Randy and Beau Estes pose with their family in front of the Fraser fir, which will be on display in the Blue Room of the White House.
If you think picking a Christmas tree for your house is difficult, imagine picking one for the White House. Dale Haney, superintendent for the White House, and Jim Adams, chief horticulturalist with the National Park Service, had that task last week as they and other White House staff toured Peak Farms in Ashe County to select the White House Christmas tree. The team selected a 19-foot-tall Fraser fir from the 70-acre farm outside of Jefferson.
Rusty and Beau Estes, owners of Peak Farms, earned the right to show the White House tree by winning the National Christmas Tree Association’s National Christmas Tree Contest in August. The association has chosen the grower of the White House tree since 1966. In that time, North Carolina has been chosen to show in the White House 12 times – more than any other state. Of those, seven national winners have come from Ashe County.
The winning Fraser fir will be transported to the White House in late November to be displayed in the Blue Room during the holiday season. While you may not have to choose the White House tree, you can pick a beautiful N.C. Christmas tree for your own home this year.
The season will be under way before you know it. Check out the search engine on the N.C. Christmas Tree Growers Association’s website to find a grower or choose-and-cut farm near you.