RENTON, Wash. — The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree is passing through western Washington this week on its journey to the East Coast, and a local company is behind the wheel.
Lynden Transport, which was founded in Whatcom County, has the job of moving the Christmas tree from Alaska to the West Lawn of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
The 74-foot Sitka spruce left Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska last week. Alaska Marine Lines transported the tree on a barge to Seattle, where Lynden Transport will take the helm.
The tree will make stops across the U.S. on its way to the Washington, D.C., including one in Renton on Nov. 6. People can see the truck carrying the massive Christmas tree at Gene Coulon Memorial Park from 4:30-7 p.m.
Two Lynden Transport drivers will be making the trek with the tree, including one who transported the Christmas tree in 2015 as well. John Schank said he was grateful for another opportunity to transport the tree this year.
“I stopped along the way for community events and met a lot of kids who thought I was Santa taking the Christmas tree to the U.S. Capitol,” Schank said of the 2015 trip in a statement. “I’ll never forget it.”
Collectively, Schank and his fellow driver Fred Austin have driven over 10 million accident-free miles for Lynden Transport in Alaska.
Lynden Transport was founded in 1906 offering freight between Lynden and Bellingham with a team of horses and a wagon. In the 1950s, it expanded service to Alaska. The company now has corporate offices in Seattle and Anchorage, according to its website.
Every year for the last 54 years, one of the U.S.’ national forests provides a Christmas tree for the West Lawn for the holiday season. This is the first time that Tongass has provided the Christmas tree.