The state officially kicked off the holiday season in style with its 76th annual tree lighting ceremony.
The event, which is held annually in early December, was led by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, First Lady Maria Shriver and Master of Ceremonies and TV personality Leeza Gibbons.
As anticipation built for the traditional lighting of the tree, which would feature a celebrated guest from San Jose, the crowd, which numbered in the hundreds, was not left to view an empty stage. Instead, a star-led program of entertainment provided plenty of audio and visual offerings to attract the attention of attendees of all ages.
Among the entertainers were three-time Grammy Award-winner Trisha Yearwood and the popular recording artist and actress Katharine McPhee.
Yearwood, who is one of country music’s most successful artists with more than 10 million albums sold, drew plenty of attention with her energetic singing, which was punctuated by the rhythms of her accompanying acoustic guitarist.
Working through difficulties caused by a malfunctioning second microphone, Katharine, who rose to stardom as a runner-up on television’s “American Idol,” and her mother Peisha McPhee nonetheless presented a performance, which drew much applause and cheers.
Following her performance, Katharine expressed to The Union how much it meant to her to be a part of the event.
“There is nothing more special than singing with my mother this Christmas season,” Katharine said.
Also providing entertainment during the event was the locally based Galena Street East and the Unity Community Choir.
Jillian Jones, a member of the choir, said that she enjoyed the opportunity to sing at the event and was pleased by the appreciative crowd.
“I like to sing,” Jones said. “It was a lot of fun and the crowd really liked us. That feels great.”
“It was cool to meet the governor,” added choir member Kelsie Hall, who was among the choir members who were greeted by the governor following the event.
But meeting choir members was just a portion of the governor’s involvement on this special evening.
Both the governor and the first lady addressed the crowd with positive messages for this holiday season.
“I want to wish you a happy holiday season and a happy new year,” said Schwarzenegger, who also gave special recognition to California’s firefighters.
“As we celebrate this holiday season, I hope we can all find a way to give,” Schwarzenegger added. “It does not have to be much. Even a little kindness can go a long way toward brightening the life of another, so let’s reach out and give a helping hand.”
Shriver also expressed her appreciation for California’s firefighters and emphasized her gratefulness that, like young men, young women also have the opportunity to grow up to become firefighters.
Additionally, Shriver acknowledged California’s many dedicated state workers, who have helped the state excel.
Shriver’s speech, however, mainly focused on the topic of families.
“The theme of this Christmas celebration is family,” Shriver said. “And the thing that distinguishes a family is the amount of love in the family. You can go out and buy presents and things, but the greatest gift we can give one another is the gift of love.”
Shriver added that in addition to her own four children, herself and the governor have 38 million people in their extended family. And speaking of these many extended family members, Shriver said they are in their hearts, minds and prayers during this holiday season.
The pinnacle moment of the evening’s attractions, which also featured the attendance of medal of valor recipients – an effort coordinated by Sgt. Stacy Barr of the California Highway Patrol’s special projects section – was the appearance of a very significant member of the governor and first lady’s extended family, Itzamaya Nunez.
Nunez, an 8-year-old resident of San Jose, was not only selected to present a special ornament to the governor, but she was also chosen to assist Schwarzenegger in the official lighting of the tree.
Nunez’s mother Jacqueline Campos said that the selection of her daughter, who was born with Down syndrome, was a very special moment for her family.
“This is such an honor for my daughter and the whole family and we’re so happy to be here,” said Campos, who was also a speaker in the program.
Campos added that she hopes that Nunez’s presence in the ceremony aids in efforts to help others understand people with developmental disabilities.
“(People with developmental disabilities) have dreams just like you and me,” said Campos, who was also accompanied by her husband Mario Campos. “I would like society to be a steppingstone, instead of a barrier.”
For Nunez, her experience in Sacramento began early, as she arrived at the Capitol grounds on the morning of the day of the event.
It was there, to the west of the Capitol, that she met members of the media, including The Union, who were eager to tell her story.
Although Nunez was short on words, she was certainly not short on smiles, as she played with ornaments and admired the 55-foot, white fir tree, which was donated by the U.S. Forest Service’s Institute of Forest Genetics.
While standing alongside her mother, Nunez said, “I like the tree and it’s pretty decorations.”
When the moment finally arrived that Nunez made her way to the stage, she was greeted by Schwarzenegger, who assisted her in hanging a special ornament on the tree.
The ornament joined the tree’s more than 2,000 ornaments, 1,500 of which were handcrafted by children and adults with developmental disabilities, who receive assistance through the state’s developmental centers and 21 nonprofit regional centers.
Nunez, who enjoys singing, dancing and participating in gymnastics, receives services through the San Andreas Regional Center.
Following the ornament presentation, Nunez joined hands with Schwarzenegger for the premier attraction, the lighting of the tree.
As their hands pressed down on the button to light the tree and 6,500 LED lights brightened up the evening, cheers and applause rose from the crowd.
The unique part about the tree’s lighting was that the lights were not powered by electricity, but were instead, for the second consecutive year, powered by a 1-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cell system, manufactured by Altergy Systems of Folsom and provided by the California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative.
Gibbons cleverly referred to the state’s tree as representing not a “white Christmas,” but instead a “green Christmas.”
As the festivities ended and the crowd began to thin, many words spoken by those who attended the event reflected the positive experiences of this evening.
“I was born and raised here and never came down here (for the tree lighting), so I decided to bring my four kids (Courtney, Caitlin, Valerie and William) down here,” Don McClay of Sacramento said. “I think we will make this a family tradition.”
“It’s really gorgeous, it’s really spectacular and it’s something that’s really good for Sacramento. I love looking at the lights and the beautiful Capitol,” said Sacramento resident Katie Dukes, who stood along 10th Street with Anabele Claire, a 20-month-old child, who sat in a stroller, possibly beginning a tradition of her own.
“This was a very warm experience,” Elk Grove resident Cathy Hall added.
“It was a little bit Southern California, a little bit Northern California, a little bit Hollywood and a little bit downtown Sacramento,” said local schoolteacher Gretchen Johnson, who attended the event with Chris Campbell and his 9-year-old daughter Madelyn Campbell. “It had both a community feel and a showbiz feel. This was a very nice Christmas show.”
And as the saying goes, “The show must go on,” or at least through the first of January when the lights will be turned off and the tree will be ground to mulch to be recycled.
Sacramento residents and others will then once again await the traditional arrival of the State Capitol Christmas tree lighting, one of the capital city’s finest traditions.