December 7, 2015 at 4:04 p.m.
A Capitol Christmas
Governor lights tree donated by Rhinelander family; RHS wind ensemble and show choir perform
A Capitol Christmas
The tree, a 40-foot balsam fir, was donated by Brad and Elizabeth Kowieski, their sons, Brody and Hank, and Brad's parents, Bill and Jane Kowieski, all of Rhinelander. Kowieski planted the tree at his parents' house on Arbor Day, 1985. He was a fourth-grader at Nativity Our Lord Catholic School in Rhinelander at the time. Last month, the Kowieskis invited this year's Nativity fourth-grade class to witness the harvesting of the tree.
"I have three brothers and we would play night games, we had countless friends over, dogs, lawn mowers, snowstorms, ice storms, windstorms - 30 years of them - and that tree grew strong. It stuck through it all," Kowieski told the students before the tree was cut. "It's just a great honor for it to be chosen as the Christmas tree. It's the product of a lot of good luck and great things."
Providing a musical accompaniment during the tree-lighting ceremony was the Rhinelander High School wind ensemble and show choir.
In addition, representatives from the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association and the generous individuals and families who donated to help decorate the State Capitol and Executive Residence were present, the governor's office said in a press release. The Capitol Christmas tree is decorated with ornaments handmade by students from across Wisconsin. The students designed the ornaments with this year's theme, Wisconsin sports, in mind.
"Families across the state share a love for a variety of Wisconsin sports," Gov. Walker said. "Looking at this year's tree, you can see many of our sporting traditions represented by the hand-crafted ornaments created by students from around the state. Our thanks to the students and teachers who took the time to send us these ornaments, as well as the Kowieski family, who generously donated this magnificent tree."
Every year, the Capitol Christmas tree is selected from donation requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. The tree must be a balsam fir approximately 35-55 feet tall.
Following the tree lighting ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, Gov. Walker joined members of the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association (WCTPA) for a reception. WCTPA works to educate the public about real Christmas trees and wreaths, and also coordinates activities that benefit the Christmas tree industry, according to the governor's office.
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