The 2013 “Capitol Christmas Tree,” an 88-foot tall Engelmann spruce tree that was selected from the Colville National Forest in Pend Oreille County, will be making one public appearance in Newport, Washington on Friday, November 1 before making a long cross-country roadtrip to the nation’s capital. A community holiday festival to celebrate the event, including music, food, ornament making for kids, and other festive activities, are being planned in Newport around 2:30 p.m. This is your one chance to get a glimpse of the tree before it is unwrapped again in D.C. More info on the Newport festivities is available at www.porta-us.com.
Forest Service staff selected several tree candidates and the superintendent of the capitol grounds made the final tree selection. The tree will be harvested November 1st and wrapped for its journey, which includes several weeks on the road visiting communities across the country before arriving in time for Thanksgiving. The Capitol Christmas Tree will travel with companion trees designated for offices around the capital and more than 5,000 handmade ornaments depicting this year’s theme: “Sharing Washington’s Good Nature.”
