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Local residents felt a surge of pride Tuesday evening as they watched the excited, smiling face of a Beverly Elementary School fourth-grader as he flicked the switch to light up the 2023 Capitol Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C.
Ethan Reese won a statewide essay contest to earn the right to switch on the lights for the tree, which was harvested in the Monongahela National Forest in Randolph County in November.
During Tuesday night's ceremony, Reese was introduced as "the pride of West Virginia" by Mike Johnson, the U.S. Speaker of the House.
Young Ethan met many people in D.C., including West Virginia's senators, Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito. Reese even posed for photographs on the speaker's balcony in the Capitol.
Asked by The Inter-Mountain how it felt to light up the Capitol Tree, Ethan said, "It was really exciting!"
On Wednesday morning, Manchin's office set up a tour for Ethan and his family of the Capitol and the Library of Congress.
"The Capitol Christmas Tree is a festive, historic tradition that brings our nation together during the holidays, and I'm so proud that this year's tree is from West Virginia's beautiful Monongahela National Forest," Manchin said after the lighting ceremony. "I'm grateful to everyone who played a role in making today's wonderful event a reality -- together, we showcased to the whole country not only the incredible forestry of the Mountain State, but also our extraordinary community spirit."
A group of Randolph County 4-H members made the trek to D.C. to take part in the lighting event, as did several other local residents.
Reese -- and the beautiful 63-foot Norway spruce -- have provided Randolph County residents and all West Virginians with some pleasant holiday memories to treasure long into the future.