Onaway tree selected as state's 36th Christmas tree

Cheboygan Daily Tribune
·1 min read
Onaway resident Vic Ruppert and his family have donated the 60-foot spruce in honor of his late wife, Shirley Ruppert.
Onaway resident Vic Ruppert and his family have donated the 60-foot spruce in honor of his late wife, Shirley Ruppert.

ONAWAY — A 60-foot spruce from Onaway will have a place of honor in Lansing this holiday season as Michigan's official 2023 state Christmas tree.

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget selected the tree, which was donated by Onaway resident Vic Ruppert and his family in honor of his late wife, Shirley Ruppert. The spruce will arrive in downtown Lansing to grace the Capitol lawn for the holiday season on Saturday, Oct. 28.

This is the first tree from Presque Isle County, and the 13th from Michigan's Lower Peninsula to be chosen since the tradition began in 1987.

The tree will be harvested on Thursday, Oct. 26, and transported to the Capitol with help from the Michigan Association of Timbermen, the Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association, and DTMB's Christmas tree crew. Once at the Capitol, local Boy Scout troops will continue the tradition of untying the tree.

Once in place, the City of Lansing's forestry team will prepare the tree for the lighting scheme and decorations developed by the Michigan Capitol Commission and the Lansing Board of Water & Light. The entire journey culminates with a tree lighting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 17 during the 39th Annual Silver Bells in the City celebration.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Onaway tree selected as state's 36th Christmas tree