[Dialogue] FREE CHRISTMAS TREE

[David & Lin Zahrt]

-- NEWS FROM TURIN, IA --

November 10, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: 	David and Lin Zahrt  
22133 Larpenteur Rd
Turin, IA 51040-8747     <zahrt at country-homestead.com>
(712) 353-6772

The 5th Annual Loess Hills Christmas Event will held at Country 
Homestead B&B, Turin, Iowa.

TURIN, IA:  Cut a free Christmas tree and help restore Loess Hills 
prairie in the bargain.  The Zahrts invite you to bring your saw and 
come enjoy a "Loess Hills Christmas in the Hills", at Country 
Homestead B&B, one mile north of Turin, Saturday afternoon, December 
11, 2004 from 12:30pm - 4:30 p.m

This is the fifth year for this holiday event. The first 3 Loess 
Hills Christmas Events were held at The Nature Conservancy's Folsom 
Point Preserve. The venue was shifted to Turin, Iowa in December 
2003. The Zahrts will be on hand to assist, and hot cider and cocoa 
will be provided.  Guests are asked to bring their own bow saw and 
protective gloves and wear sturdy shoes for hiking in the rugged 
Loess Hills.

"The trees are free and come in all sizes," David reports.  He 
cautions, however, that cedar trees are not like your typical Douglas 
fir Christmas tree, but look more like the tree from "A Charlie Brown 
Christmas."  Tips for success with cedars: 1) Leave the trees outside 
for a week or so to reduce the strong cedar scent, and; 2) Enhance 
the green coloration of the needles by setting the tree in a pot of 
sand watered with green food coloring.

Although native to the Missouri River floodplain, cedars have spread 
onto the prairies of the Loess Hills and other uplands because of the 
suppression of fire, one of the primary ecological agents of the 
prairie.  Dense stands of cedar completely shade the ground 
destroying habitat needed for prairie grasses, flowers, and wildlife. 
Restoration is underway at Country Homestead-to remove the invading 
trees and recover, protect, and reconstruct the native prairie.

Directions to Country Homestead B&B:  Take Highway I-29 to exit 112. 
Turn east on State Hwy 175 and take it through Onawa to Turin. At the 
only concrete crossroads in Turin turn left (north) on Larpenteur 
Memorial Road, and go north one mile to Country Homestead B&B. You 
will see Zahrt on the mailbox and the Country Homestead B&B sign in 
the front yard.

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| David and Lin Zahrt  
| Country Homestead Bed and Breakfast 
| 22133 Larpenteur Rd
| Turin, IA 51040     <mailto:zahrt at country-homestead.com>
| (712) 353-6772 Phone    <http://country-homestead.com>
                  
-- Doorway to the Loess Hills --
Where a change-of-pace is as good as a vacation,
And a sense-of-place is soothing to the soul.
view some native prairie at
http://homepage.mac.com/lawrencebenne/Loess_Hills_Prairies/PhotoAlbum9.html
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