Longmont resident Terri “Teese” Winbolt stood on the corner outside of Blue Arena as a large flatbed truck drove slowly through The Ranch complex Monday night, a wide smile on her face and a sign in her hands.

Boxed up on the truck was the an 80-foot tree, visible through windows at the rear of the truck, shining with Christmas lights and speckled with ornaments.

As the truck drove past, Winbolt chatted with those around her about her brother who was sitting in the passenger seat of the truck. As she did so, she happily waved the sign that read “Fred Austin: The Man, The Myth, The Legend, The Icon of the Alcan and our Brother.”

She said his being part of this gave her and her sisters a tremendous sense of family pride.

“This is a gift to the whole country, and our brother is involved in it,” Winbolt said.

The Capitol Christmas Tree made a stop in Loveland Monday evening on it’s way to Washington D.C., coming on Veterans Day and less than one week after the 2024 General Election. Throughout the evening, residents were treated to not only the sight of the tree and the chance to sign the box holding it, but to various holiday-themed fun, from visits with Santa to carolers and much more.

Every year a different national forest is selected to provide a tree that will be placed on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holiday season, according to the program’s website. This year, the towering Sitka spruce hails from the country’s northernmost state, Alaska, according to Jeff Schramm, forest supervisor of the Chugach National Forest.

He added the tree is 39 years old and stands 80 feet tall. It is decorated in more than 14,000 ornaments sent in by the people of Alaska.

The tree is currently on a tour from its home state all the way to the east coast, stopping at 13 cities along the way for residents to get a peek and sign their name on the box holding it. The tree made its way to Loveland after visiting Grand Junction and will next go on to Omaha.

“It’s going ocean to ocean,” Shcramm said.

This is the first time the tree has stopped in Loveland, though, thanks to a chance encounter a few months ago during an event held at The Ranch.

In September, the complex hosted the Society of American Foresters National Convention, during which Stacie Hougard, accounting manager at The Ranch, and some of her team connected with a member of the USDA Forest Service. They got to talking about having Loveland be a stop on the tree tour, Hougard said, and Loveland was added to the list.

“It was a really neat opportunity that came from (the) conference,” said Katie Buttermore, sales manager at The Ranch.

“I think it’s exciting, because I will probably never see it in Washington D.C.,” Hougard said.

The two agreed as well that it was cool that the event fell just after the national election and on Veteran’s Day and that it was a great thing to do for the community.

Buttermore later added that The Ranch and the city of Loveland were excited to be part of an initiative to increase awareness about sustaining healthy forests while supporting National Geographic and the Society of American Foresters.

Throughout the evening a large crowd stood outside of Blue Arena, eagerly waiting in line to sign the box or partake in some of the holiday fun.

Michelle Bermejo, a Loveland resident, said she had seen the tree was coming on Facebook, and was eager to see it so she could “wish it well” on its way to D.C.

“It’s a pretty special thing to think the nation’s Christmas tree is coming through,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

Oliver and Tara Roehl of Firestone brought their children along with them to see the tree after Tara, like Bermejo, saw the event on Facebook.

“It’s been on our calendar for a whole month,” she said.

The family agreed that this was a unique experience, with children Olivia and Liam saying it was “great” and “fun.”

“It’s a great symbol of national pride,” Oliver added.

The Austin siblings gathered outside the truck after the tree’s entrance Monday to chat and congratulate Fred Austin for his continued trek.

The family originally hails from Washington, where Mary Zawlocki still lives while Winbolt and fellow sister Tina Hickey now live in Longmont. Their brother Fred works for Lynden Transportation and lives in North Pole, Alaska and was part of a two-driver team to transport the tree.

The sisters spoke highly of their brother’s achievement, adding there had been family along the many stops the tree has made.

“I gave up hip replacement surgery today so I could be here, that’s how important it is to me,” Hickey said.

“He has made us proud his whole life, but this is like a crowning (moment),” Zawlocki added.

Austin said getting to be part of the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I live in North Pole, it’s a pretty good load to have,” he said.

He added that this trip is a high point of his long truck driving career, adding it is great to bring this tree around and see that, in Loveland, “everyone is happy.”

John Schank, the other truck driver on the journey, said this is his second time transporting the tree, having done it in 2015 as well. He said that so far the trip has been “awesome.”

“It’s twice as awesome as it was the first time,” he said.

He added that he enjoys doing this trip and stopping at places like Loveland along the way, especially for the young kids.

“It gets the Christmas spirit going,” he said.

More information on the tree can be found at uscapitolchristmastree.com.