Truckers to haul US Capitol Christmas Tree from Alaska to DC on annual big-rig journey
Two American truck drivers will embark on a cross-country journey in honor of a special Yuletide delivery.
Alaska natives John Schank and Fred Austin will bring holiday cheer to Washington, D.C., by transporting the annual Christmas Tree to the U.S. Capitol.
This year’s tree was selected from Alaska’s National Forests, traveling 4,000 miles from Tongass National Forest near Wrangell, making 11 stops along the way, so Americans can get a chance to see the People’s Tree.
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The tree will be carried by Lynden Transport in an 80-foot flatbed truck covered with protective wrapping and a plexiglass window at the rear.
The drive could take roughly three weeks to complete.
"My favorite part of this trip is the show-and-tell time, not the driving time," Austin told Fox News Digital.
Austin of North Pole, Alaska, has been driving with Lynden Transport for 50 years and says it's "pretty cool" to be transporting the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.
Schank said this will be his second time transporting the tree.
"I moved it back in 2015. I came out to Chugiak National Forest near Seward, Alaska, and I'm looking forward to doing it here," he told Fox News Digital.
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Between the men, they’ve safely driven for a combined estimate of 100 years stretching around 10 million miles.
Schank has also been driving big rigs for 50 years and said the route that he and Austin are taking is all mapped out.
"The trailer is 80 feet long and the tree just barely fits inside of it … We will take care of the precious cargo we’ve got, and we will drive accordingly," said Schank.
Banners adorn the 74-foot tree, giving Americans a chance to leave their name and a message with a marker at selected stops.
"You can actually look in and see the tree … and when we're stopped, they turn the Christmas tree lights on," said Austin.
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"John and Fred are a dynamic duo of driving experience, leadership, and positive energy, which will make the cross-country trip memorable," Paul Grimaldi, president of Lynden Transport, said in a statement.
The 54-year tradition of the Capitol Christmas Tree began when Speaker of the House John McCormack, D-Mass., placed a live Christmas tree on the Capitol lawn, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"This tree lived three years before succumbing to wind and root damage. In 1970, the Capitol Architect asked the U.S. Forest Service to provide a Christmas tree," a news release said.
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Each year a different national forest is selected to provide "the People's Tree" in an annual campaign to celebrate national forests.
The tree will be making stops in Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio and Maryland before arrival at the Capitol’s West Lawn.
Americans can track the People’s Tree at kenworth.com/tree-tracker/.