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ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Christmas tree now stands in the Minnesota State Capitol for the first time in six years, a hiatus that complicated Tuesday morning’s delivery in an unusual way.
For about 20 minutes, state workers battled a rusty bolt in the Capitol’s little-used tree stand. Eventually, they put a screwdriver in its place to temporarily hold the stand in place and allow the delivery to take place.
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The 17-foot Fraser fir from Happy Land Tree Farms in Sandstone is the first tree displayed in the rotunda since the Capitol restoration earlier this decade. Happy Land won the honor after being awarded the winner of a tree competition at this year’s Minnesota State Fair.
“It’s a privilege to be able to put a tree in the Capitol,” said Robert Wellnitz, who drove the tree 90 miles from Sandstone to the Capitol on Tuesday morning.