Va. Governor’s Mansion to receive Christmas tree Nov. 28 from Staunton grower

Bill Francisco of Francisco Farms, Staunton, will present a 12 ft. Canaan fir Christmas tree to decorate the first floor of the Virginia Governor’s Mansion in Richmond. He won the right to donate the tree at this year’s annual meeting of the Virginia Christmas Tree Growers Association. His tree was selected as Grand Champion, and he will present a similar, fresh tree to First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe.

The Grand Champion Wreath comes from Joe’s Trees in Newport, represented by a young brother and sister team, Jenna and Jake Bostic, along with wreath maker Kathi Toelke. Jenna and Jake’s mother, Sue Bostic and their grandfather, the original Joe, have been growing prize-winning trees for decades.

Virginia has nearly 600 Christmas tree farms located throughout the state. The Virginia Christmas tree industry ranks #7 in the U.S. by total trees harvested, #8 in the U.S. by total acres in production and #9 in the U.S. by number of operations with Christmas tree sales, according to 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics released in May 2014.