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Feisley’s helps residents have a merry Christmas

T-L Photos/DYLAN McKENZIE A selection of decorated wreaths await purchase inside the 200 year old restored barn at Feisley’s Tree Farm in Belmont.

BELMONT– For anyone who celebrates Christmas, the various trappings of the holiday are part of the tradition. It simply isn’t Christmas without the lights, the stockings over the fireplace, and the wreaths decorating the outside of the house.

But the center of any yuletide display is the Christmas tree, laden with ornaments and lights, and capped with a shining star. For those who enjoy a traditional live tree, Feisley Tree Farms in Belmont is the best place to go, providing an enjoyable and traditional tree picking experience.

Feisley’s has been a Christmas staple in the Ohio Valley area for more than 50 years. The tree farm began back in the late 1940s, as a young man named John Pershing Feisley was working as a soil conservation agent in Ohio.

On a visit to an area farm, Feisley spoke with a man who was growing Christmas trees to sell. He became fascinated with the idea and began to plant his own trees in the hills of Eastern Ohio.

After marrying and having three children, Feisley continued to grow trees, turning it into a true family business with the children helping out on the farm to maintain the trees and assist how they could. Son Geoff Feisley graduated West Virginia University with a bachelor’s degree in business in 1980, enabling him to join his family business full time.

The tree farm continued as a wholesale operation through the 1960s and ’70s, eventually expanding with a retail operation in St. Clairsville after John Feisley retired from Soil and Water Conservation in the late 1970s, enabling him to dedicate his full energies to the tree farm.

The farm offers two ways to select the perfect Christmas tree to ensure that everyone has the holiday experience they are looking for.

Customers can visit the retail lot at the intersection of Ohio 9 south and Interstate 70 in St. Clairsville to select a variety of fresh cut trees for their home, saving them the trouble of venturing out to the farm if they are in a hurry or otherwise cannot make it out to the farm; Feisley’s also does deliveries for local customers. Families and customers looking for the full Christmas tree experience can venture out to the Feisley farm on Muller Road in Belmont, where they can personally choose a live tree and have it cut just for them.

The farm offers Scotch pines, white pines, Fraser firs, and Blue and Norway spruces, all which are suited to different styles of decorations and ornaments. Families will travel across the land of the farm to find their perfect tree, making it a truly unique experience.

In the restored historic barn on the property, guests can purchase hot cider and cocoa, as well as baked goods and popcorn, providing customers with fuel for the hike to their chosen tree. All of the food is served by a local grade school entrepreneur, who the Feisleys gratefully donate space for. The centerpiece of the room is a large, decorated fir tree, 18 feet tall, with 6,000 lights glowing merrily. The farm also sells decorated wreaths, garlands and greenery, making it a one-stop shop for festive Christmas decorations, as well as handmade jewelry and homemade maple syrup. On the weekends, the farm also has chain saw carving demonstrations and complimentary hayrides, encouraging families to make a day out of coming out and selecting their tree.

Theresa Feisley married her husband, Geoff, in 1982 and has been involved with the family farm business ever since, never looking back or regretting anything.

“I immediately jumped into the business,” said Theresa, who was busily preparing decorated wreaths for sale last week. She said the business eventually expanded, especially the cut and choose option, causing them to move to their current location about 20 years ago. The family lives in a restored farmhouse, more than a century old. Now, more than 50 years after the start of the business, Theresa said the family manages more than 600 acres, with 120 acres dedicated to choose and cut trees. And she said the business shows no signs of slowing down.

“We’re seeing a massive increase in people wanting live trees, especially millennials who are into live trees and healthy lifestyles,” said Theresa. “Our circle is definitely growing. We draw people from Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Morgantown, even below Morgantown.”

The staff at Feisley’s provide all of the tools that one would need to cut down a Christmas tree, and will tag, bale and clean the Christmas tree before shipping it out with a satisfied customer — one who will hopefully return next year to get another tree, making Feisley’s a Christmas tradition. The family at the tree farm provides their customers with more than 50 years of quality service with a personal touch, sure to satisfy customers and make their Christmas season a little bit brighter.

“We want people to have an old world Christmas,” said Theresa. “We are going to continue providing this wholesome family experience for people,providing them with these wonderful memories for years to come.”

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