The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is finally ready, making it Nevada's time to shine in D.C. this Christmas.
Duncan Leao, project lead for the U.S. Forest Service, says, "This red fir named Silver Belle from Nevada is a symbol of our gift to the nation's capital."
Silver Belle, along with its companion trees that will be displayed on the west lawn in D.C., will be decorated with 23,000 ornaments created by locals from all over. Each ornament represents all kinds of different things Nevada has to offer.
The Nevada Air National Guard base in Reno will house the tree for the next few days.
Captain Emerson Marcus, the National Guard's public affairs officer, says, "Nevada Air National Guard base provides that security. We have people at the gate, security on the base, and it obviously has the space."
None of this would be possible if it weren't for the continued commitment of the National Guard and U.S. Forest Service, regardless of many workers being impacted by the government shutdown.
"One of the things we do is serve our country, and right now we are continuing to serve our country without pay," said Marcus.
Leao adds, "This is one of our main priorities, to keep this project going so that Americans can see Silver Belle."
Laeo says his team has been searching for the perfect tree since the fall of last year.
As we reported, the 53-foot tree was harvested from the Carson Ranger District near the Sky Tavern and Mt. Rose ski areas.
Laeo says it will make its first appearance on the tour this Saturday at the Nevada Day Parade, "And then after the parade, we'll have our whistle stop further down the road from the parade, and people can enjoy actually seeing her parked for a couple hours from one to three in the afternoon."
