded of why so many people across the state have come to see the Tree - "We are just excited to be a part of this. This is historical and we get to be a part of history," said a gentlemen in Wheatland.

Check out these photos of the parade and celebration in Wheatland.

Parade in Wheatland.

CCT Coordinator Mary Cernicek and the Pony Express in Wheatland.

The celebration in Wheatland.

Next it was onto Douglas where hundreds of more residents of the area awaited the arrival of the Tree. Children from the local schools sang throughout the event at Hardware Hank's and participants (including the team!) enjoyed delicious BBQ sandwiches.

The Douglas Chamber of Commerce also had a special presentation for our driver, Jeff Underwood. Jeff was presented with a Jackalope hunting license from the town as well as a jackalope for his dashboard. Fortunately, Jeff had gotten educated earlier in the trip by true Wyomingites and got the joke. We think.

Leaving Douglas, hundreds of school children lined the road to see the Tree and wave to the team. This video gives you the opportunity to see what Team Tree has experienced countless times out on the road in Wyoming. The excitement and enthusiasm of the children is truly contagious and seeing their faces has been a highlight of the tour for many of us.

Despite our wind delay (read an earlier post to see how Team Tree entertained themselves for nearly four hours at the rest stop), we were able to see many people when we arrived in Gillette later in the evening. There was music and food and Santa was visiting with many of the children. Even a little late, we were happy to arrive to the party and join in on the festivities.

After the celebration we headed to the Settle Inn for some rest and the Sky Line restaurant for some dinner. Thank you to owner Ray Lewis for taking such great care of the team!

A Special Thanks to Cloud Peak Energy

Cloud Peak Energy helped put together the wonderful celebration in Gillette! They have also been a tremendous sponsor of the Capitol Christmas Tree Project. Their support has been instrumental to the project and ensuring the delivery of Wyoming's Tree to our nation's capital. Thanks Cloud Peak!