If you weren’t at Wrangell’s Nolan Center on Saturday afternoon, you must have been out of town.
It seemed everyone in town piled into to the center to witness the blessing of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree. Led by the Wrangell Cooperative Association, the event was moved indoors after a persistent storm turned a cloudy afternoon into a rainy one.
The event was attended by folks from Wrangell, from throughout Alaska and from Washington, D.C. Even Smokey the Bear made a surprise appearance. Kate Thomas, the borough’s economic development director, played emcee for the afternoon, and introduced WCA Tribal Administrator Esther Aaltséen Reese to begin the event.
Reese explained some of what makes this year’s tree special. She cited the tree’s logo, noting the work of Wrangell’s Mike Aak’wtaatseen Hoyt, a historian and Teehítaan clan leader: The Tlingit words kayéil’, sagú and ka toowúk’éi are scrawled across the center of the tree’s emblem. The English translation: Peace, happiness and joy.
“There is so much love in that tree,” Reese said. “Hopefully we are sending some balance and love to Washington with the tree as it travels across the country.”
A truck carries the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from a forest in Wrangell to the town’s Alaska Marine High Ferry Terminal in preparation for the tree’s journey to Washington, D.C. (James Edward Mills / U.S. Forest Service)
The U.S. Forest Service and Architect of the Capitol selected a spruce tree on Zarembo Island for the nation’s highest Christmas tree honor — a first for the Tongass National Forest.
The 80-foot tree, with its roots intact, was dug up Oct. 19 and brought to Wrangell to start its month-long barge and highway journey to Washington, D.C., encased in an 82-foot-long trailer, the spruce is wrapped and decorated with the tree’s official logo.
Clan members sang several songs for the ceremonial portion of the event. The first was a welcome song. The second song signified the Eagle clan’s representation at the ceremony before the Raven clan led the singers in a ballad.
The fourth song was traditionally sung as a paddle song, said Katherine George-Byrd, the Kiks.adi clan mother. She explained the song was “meant to send the tree on its way.”
Borough Manager Mason Villarma followed after the mayor welcomed the crowd.
“About a year ago, a really bad thing happened here in Wrangell,” he said, referring to the deadly landslide last November. “But we’ve really rebuilt ourselves. … I think this tree is a symbol for that. And on Dec. 3, our story is going to be told on the West Lawn of the Capitol — and that’s pretty darn cool.”
Alaska Regional Forester Chad VanOrmer proudly announced that Alaskans had exceeded the 10,000 homemade holiday ornaments needed to decorate the tree and several others in the nation’s capital. To VanOrmer’s great pride, the final tally surpassed 14,000.
The tree left Wrangell by barge on Sunday evening, on its way to Seattle, with a brief stop in Ketchikan on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The first stop on the cross-country journey is planned for Nov. 6 in Renton, Washington, followed by stops in Baker, Oregon on Nov. 8 before turning east for stops in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio and Maryland. The tree will then be planted in cement and displayed on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
The lighting ceremony will be held Dec. 3.
• This article was originally published by the Wrangell Sentinel.
U.S. Forest Service personnel remove soil from the roots of the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree in preparation for harvesting and transferring it to a trailer for transport. The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree initiative is a 54-year tradition in which one of America’s 154 national forests provides a tree for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holiday season. The project is made possible with support from partners, including Society of American Foresters and Alaska Geographic, cash and in-kind contributions from small businesses and large corporations, and volunteers throughout Alaska and across the United States. (Courtesy of U.S. Forest Service and Architect of the Capitol)
