CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE 2009 CUTTING CEREMONY
Springerville, Arizona (November 3, 2009)- The official United States Capitol Christmas Tree will be harvested from an area in the White Mountains of northeastern Arizona on November 7, 2009. A ceremony with White Mountain Apache Dancers, Apache blessing, choral music and Arizona’s official historian Marshall Trimble will commemorate the historic event.
Every year since 1970, a Christmas tree has been presented to the United States Congress from a national forest and is known as “The People’s Tree”. This year, for the first time, the tree will be a gift from Arizona. Placed in front of the Capitol building, Arizona’s Gift From The Grand Canyon State is an 85-foot Blue spruce selected from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. Found in the White Mountains of northeastern Arizona near Springerville, this beautiful tree is taller than a 7-story building. After the ceremonial tree cutting November 7th, the tree will travel throughout Arizona to 24 cities and towns including Payson, Prescott, Phoenix, Tucson, Lake Havusu City, and Williams for 10 days from November 10 – 19, 2009. The tour continues across the nation where it is then presented to the United States Congress on November 30, 2009. The iconic symbol of the holidays will be lit during a ceremony by the Speaker of the House, along with an Arizona schoolchild who has made an ornament for the tree.
The tree will travel on a double flatbed truck, escorted by a caravan of approximately 12 vechicles, a total of 3,000 miles in its three-week tour. Placed on its side, it will rest in a custom cradle that supports the branches, preventing damage and maintaining the tree’s perfect shape. The base of the tree will be fitted with a plastic bladder filled with fresh water nightly. The tree will absorb about 65 gallons of water each day throughout its trek to Washington, D.C.
Chris Knopp, Forest Supervisor of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests stated, “providing a tree worthy of the U.S.Capitol lawn has been both a great responsibility and honor for us. This is a wonderful opportunity for Arizonans to showcase the state’s uniqueness, diversity and beauty.”
Finding the “perfect” tree is no easy task. Bechtol, who has selected the Capitol Christmas Tree for the last four years, explains some of the characteristics he looks for in a choice tree, “it has to have a straight trunk, dense branches, and an overall conical shape. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the tree will be viewed from every angle so it has to have an overall uniform appearance. In addition, the tree needs to be healthy enough to hold up during the long journey to Washington D.C.”
Schoolchildren throughout Arizona have made more than 5,000 ornaments reflecting the theme of “Arizona’s Gift” to be placed on the iconic symbol. The ornaments collected have been as diverse as our state. Using natural materials from the Grand Canyon State such as copper to wild gourds found in the White Mountains, the creativity has been astounding. The handcrafted ornaments made for the Capitol Christmas Tree 2009 are about 9 to 12 inches so that they are viewable on the 85-foot tree from a good distance. Another challenge was for students to craft ornaments that can withstand 3 weeks of harsh winter weather, which can include snow and rain. Many of the ornaments submitted are eco-sensitive and made from recyclable materials.
An additional 1,000 indoor ornaments will decorate 75 trees placed throughout federal buildings in the Capitol. These ornaments are smaller in size, ranging from 3 to 7 inches tall. Since these creations were crafted for indoor use, they could be more refined and delicate. Many of these ornaments were submitted by arts groups, clubs and service organizations. In fact, most ornaments used by offices throughout the Capitol Complex will become part of office Christmas ornament collections. A full-sized semi-truck will be needed to transport all the ornaments delivered to Washington, D.C.
Many Americans who have never traveled to Arizona might not realize that Arizona’s landscape is as diverse as our culture ranging from hot desert areas in Phoenix and Tucson to cool, snowy climates in areas like Flagstaff and the White Mountains. Arizona is known for being the home of the Grand Canyon, the magical red rock destination of Sedona, the infamous Route 66, Snowbowl Ski Resort in Flagstaff and other key desert destinations like Scottsdale and Tucson. The area the tree was selected from actually suits its name, “The White Mountains” because it is a dense, rich countryside of forest that is oftentimes covered in snow. Arizonans are proud to provide this year’s Capitol Christmas Tree and as the tree travels the country making its way to the Capitol, many people along the way will probably be asking, “Where did the tree come from again? Arizona?!”
Follow the tree from Northern Arizona all the way to Washington, D.C. with daily updates at http://www.CapitolChristmasTree2009.org/
WHAT: Capitol Christmas Tree 2009 Cutting Ceremony: Official cutting of the Capitol Christmas Tree 2009 from the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The 85-foot tree will tour Arizona and then be delivered to the United States Congress in Washington, D.C. on November 30, 2009.
WHEN: Saturday, November 7, 2009, 8:30 a.m. MST
Media access begins at 7:00 a.m.
WHERE: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest – Near Alpine, Arizona
Map and directions will be emailed on Wednesday, Nov. 4th
