Capitol Grounds Superintendent Theodore Bechtol chose a 50- to 55-foot balsam fir located near the Somerset Reservoir in Windham County from a pre-selected set of trees in the Green Mountain National Forest.
The tree will begin traveling to the Capitol in November on a five-state tour.
Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce Director Joanne Erenhouse said Bechtol picked the best tree from a group identified several years ago as candidates.
"They did pick the most beautiful one. It wasn't much of a surprise and we're delighted with their selection," said Erenhouse.
Bechtol said he was glad to have picked the tree also favored by local organizers.
"We did find a really beautiful tree this morning, and the good news, like (Erenhouse) said, was, my choice was the same as your all's. I guess I'm not going to be tarred and feathered and run out of town," said Bechtol.
The best trees are symmetrical and dense from top to bottom, he said.
"We're looking for a tree that looks good 360 degrees around the tree. It has to be uniform in density and it has to be a nice color. They've done an excellent job here over the years of taking care of the tree in terms of pest control, maybe a little fertilizer here and there," he
Heavy machinery will be used to help erect the tree in a block of cement to be decorated with multi-colored lights and ornaments made in Vermont, said Bechtol.
"It comes to us right after Thanksgiving. It's delivered right to the front of the Capitol, and we have a crane that comes in and lifts it off the truck and brings it up to the center of the lawn," he said. "We spend about 10 days to two weeks decorating the tree with all of the ornaments the children in Vermont have made for us."
Chamber officials have been planning for the tree's travel to Washington for months. In addition, many events have been and will continue to be held to raise funds to transport the tree and about 80 smaller trees in November.
A reception with Gov. James Douglas was held in Manchester last week, said Erenhouse. Several other events have also been planned to celebrate the selection of the tree from the Green Mountain National Forest, she said.
A "Christmas in July" campaign currently blankets downtown Bennington with LED holiday lights and a tree-cutting ceremony will take place when the tree picked Monday is loaded onto a truck on Nov. 16.
The tree, along with a large caravan of area residents, will depart from the Vermont Veterans Home. The caravan will be comprised of 26 antique trucks and will stop at veterans' hospitals along the way, including the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The Capitol tree lighting ceremony date has not yet been set, according to Bechtol, but will include Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Vermont Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernard Sanders, and Rep. Peter Welch.
Bechtol said the tree would be disposed of after the holiday season in a way harmonious with Vermont's environmental ethics.
"We do chip it up for compost and the wood of course is disposed of," he said. "A lot of the ornaments will be donated to the Salvation Army and places like that. We try to make best use of the entire thing as we can."
Font Resize
|