West Jefferson Attracts Hundreds for Hometown Christmas

By Joel Frady

The mix of Santa Claus, hot chocolate and the lighting of the West Jefferson Christmas tree at the Hometown

Christmas event turned out to be quite the draw on Friday, Nov. 28. Between three and four hundred people attended the Hometown Christmas, which also featured the singing of Christmas carols before the owners and operators of River Ridge Tree Farms, who grew the 2008 White House Christmas tree, performed the lighting of the town's tree.

Maria Whaley of the West Jefferson Partnership said that the event, in its second year, was conceived "as a brainstorm when last year's White House Christmas tree happened." The 2007 White House tree, grown at Mistletoe Farms in Laurel Springs, was honored at that first event, which Whaley said was "so successful that we just decided it was something that should happen every year.

"We're the North Carolina Christmas tree capital, and we need to recognize that for the tree growers and the community," she said. Whaley later noted that they "want to make sure that a tree grower lights the tree every year" as they prepare for the future.

"The Christmas Tree Association is so important to the economy in the county, so it just seemed appropriate that a tree grower be the one to have the honor to light the tree."

Hometown Christmas organizers said that the attendance for the tree lighting ceremony grew tremendously between 2007 and 2008, up from between 200 and 250 to between 300 and 400.

"This crowd is the result of promoting everything to do with Choose-and-Cut and the Christmas tree industry," said Cabot Hamilton, Executive Director of the Ashe County Chamber of Commerce. He noted that the attendance of people from outside the county was "dynamite," saying that "close to half the people here came because they wanted to have a hometown Christmas event."

Hamilton also said that all the hype surrounding both the event and the White House Christmas tree is "promoting Ashe County and getting Ashe County out to the world."

The event was emceed by Ed Tarleton, who said the event was "just absolutely fantastic. West Jefferson is a wonderful place to live and visit, and we couldn't be more excited to see all these people."

For the owners of River Ridge Tree Farms - Jessie and Michele Davis and Rusty and Ann Estes - the honor bestowed by West Jefferson was just as meaningful as all the other honors the farm has been receiving.

"I think this is as important as anything, when your community comes out to support you in this manner it means more to you than anything," said Jessie Davis.

Rusty Estes added that he "had goosebumps today when I went to the courthouse" for a 2 p.m. ceremomy, partially because he is "not used to this kind of attention.

"I'm just a simple guy, and you get all this attention and everybody wants to be a part of it and everything, it's great," he continued.