Capitol Tree Lighting | Video

Jennifer Joas | 12/3/2012

Governor Dalrymple is officially kicking off the Christmas season with the annual state capitol tree lighting. This year`s ceremony will include an introduction by the Governor, along with music performed by the Bismarck High School Jazz Choir and Joel Gilbertson on the piano.

The tree is 24 feet tall, and filled with close to 1,000 handmade ornaments by elementary schools, volunteer groups and community members. This year`s theme is "Holidays in the Heartland," so many of the ornaments have pasta or wheat on them.

There`s also some military ornaments.

"Every year, especially the children that donate the ornaments, they`re so excited to come and see their ornaments that they did to see them on the tree. So we`re excited about that," said Amy Schmidt with ND Council on the Arts.

This year`s tree is real, it came all the way from Wisconsin. There are no lights, but at the end of the ceremony they will shine spotlights on the tree.

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