[Dialogue] 9th ANNUAL WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

[David & Lin Zahrt]

-- NEWS FROM TURIN, IA --

The 9th 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  
13, 2008 from 12:30pm – 4:30 p.m

This is the ninth 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  
management practices. Two primary practices contributing to the  
spread of cedars have acted in concert with each other: one has been  
overgrazing, and the other, 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.

David & Lin Zahrt
Country Homestead B&B
22133 Larpenteur Rd.
Turin, IA 51040
-- Doorway to the Loess Hills -
<http://country-homestead.com>
Where a change of pace is as good as a vacation, and a sense of place  
is soothing to the soul.
<chbnb at netins.net>
Skype <loesshills>




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