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What goes into finding the Missouri Governor’s Mansion Christmas tree? More than you might think

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The search for the perfect Christmas tree to showcase on the Governor’s Mansion lawn in Jefferson City is a task that begins in the summer. Holly Dentner with the Missouri Department of Conservation says the agency has been sourcing the mansion trees for about 30 years. She informs the public about the search process around August.

Missouri Governor’s Mansion (Photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation)

About one dozen trees were considered for the First Family’s lawn this year. The owners send pictures of their tree to the department and then several people narrow down the process.

“So it’s completely voluntary. We are counting on people to offer their trees,” says Dentner. “And really, most people are just excited. Instead of just getting chopped down and mulched up, their tree is going to be on the mansion lawn and thousands of people are going to see it,” she says.

There are certain requirements the tree must meet to be in the running. It must be a native species to Missouri – a Norway spruce, white pine or eastern red cedar.

“We tend to lean toward Norway spruces because those are the big full, bushy evergreens that are most typically a Christmas tree style – the conical shape,” she says. “And then we’re looking for one that is at least 35-40 feet tall because it’s got to take up some space on the mansion lawn and look like it’s been there forever and be fully branched. One of the things that we frequently encounter is people have a great tree, but it’s been growing right up against their house. So, if we cut it down, it will have a gap in one side.”

Photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation

The tree must also be one that can be accessed well with a flatbed truck and without utility lines nearby.

A 40-foot Christmas tree will be placed on the Governor’s mansion lawn between 7:00-8:00 a.m. Monday and will remain there for the holiday season. A crane will unload and lift the Norway spruce from the truck bed and carefully heave it onto the First Family’s turf.

This year’s tree hails from southeast Missouri. Doris Baker of Desloge donated it.

Dentner says submissions come from all over the state from Missourians who want to have their tree seen by thousands at the mansion over the holiday time.

“I had one semi-decent one a couple years ago from Cape Girardeau but that’s probably as far south as I’ve seen them,” says Dentner. “I haven’t seen any from southwest Missouri now that I think either – we haven’t had a big number. Most of them are north of the Missouri River, strangely enough.”

Two other smaller Christmas trees are inside the mansion this year, including a 17-foot tree for the staircase.

The annual lighting of the mansion lawn tree will be this Friday at 6:00 p.m. followed by the traditional Candlelight Tours.

The tours will run until 8 p.m. on Friday and again Monday, December 7 through Wednesday, December 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Due to COVID-19, this year’s tours will be by reservation only. Additional details will be provided this week.

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Missouri Governor’s office: four staffers who’ve tested positive for COVID have fully recovered

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The Missouri governor’s office announced late Monday afternoon that four staffers have tested positive for the coronavirus this year. The governor’s office issued a news release, saying the staffers tested include governor’s office staff, governor’s mansion staff and the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Governor Security Division.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s temperature is checked at Compass Health in Wentzville on September 17, 2020 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

The governor’s office says Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson have both fully recovered from COVID, and have returned to their normal schedules. They both tested positive for COVID on September 23.

“Teresa and I are so grateful that we are two of well over 100,000 Missourians that have recovered from this virus,” Governor Parson said, in a written statement. “We are glad to be back and want to again thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. We are humbled every day to be surrounded by such great people across the state.”

The governor’s office says all staff meeting the definition of close contact were tested, after the governor and first lady tested positive. The office says the four staffers who tested positive have fully recovered.

The governor says the office continues all normal business operations and duties, at this time.

Meantime, Missouri officials say 1,842 state employees have tested positive this year for COVID-19.

The state Office of Administration (OA) says the department with the largest number is the state Department of Corrections, which has seen 646 cases. The state Department of Mental Health (DMH) has had 393 cases, and the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) has had 211 cases. OA says 1,259 of the 1,842 state employees have recovered.

OA says the numbers represent the total number of state employees who’ve tested positive in 2020, as of Friday. Missouri currently has 52,863 state employees.

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Missouri Governor and First Lady will continue to isolate this week; Parson praises COVID dashboard expansion (AUDIO)

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Missouri’s governor says he and the first lady will resume a normal schedule, starting next week. They both tested positive for COVID last week.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson’s temperature is checked at Compass Health in Wentzville on September 17, 2020 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

During a virtual press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Governor Mike Parson says he continues to work from the Mansion in Jefferson City.

“I’m feeling good and still have no symptoms,” Governor Parson says. “Teresa is still at home (at the family farm) in Bolivar. She is doing very well and no longer having symptoms. So we’re very thankful for that.”

The governor says he and the first lady will isolate for the rest of the week. He says they are among more than 100,000 Missourians who have recovered from the coronavirus, and he thanks residents for their prayers.

Governor Parson also used the press conference to praise the state’s expanded COVID-19 dashboards, saying they give you the most accurate and updated information as possible regarding COVID-19.

“These new dashboards build on our data essential pillar provide Missourians with multiple charts, maps and measures about COVID-19 and its impact on the state of Missouri,” says Parson.

The expanded dashboards are also praised by Springfield/Greene County health director Clay Goddard, who says data and analytics play a critical role in informing policy actions at the local level.

Governor Parson says the state’s expanded COVID-19 dashboards will help residents, community leaders and businesses make decisions about COVID in their communities, moving forward.

“These dashboards were a cross-department effort with data from several state agencies as well as many other stakeholders across the state, such as the Missouri Hospital Association,” Parson says.

The governor says infectious disease doctors, the education community and local leaders were also involved. He encourages all Missourians to view the dashboards, saying they provide the whole picture and not bits and pieces.

The state Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) says there have now been 126,113 COVID cases in Missouri, along with 2,118 deaths.

Governor Parson also spoke briefly about the decision to postpone the third annual Parson family fall festival, which was previously scheduled for Saturday.

He says postponing the festival is the best decision at this time, adding that tentative plans are to combine the fall festival with the Halloween event at the Governor’s Mansion on October 31.

Click here to listen to the full 15-minute briefing from Missouri Governor Mike Parson, which took place at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City on September 30, 2020:

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Protesters arrested in Jefferson City march about Missouri crime bill

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Eight protesters have been arrested during a demonstration today in Jefferson City. They marched from the Missouri Capitol to the Governor’s Mansion and along a main street in the city’s downtown to rally against a crime bill at the center of the state Legislature’s special session.

The demonstration was made up of about 40 participants, including state Representative Rasheen Aldridge, D-St. Louis. Protesters were seen on video blocking a roadway. Several police officers were on the scene to direct the crowd and some reportedly used pepper spray on protesters.

The governor wants lawmakers to pass a plan to fight the state’s increasing violent crime rate, including provisions that could prosecute some children as adults for certain crimes, create a witness protection fund and remove a residency requirement to help recruit more St. Louis police officers.

Protesters says Gov. Mike Parson’s efforts will further criminalize the community. They say the governor is “intentionally ignoring” the root issues of crime and the legislature should be focused on providing more funding to address mental health problems.

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