Details are coming together for Sweet Home’s celebration of the cutting and send-off for the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, which will be held Friday, Nov. 9.
Every year a different national forest in the United States is selected to provide a tree to appear on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the Christmas season. This is the first tree selected from the Willamette National Forest and the second tree to come from Oregon.
On Friday, Nov. 2, the tree will be cut and prepared for the more than 3,000-mile journey to Washington, D.C., where it will be lit in an official ceremony that will occur in early December as determined by the Speaker of the House.
Brigette Harrington, a fourth-grader at Jackson Elementary School in Hillsboro, was chosen by Gov. Kate Brown to fly to Washington, D.C., to join the U.S. Speaker of the House in lighting the tree during the official
ceremony. Brigette was the winner in an essay contest, that included more than 1,200 students around the state. Her submission used the form of the “The Night Before Christmas” to poetically describe Oregon’s four seasons.
The cross-country trek from Sweet Home to Washington will include stops at more than 25 communities across the nation as it follows the reverse path of the Oregon Trail, in recognition of the 175th anniversary of the establishment of the route.
A series of festive events will be hosted by local communities at museums, main streets, city halls, state capitols, markets, retailers, high schools, and even a parade. Attendees will have the chance to sign banners on the sides of the truck to wish the tree well, learn more about the Willamette National Forest and the great state of Oregon, purchase U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree merchandise and more.
Her winning essay can be seen at http://www.capitolchristmastree.org/The-Peoples-Tree/contest.
Brigette and one adult guardian will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to take part in the tree-lighting ceremony alongside members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the public. She will also be invited to attend festivities around the tree lighting that take place throughout the Capitol.
“I’m feeling pretty amazed and excited. It’s such an honor, and I’m excited to light the tree!” Brigette said.
All Oregon fourth-graders are eligible to receive a free annual pass to hundreds of parks, lands and waters across the United States for an entire year through the Every Kid in a Park program. They are also eligible for a free permit to cut their own Christmas tree this year from an Oregon national forest.
The Sweet Home celebration will take place starting at noon on Nov. 9 at Sweet Home High School, 1651 Long St. Following a night-time parade in Sweet Home, the tree will be trucked to the Veterans Parade on Nov. 10 in Albany, then will make stops at Cabela’s in Springfield, the McKenzie River Ranger Station, Oakridge, Bend, Detroit, the state capitol and
Oregon City before heading east on Nov. 14, on its trip across the nation.
The Sweet Home event will include a performance by Cloverdayle and the lighted night-time parade, as well as vendors, performances by the Singing Christmas Tree choir and other local artists and by local students, a logging demonstration, food and much more.
Applications to participate in the Lighted Parade and Street Fair can be picked up from Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce, 1575 Main St .; The New Era, 131 Main St .; or by visiting http://www.sweethomeor.gov (click on “community,” then on “City Calendar” (under “Events and Activities”), then click on calendar date for Nov. 9 – Capitol Christmas Tree.
For more information on the parade, contact Kelli Kem at (541) 367-8866. For information on the Street Fair, contact Shirley Austin at [email protected].
Volunteers are also needed for a wide variety of activities. For information on volunteering, contact Joyce Ohnesorge at (541) 409-8905.
Deadline to submit applications is Monday, Oct. 22. Submission instructions are on the application.