The Christmas trees placed at the Missouri governor’s mansion this holiday season will be from Bud Perrin of Independence in western Missouri and from Pea Ridge Forest near Hermann in mid-Missouri. The trees will arrive at the Governor’s Mansion on Monday, November 28.
Photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation
The outside tree is a 30-foot eastern red cedar donated by Perrin from his yard. The trees for the inside of the mansion are all white pines from Pea Ridge Forest, a Christmas tree farm and wholesale nursery. There will be an 18-foot tree for the staircase, a 10-foot tree for the back porch, and six 7-foot trees throughout the first floor of the mansion.
The annual lighting of the trees at the governor’s mansion will take place at 6:15 p.m. on Friday, December 2. The public is invited to attend the lighting and tour the decorated mansion. Tours will last until 9 p.m. and will be held again on Saturday, December 3 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
During the tours, visitors will have the opportunity to view decorations in several rooms of the historic brick building, which has been the home of Missouri governors since 1871. Volunteer docents will be on hand to help describe historical features throughout the mansion.
Area choirs will provide music during the lighting ceremony and the tours.
The choir from Boonville High School will sing outside before the lighting ceremony, and then inside from 6:45 p.m. to 7:05 p.m. Other choirs performing inside the Mansion on December 2 include those from Blair Oaks High School (6:15 p.m. – 6:40 p.m.), Fulton High School (7:10 p.m. – 7:35 p.m.), California High School (7:40 p.m. – 8:05 p.m.), Helias Catholic High School (8:10 p.m. – 8:35 p.m.) and Jefferson City High School (8:40 p.m. – 9:05 p.m.).
On Saturday, choirs performing inside the Mansion include those from Sacred Heart School in Sedalia (2 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.) and Simonsen Ninth Grade in Jefferson City (2:35 p.m. – 3:05 p.m.).
The Missouri governor’s mansion is located at 100 Madison Street. For the candlelight tours, visitors must enter the mansion through the front gate on Madison Street.
