State Christmas Tree arrives at Cedar Crest

Governor Jeff Colyer and First Lady Ruth Colyer received the annual “Cedar Crest Christmas Tree” at the Governor’s residence this week. It now stands front and center in the mansion in west Topeka.

As part of the tradition, the tree was brought in via horse-drawn carriage, which carried the eight-foot Austrian pine tree to the Governor’s residence along with a fresh Christmas wreath provided by Chris Seets of Chris’ Tree Lodge. Willy and Mary Goevert of 4C Tree Farm donated the Christmas tree this year, which was presented to the Governor and the First Lady by Celia Goering, president of the Kansas Christmas Tree Growers Association.

“We are grateful to the Goeverts and the Seets for their generous donations to Cedar Crest,” said First Lady Colyer. “The delivery of the Cedar Crest Christmas tree and wreath is a wonderful tradition, and we look forward to bringing these beautiful decorations in to our home for all to enjoy during this holiday season.”

“It’s a lot of fun, these horses they’re right in sync and so it’s a horse team,” Colyer said. “They’ve been together for a number of years and it’s a lot of fun. They can even give you the reigns. I just wish we had a little bit of snow!”

Governor Coyler even rode the carriage on his way in.

Following the delivery, Cecil and Robert Carter, suppliers of the horse and carriage, loaded their wagon with trees for Trees for Troops, which provides Christmas trees for those living on military installations. This year, KCTGA is aiming to donate 100 trees, all from Kansas tree growers.

Afterward, Coyler reflected on his time as Governor and his future plans.

“It’s a great honor to be Governor of Kansas. There are a lot of things happening in the state of Kansas. As we are getting ready for the holidays, we got a lot of things going forward, new businesses coming to the state, making sure our schools stay open, a lot of activities.”

“I will continue my international work in war zones. I’ve always done that and will continue to do that. I’ll still be involved in politics in Kansas, we’ll just see what happens.”