Lovelock groups help decorate U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Author: Photo Courtesy to Pershing County Senior Center.

Lovelock will play a starring role in one of the nation’s most beloved holiday traditions. This

year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree—nicknamed “Silver Belle”—is coming from Nevada, and

local groups are helping make the season bright by contributing handmade ornaments.

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest announced last week that the 53-foot red fir will be

harvested from the Carson Ranger District and delivered to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in

Washington, D.C. in time for the holidays. Along the way, the tree will make a whistle-stop tour

across Nevada and beyond, with a celebration scheduled in Lovelock on Sunday, Nov. 2.

Lovelock’s own Senior Center and members of the Lovelock Paiute Tribe are among the many

community groups that pitched in to create ornaments for “The People’s Tree.” Hundreds of

handmade decorations from across the state will accompany the tree to D.C., each one reflecting

Nevada’s “Spirit of the Silver State.”

When the tree tour arrives in town, residents will have the chance to sign the official banner, snap

photos with the tree, purchase U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree merchandise, and learn more about

Nevada’s forests. The event is free and open to the public.

“It’s exciting to know that a little piece of Lovelock will be hanging on the Capitol Christmas

Tree this year,” County Commission Chair Joe Crim said. “These ornaments show off the

creativity of our community and the pride we have in our state.”

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree program, now in its 55th year, selects one of America’s 154

national forests to provide the tree each holiday season. This is the first time Nevada has been

chosen.

The full tour schedule kicks off with the Nevada Day Parade in Carson City on Nov. 1 and

includes stops in Lovelock, Elko, Ely, Las Vegas, and across several states before the tree