White House staff picks ‘Tree-mendous’ as 2024 Christmas fir

Right on schedule, a pair of White House representatives showed up Oct. 28 at Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm near Newland in Avery County, N.C., to select the “perfect” Fraser fir to adorn the majestic Blue Room of the U.S. President’s home in Washington, D.C., during the upcoming Christmas season.

They were Dale Haney, the White House grounds superintendent, and Robert Downey, White House chief usher. They picked a 20-foot tree that measures 12 feet wide.

Sam Cartner Jr., who owns the 500-acre tree farm along with his brothers Jim and Dave, said the tree is about 25 years old. 

The Cartner brothers named the winning tree “Tree-mendous” and attached a large red, white and blue bow to the boughs.

 

Sam Cartner Jr. told Christian Gardner of the Avery Journal Times that “Tree-mendous holds tremendous meaning, carrying hope and happiness to all those affected by Hurricane Helene recently in North Carolina.”

“It means so much to have this tree come from Avery County, especially after what everyone has been through,”

Sam Cartner Jr. said. “We’re very proud to represent Avery County and other western North Carolina counties that grow Christmas trees. We want it to symbolize all the good of mankind and what we’ve experienced here in the last month since the storm.”

Haney (shown below) has been down this road multiple times. At age 73, he has served on the grounds crew at White House for 52 years, have been hired in 1972 during the Richard Nixon administration. 

He has North Carolina connections, having graduated from the horticulture program at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst.

Haney was completing an internship at the Dumbarton Oaks historic estate in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, when he was recruited to become a gardener at the White House.

Over the years, Haney advanced from gardener to foreman to chief horticulturalist. He became superintendent of the White House grounds in 2008, during the administration of George W. Bush.

Haney told the Journal Times: “We consider size, shape, how straight the tree is and, of course how good it smells.”

Downey, who became the chief usher when Joe Biden was inaugurated as president in 2021, said: “North Carolina has a great agricultural system and heritage, and the trees here are fantastic; and this year in particular, because of all they’ve been through (since Helene), it shows the resilience of North Carolina.”

 

Cartner’s was founded as a family farm in 1959 by Sam Cartner Sr. and his wife, Margaret. Both are now deceased, so their three sons have inherited the business. “We’re really proud of our trees, but it’s but it’s not just about Cartner’s,” said Sam Cartner Jr. “It’s about Fraser firs, raised in western North Carolina.”

“Fraser firs are native to this area, and they have great characteristics of needle retention and color and fragrance. Needles that are soft but the limbs firm enough to hold ornaments, so it’s a great species to grow,” he said. “It’s the Number Two money producer behind tourism in this region.”

 

I can’t tell you how many customers have called and asked how we did through the flood and the hurricane just to check on us,” Sam Cartner Jr. told Theresa Opeka of The Carolina Journal.

Tree-mendous will be harvested on Nov. 20 and displayed at Mountain Glen Country Club north of Newland from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for a community event and toy drive benefiting flood victims. Flood first responder units will also be recognized.

The Cartners plan to be present when Tree-mendous arrives at the White House on Nov. 25.

Meanwhile, back on the farm, Cartner’s Choose & Cut season opens Nov. 23 & 24 and continues Nov. 28-Dec. 1 and Dec. 7 & 8. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 

Cherry Point facilities drive eastern N.C. regional economy

During his many years as a civilian employee at the “Naval Aviation Depot,” which has been renamed as Fleet Readiness Center East, aboard Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock…and during his time as a Mayor of the Town of Newport…Derryl Garner was constantly “building bridges” between the public and private sectors.

 

One organization that Mayor Garner helped create in the 1990s continues to effectively mesh military interests with the needs of citizens who reside in the communities around Cherry Point. It’s a partnership that is known today as Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow (ACT).

For years, Mayor Garner was the lead spokesperson for ACT, positioning Cherry Point as a critical component of the nation’s defense network, warding off threats of base curtailments or closure.

It’s unclear if Mayor Garner wrote the message: “Pardon Our Noise. It’s the Sound of Freedom.” But he certainly embraced it.

Because Mayor Garner always viewed Cherry Point as a regional asset and the primary source of jobs for residents of Carteret, Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties, it only made sense to have the four counties band together and speak with one, unified voice.

 

ACT is an example of a collaboration that works for the benefit of all and avoids getting mired down in petty politics.

ACT’s primary focus is to: “Educate the public and raise awareness about the significance of Cherry Point, its history and its role in supporting both the local community and the entire U.S. military on a global scale.”

The F-35 Lightning II squadrons of Joint Strike Fighters have arrived at Cherry Point. Both the F-35B and F-35C variants are now aboard the Air Station and are replacing fleets of F-18 A/C/D Hornets, AV-8B Harriers and the EA-6B Prowler aircraft. 

ACT had begun to lobby for the F-35s in 2012.

One longtime ACT board member acknowledged that Derryl Garner was a visionary who repeatedly cautioned against any development project that could potentially encroach upon Cherry Point’s ability to train aviators.

“Nothing could finer in eastern North Carolina” than the payroll generated year after year by Cherry Point, Mayor Garner would say.

A Marine Corps spokesperson stated: “MCAS Cherry Point is home to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, which serves as aviation combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, and Fleet Readiness Center East (FRC East), a world-class maintenance, engineering and logistics support center for all branches of the U.S. military.”

With a combined workforce of 11,823 (6,467 active-duty military and 5,356 civilian employees), Cherry Point facilities have an annual economic impact that exceeds $2.19 billion. That is probably a conservative estimate.

ACT has identified a few more “talking points.”

     Approximately 23,150 people – one out of every four people living in the four-county         area – is connected to Cherry Point, either as active-duty military, civilian employees,         family, dependents or retirees.

 

Cherry Point purchases nearly $1 billion in goods and services a year from local companies and vendors.

 

FRC East is the largest industrial employer east of I-95, providing high-skilled, high-wage civilian jobs that pay an average of nearly $61,000 per year.

 

Looking at an even bigger picture, Carteret County also benefits from the presence of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River near Jacksonville in neighboring Onslow County.

 

A Marine Corps spokesperson said these Onslow bases provide an annual economic impact of more than $4.82 billion, with a combined military and civilian employment that totals 48,624.

In 2015, to reaffirm North Carolina’s commitment to be the “most military and veteran friendly state in the nation,” the North Carolina General Assembly authorized funding to establish a Department of Military & Veterans Affairs. One goal is to “assist our veterans in any way we can during their transition to civilian life and beyond,” said Gov. Roy Cooper.

“Veterans shall be granted preference in employment with every state department, agency and institution,” he added.