Kristian Knutsen
Christmas in the Capitol
Today's image is titled "Xmas in the Capitol" was photographed by Kristian Knutsen.
Yes, that silly, contrived, and seemingly interminable argument over the nomenclature of the conifer that's erected in the Wisconsin Capitol Rotunda every December looked to be settled last year, at least for awhile, with the official legislative relabeling of the garlanded Tannenbaum as the Wisconsin Christmas Tree.
On Monday, though, the office of Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle issued a press release dubbing it the "Capitol Tree." Whatever it's called, this year's evergreen is a 30-year-old balsam fir harvested from the Conklin Tree Farm near Wheeler in Dunn County.
Cut the day before Thanksgiving, the 35-foot tree was slowly rolled into place in the Rotunda on Monday morning. Some 2,400 energy-efficient multicolored LED (light-emitting diode) lights followed, as seen in this photo shot Tuesday that shows a pair of decorators hanging strings along with ornaments around its upper reaches. The decorations are being completed on the tree's lower boughs on Wednesday. The official lighting ceremony will be hosted by Governor Jim Doyle at noon on Friday, December 5.
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