Christmas tree season begins Saturday at Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm in Yorktown
This is one of the busiest and most important weekends for local farms in the Hudson Valley.
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It was all hands on deck at Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm in Yorktown Friday ahead of the start of one of the most crucial weekends of the year for the local business.
"This first weekend is always the busiest weekend for trees," said Wilkens Fruit & Fir Farm owner Randy Pratt.
Christmas tree sales officially begin Saturday, Nov. 30, so on Black Friday, employees are in full preparation mode. Crews are tagging trees, building wreaths and practicing how to tie trees to the roofs of different cars.
Opening weekend is limited to reservations only. The farm expects 500 to 600 people to select their trees over the next two days. Pratt says they are fully booked.
The farm limits the number of trees it sells every year to about 1,000 to help keep track of its inventory and ensure there are enough healthy trees for next season. Pratt expects to sell half to two-thirds of his trees this weekend and 90% by the end of next weekend.
Pratt said this is a massive opportunity to support local businesses and communities.
"When they come up to this area, they also end up going to the local restaurants or they may stop at some other shops in Yorktown, so it not only supports us, it supports the region," he said.
Despite a dry summer and fall, Pratt said a wet start to the year resulted in plenty of healthy trees.
"There were times when we thought we couldn't get a tractor through the fields because we had so much rain," he said.
Starting Monday, Dec. 2, appointments are no longer necessary.
