Sixth grade students from Broadmoore and Apple Creek elementary schools were invited to Gov. Brad Henry's office to decorate the office Christmas tree for 2009. They were greeted by office staff, had their pictures taken and had a personalized tour of the governor of Oklahoma's offices.
Gov. Henry and First Lady Kim Henry were joined by schoolchildren from across the state Tuesday for the annual lighting of the State Capitol Christmas tree. The Henrys lit the tree at approximately 6 p.m. on the south steps of the Capitol.
"This tradition at the State Capitol is a fun and joyous way to celebrate the holiday season," said Gov. Henry. "Kim and I always love the opportunity for Oklahoma families to join together during this special time of year."
First Lady Kim Henry said she looks forward to this annual Capitol tradition.
"The lighting of the Christmas tree means that music and the sounds of children filled the halls of the Capitol," she said. "It's a fabulous event."
For the first time, the 30-foot-tall artificial evergreen will boast about 2,000 energy-conserving LED lights. Such lights provide an energy savings of 80 to 90 percent over incandescent lamps and last 100,000 hours.
One hundred evergreens throughout the State Capitol Park also were lighted during the festivities. All the trees were donated by the Weyerhauser Company Foundation.
As part of the celebration, more than 1,000 children decorated 42 small Christmas trees located throughout the Capitol. The students, ranging in age from preschool to eighth grade, also represented schools in Moore, Chickasha, Choctaw-Nicoma Park, Edmond, Flower Mound, Maple, Midwest City-Del City, Millwood, Oklahoma City, Piedmont, Putnam City, Shawnee, Silo and Yukon. A Girl Scout troop and a Cub Scout troop also participated in the fun.
This year's festivities included caroling, storytelling, music, dance, refreshments and, of course, a visit from Ol' Saint Nick himself. There were performances inside the Capitol by the Mid-Del String Quartet, Oklahoma City's Linwood Elementary School Honor Choir, the Ballet Flamenco Espanol, trumpeter David B. Hooten, guitarist Edgar Cruz and storyteller Al Bostick. Manyawi, a world music ensemble from Monroe Elementary School in Norman, performed during the tree-lighting ceremony.
Four-year-old Abby Riggs, 5-year-old Camden Looper and 7-year-old Blake Reddick have received life-saving blood transfusions through the Oklahoma Blood Institute and were guests of the Henrys.
Sponsors of this year's tree-lighting event included Weyerhauser, the Oklahoma Department of Education, the Department of Central Services, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, the state Arts Council and the Governor's office.
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