April Joines decorates eight-year-old Joe Alvarez's face with a drawing of "Donner," one of Santa's reindeer. The face painting was part of Choose & Cut Day activities at the Bickerstaff Greenery Barn in Sparta.

Tree business remains brisk here

Last week's snow and ice storms seemed to put a dent in the overall volume of Choose & Cut-related activity last Saturday; many people were without power in areas of the state which typically send Christmas tree customers here.

Still, business was brisk and enthusiastic at Christmas tree farms around the county for "Choose & Cut Day," an Alleghany County tradition the first Saturday in December. As Tom Miller, president of the

Alleghany Christmas Tree Growers Association put it, "I don't know if the weather played a part, but I'm seeing a lot of trees going down the road on top of cars."

For the day itself, the weather took an agreeable turn. While it started out in the teens, with snow and ice still on the ground, a blue sky prevailed Saturday, and temperatures reached tolerable levels

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