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.
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