By Larissa Cheney
Christmas may seem far off to most, but Weiser will get a special opportunity this November as the Capitol Christmas tree comes through Weiser on its way to the White House. Every state has the opportunity to contribute a Christmas tree to Washington DC, and this year marks Idaho’s turn.
The 2016 Capitol Christmas tree will be harvested from the Payette National Forest, selected from the best and the brightest by the White House architect specifically for the job. The first week of November, it will be taken from the forest and transported in a small tour around the state and then the country before it is decorated and erected in the capitol.
The tree will pass through many towns, but it will only stop in about seven, and Weiser is lucky to be one of those seven. Each town will hold a small celebration before the tree moves on down the road. According to Patrick Nauman, who is on the local committee for this event, “our goal is to have the biggest and best celebration of them all”. Nauman added that this is “a pretty big honor and a great way to advertise Weiser and the state of Idaho.” The celebration will be held on November 8th and will last about two hours.
Aside from the party, Nauman has also developed a “Capitol Christmas Tree Candy Bar” to be sold at Weiser Classic Candy in order to raise money to fly one Idaho student to Washington D.C this Christmas season to have the honor of flipping the switch and lighting the tree. The process by which this student will be selected is still in the works, but it will be a contest headed by Senator Crapo and may include an essay and/or other creative media.
The Capitol Christmas tree will be joined by 150 other trees to be placed in other locations around D.C, including the Smithsonian, and these trees will be decorated by Idaho kids with ornaments they make in school. Following the Christmas tree on its road to glory will be the famous Idaho Potato. Those two enormous semi trailers promise to be quite a sight.
Those who can’t wait until November can spot a Capitol Christmas float in the National Old Time Fiddler’s Festival parade next Saturday.
