NOVEMBER 26, 2024: The Grand Lighting Ceremony for South Dakota’s Christmas at the Capitol display is Tuesday (Nov. 26, 2024) at 7pm CST. The featured tree is a 28 foot Colorado Blue Spruce donated by Deb Lutz of Mobridge and decorated by YMCA Youth Development of South Dakota. Leah Haugan, Special Projects Coordinator for the state Bureau of Human Resources and Administration, coordinates the annual lighting event and Christmas tree display. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/11/112624-haugan1.mp3 It’s tradition for the current Governor to invite a special guest to flip the switch that officially turns the lights on on the featured tree and opens the current year’s Christmas at the Capitol display for the season. When asked who Governor Kristi Noem’s special guests will be tonight…. Haugan says even she doesn’t know. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/11/112624-haugan2.mp3 Haugan says the display officially opens Wednesday morning. https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/2626/files/2024/11/112624-haugan3.mp3 Children are welcome to write letters to Santa at home and bring them to the Capitol. The letters can be deposited into Santa’s North Pole Mailbox, which is located on the first floor by the First Ladies and First Gentlemen Exhibit. This year’s South Dakota’s Christmas at the Capitol display includes more than 90 trees. You can follow the Christmas at the Capitol events on Facebook and Instagram. Again, South Dakota’s Christmas at the Capitol Display is open from Nov. 27-Dec. 26, 2024, from 8am-10pm daily, including holidays and weekends. Photo credit Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group. Photo credit Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group. Photo credit Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group. Photo credit Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group. Photo credit Jody Heemstra, DRG Media Group.   NOVEMBER 25, 2024: The Grand Lighting Ceremony for South Dakota’s Christmas at the Capitol display is tomorrow/Tuesday (Nov. 26, 2024) at 7pm CST. This year’s display includes 92 trees decorated by volunteers from communities, schools, churches, nonprofit organizations and state government offices using the theme “Through a Child’s Eyes.” The featured tree in the Capitol, a 28 foot Colorado Blue Spruce, was donated by Deb Lutz of Mobridge and decorated by YMCA Youth Development of South Dakota. Children are welcome to write letters to Santa at home and bring them to the Capitol. The letters can be deposited into Santa’s North Pole Mailbox, which will be located on the first floor by the First Ladies and First Gentlemen Exhibit. The public is invited to join Gov. Kristi Noem, First Gentleman Bryon Noem and Pierre Mayor Steve Harding as they welcome guests and light the trees in the Capitol Rotunda in Pierre. Rhythm Prism and the Soul Singers, directed by Andrea Royer, will provide music for the ceremony. Santa will also be there to greet children of all ages. The South Dakota Christmas at the Capitol Display is open to the public from Nov. 27-Dec. 26 from 8am-10pm daily, including holidays and weekends. You can follow the Christmas at the Capitol events on Facebook and Instagram.   NOVEMBER 8, 2024: While many South Dakotans were taking part in the election process on Tuesday (Nov. 5, 2024), the state Departments of Transportation and Agriculture and Natural Resources were in Mobridge cutting down the featured tree for the 2024 Christmas at the Capitol display. This Colorado Blue Spruce was donated by Deb Lutz of Mobridge. Information from DANR says the family got the tree 30 years ago as a sapling during an Arbor Day event at school. It was planted by Lutz’s husband and daughter, Carrie Getz when she was in 4th grade. Lutz says she and her late husband– who enjoyed photography– would visit the Capitol each year to admire the Christmas tree and take photos. She says he often expressed how wonderful it would be to see the tree he and his daughter planted becoming the featured tree one day. With this memory in mind, Lutz has been looking forward to donating the tree to the Capitol for the past three years. Jensen Rock & Sand, Inc., volunteered their time and equipment for extraction and the state Department of Transportation transported the tree to Pierre. Last year’s featured tree was donated by the Isaac LaLonde family of Onida. Courtesy photo.