The 80-ft. noble fir is adorned with thousands of LED lights and ornaments made by Oregon residents. Brigette Harrington, a fourth grader from Hillsboro, Ore., lit the tree with U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan presiding over the ceremony. Harrington received the honor after winning an essay contest on Oregonâs beauty entered by 1,200 fourth graders in the state.
The tree was harvested in Oregonâs Willamette National Forest and transported by Central Oregon Truck Company and its new Kenworth W990 model on a reverse path of the historic Oregon Trail. The companyâs Kenworth trucks are purchased from The PapĂ© Group, a Kenworth dealer headquartered in Oregon and a major tour sponsor. The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tour, which began Nov. 9 in Sweet Home, Ore., and ended Nov. 25 at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, made more than 25 stops for community events while traveling across the nation. Thousands of people saw the tree and the W990 during the stops and going down the highway.
âThis is Kenworthâs fifth consecutive year of participating in the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour. This very special tradition and celebration brings communities together. It was especially significant to provide a new Kenworth W990 to transport the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree to its destination,â says Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director.
