A tradition continuing for more than 60 years, the town Christmas tree lit up Nov. 29, thanks to a promise made to former Barnes Lumber Company owner Carroll Conley by his friends. A hemlock that served as the tree for decades succumbed to disease and Conley, determined that the town would not be without a tree, replaced it with a spruce roughly 10 years ago. Conley died shortly thereafter from cancer. His friends—he had many—Roger Baber (ArborLife), Jeff Birckhead (Crozet Hardware), Billy James (Basic Builders), Chuck Kennedy (Kennedy Electric) and Andy Powley (Powley Land Management) assured him they would take care of the tradition. Due to wind damage, Baber strings new lights every year that Kennedy, James and Powley provide, and Birckhead covers the electric bill. Shown left to right are Kennedy, Birckhead and Powley. Many thanks from your neighbors, guys, and Merry Christmas to Crozet.
