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The inaugural Christmas Tree Festival will be held the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving and will occur on the same weekend with future festivals. The town square is the venue across from the courthouse. The fence lining the square will have Christmas Trees decorated with lights only; no ornaments and the trees will stay lit until New Year's day.
The festival is free to the public. What you will find are tree farmers where you can order your own family tree. They will be setting up their trees in such a way to compete for "best tree of the show". The public will be able to vote on their favorite tree. There will be a nominal fee using QR codes to place a vote, but remember that half the proceeds will go to the Shriner's Club. The grower with the most votes wins this contest.
We have shuttle bus parking lots for those who have trouble navigating longer walks.
There are bounce houses, jugglers, stilt walkers, live music and magicians will perform on stage and will roam the crowd wooing them with their sleight of hand.
Nd let us know that there will be vendors. There will be tree growers, craft vendors, and food vendors. We plan on visitors taking in a festive supper on location, although there are many local restaurants ready to receive extra guests.
There is plenty of lodging in the area. Not only are we the Fraser Fir tree capital of the world, but we are a tourist's destination with year round activities. The ski slopes desire to open their runs by Thanksgiving.
We Need Three Kinds of Vendors
First - Tree Growers
Most of our tree farmers are coming from Allegheny, Ashe, Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey & More Counties; all from western North Carolina, with some growers hailing from East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia are involved. Your obligation is to have your "pick of the litter" of trees and have it delivered to The Inn at Shady Lawn on Main Street. Our volunteers will set up the tree in the square and they will put lights on the tree. Once your delivery is complete, you can relax and enjoy the show.
Second Food Vendors
Come hungry and scratch the itch with vendors offering such delights as funnel cake, turkey drum sticks, kabobs, hamburgers and hot dogs. Food vendors, you need your own power and extension cords just like any other venue. Your booth will be placed on our food vendor's row close to where your storage vehicles park close by..
Third, Craft Vendors
All juried; our craft vendors will be displaying their skills with pride and with the knowledge that they are the best of the best. Craft vendors are required to bring their own extension cords. Power will be available to all vendors. Craft vendors need to show up early and leave late.
Avery County - The Fraser Fir Capital of the World
The first annual, inaugural Christmas Tree festival will kick off the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving Friday November 21 from 11:00am - 9:00pm and Saturday November 22 from from 11:00am - 9:00pm.
A history of Fraser Firs in western North Carolina - written by Dr Jill Sidebottom
The reason why Fraser fir, named after the Scottish botanist John Fraser (1750–1811), made it off the top of the highest mountains to become a major agricultural commodity in western North Carolina is two-fold. First of all – simply put – it is a superior Christmas tree and no doubt it would have been recognized as such eventually no matter what the circumstances. But the other reason is just as important. Farmers in western North Carolina needed something to grow that they could grow better than anyone else in the country. That was something they had never had before. Sam Cartner grew up on a farm in Davie County. He graduated from NC State College in 1946, and served in the military like most young men did at the time. After the war, he took a job as an Extension Agent in Avery County.
Encouraging Avery County farmers to grow Christmas trees would not be an easy task. People who were used to raising a 120-day crop were now being asked to raise a 7-to-10 year crop. In early spring of 1959, only a few would be interested.
Charles Pittman, an Avery County nurseryman and Christmas tree grower, says his father Claude set out Frasers for Christmas trees in either 1950 or 1951.
Herman Dellinger set trees in 1957. Those trees would be sold in Charlotte by his nephew, Jack Wiseman of Newland in 1965. Jack W. Wiseman in Crossnore remembers planting his first trees in 1959.
Read more at: https://christmastrees.ces.ncsu.edu/christmastrees-chapter-3-fraser-christmas/
And now, presently, Fraser Fir trees have won the national competition for the best tree in the country to adorn the White House as the National Christmas Tree. Sam Cartner of Newland has the distinguished honor of being the tree farmer to supply the White house this year 2024, while Larry Smith has had the honor in 2022 and continues to be involved with promoting Avery County and Fraser Fir trees.
White House Tree From Cline Church in Ashe County NC
This tree is headed to the White House and is being harvested by Cline Church Farms in Ashe County, North Carolina. Fraser Fir Trees have adorned the White House more often than any other species of tree.
