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OGDEN — The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will be making a stop in Utah next month before it ends up in its final spot in the nation’s capital.
The tree will make its appearance at the Ogden City Amphitheater (343 E. 25th Street) on Nov. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. as a part of 25-stop tour across the country.
The stop in Ogden will include entertainment, presentations from public officials, free hot chocolate and an appearance from mascots Smokey the Bear and Woody the Owl, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
“Our community looks forward to being a part of this gift to the nation and the joy it will bring to our own community this holiday,” Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell said in a written statement.
The tree itself is from the Payette National Forest in McCall, Idaho, and will be cut down on Nov. 2 before it makes 14 stops across Idaho, according to the U.S. Forest Service. It will then head toward stops in Ogden, Colorado, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and Maryland before making it to its final destination in Washington, D.C.
That final journey will be more than 2,000 miles.
The tree will be lit during a ceremony sometime in early December, with an exact date yet to be determined. It will be decorated with about 10,000 ornaments — all of which were created by Idaho residents, forest service officials said.
The U.S. Capitol tree tradition dates back to 1964 and since then trees from across the country have been used. In all, 23 states have provided trees for the yearly festivities.
In 1996, an Engelmann Spruce tree was selected from Manti-LaSal National Forest — the only time Utah has provided a tree for the ceremony.
