Eichel's Tree Farm remains popular through pandemic

HOMER TWP. — Pandemic-related difficulties haven't taken away from continued holiday cheer at Eichel's Tree Farm, 11844 Williams Road, West Salem. The farm has been family-owned since 1953 and began selling trees in the late 1960s as part of a local 4-H fundraiser. Initial demand from that venture led to the family planting their first trees in 1980 and harvesting them six years later. Owner Ray Eichel was found Wednesday preparing for daily guests and moving toward the end of another successful season. "We stayed open last year and this year," he said. "I'd say things have been kind of back to normal for us, as far as people coming. People were very excited to come out and get the trees. They kind of came early and that's really been the trend for the past few years. We put the lights and everything up but Santa hasn't been able to be here to visit the kids (since 2019). People have still come out even though some of that usual interaction couldn't be there. We appreciate that support." Each employee during Christmas season is an Eichel family member, the owner said. Traditionally, the group gathers on Thanksgiving to plan out the holiday season from tree sales to decorating logistics, which is a heavy-duty operation considering roughly 60,000 bulbs that are used on-site every year. Decorations including a Nativity display, snowmen, a trail of Christmas poles lining the farm's driveway, and, of course, Santa Claus and his reindeer, welcome visitors as they make their way up the home's winding driveway. The lights became part of the tree farm in the late 1980s with Thanksgiving being the official "light-up" date every year since. About 700 trees were sold per year during the farm's business peak around the turn of the century, but sales today still surpass 450 each season. Some varieties of fir trees are brought in to the farm from other sites but pines, spruces and Canaan firs are grown by the family. Pines typically take seven years to harvest while spruces and firs can take anywhere from eight to 10 years. Eichel said those sales figures have held up during COVID-19 while roughly 400 guests have continued to visit the farm on an annual basis. "We still serve everyone hot chocolate and whatnot but we served it instead of it being a self-serve thing, for safety," he said. "It was still given out free. Our people coming through, overall, might be a little less than pre-COVID, meaning someone getting out of their car and walking around. We might be down about 25 percent, especially without Santa, but that's still around 400 people for us. They still come for the trees and for the lights and we're thankful for that." With just a couple of days left in the Christmas season, Eichel's will be open to visitors from noon to 9 p.m. today and Friday. Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.