By John G. Whitacre
The Review
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Mike Dittmer was a farmer and truck driver who dreamed
of raising Christmas trees. In 1990, he got married, got rid of the beans and corn and planted his first pines.
Located on State Route 183 six miles north of
Alliance, Dittmer's Tree Depot, near Atwater, offers more than pine trees in a parking lot. Owners Mike and Jann Dittmer want
folks to view a visit to their farm as more than merely choosing a tree.
Jann Dittmer said that it was love at first sight
when she and Mike met in 1989. Jann works for Kent State University at the computer help desk in the library, and Mike was
growing corn and soybeans and working for the Atwater road department, as well as belonging to the Atwater Volunteer Fire
Department.
When we were dating, he said he always wanted
to be a tree farmer, said Jann. Me, not knowing how much work is involved, said, 'Sure, Sweetheart.'
Mike and Jann married in March of 1990 and paid
a farmer to plant their first 5,000 trees, and they have planted every year since. The first trees were sold in 1998. The
trees were small, but we went ahead and opened, said Jann. Mike was able to quit his job two years ago and focus on the farm,
which is a full-time occupation.
The close proximity to the tracks was the inspiration
for the moniker and the gift shop built in the style of a rustic railroad station.
Mike came up with the farm name; then it was
easy, said Jann. The Dittmers also gathered ideas from other tree farms through their membership in the Ohio Christmas Tree
Association and National Christmas Tree Association, and they applied their favorites to the farm.
When the Dittmers first opened, they were assisted
by members of Habitat For Humanity, who received a percentage of the sales, and students have helped in the past, but now
the Dittmers employ 13, in addition to Mike and Jann, daughter Jamie, Jann's mother, Ann Nichols, and Mike's parents, Phil
and Bonnie. This year we're getting bigger; we need people that know what they're doing, said Jann.
Jann is using vacation days this year to be at
the farm on Thursdays and Fridays and said that she can retire from her job at Kent State University in six years and join
Mike full time on the farm.
I love my job, but I love this better, she said,
explaining that the work at the tree farm doesn't end after the December rush. Grass must be mowed, insecticides and weed
killers applied, trees must be trimmed and of course, more trees must be planted.
Visitors to Dittmer's traverse the farm's 110
acres on a wagon towed by a John Deere tractor. They choose from Scotch or white pines and can cut themselves or have Dittmer's
employees cut the trees. A burning barrel and a small building provide respite from December's chill, and afterward, customers
can warm themselves in the depot with hot chocolate, coffee and popcorn while their trees are shaken and wrapped. The snacks
are free, with donations being accepted to benefit the Atwater Fire Department.
All trees are shaken to shed them of loose needles
and are wrapped in Dittmer's distinctive candy cane-colored netting to keep them compact for the trip home, and the bottom
of the trunks are drilled for customers who buy or own the three-gallon plastic tree stand with a spike in the middle. Dittmer's
has a database on the computer that keeps track of customers who have bought the tree stand in the past.
The store sells sturdy metal hangers for the
wreaths that are cut fresh daily from trees that don't make the grade as Christmas trees, and Char Kirby makes colorful bows
for the hefty wreaths.
I don't know what we'd do without her, said Jann.
Also available are tree stands, ornaments and
lights, nutcrackers, Christmas figurines, cookies in tins, cookie mix that benefits the Waterloo High School band, cards,
CDs by Mannheim Steamroller and Christopher Popinkins dolls (see The Review, Dec. 3).
All cut trees are $27, $37 with a wreath and
tree bag or $47 with a wreath, bag and stand. Dug trees, for planting, are $37 for Scotch and white pine and $47 to $55 for
spruce.
For the Dittmers, pine trees, fresh air and family
are both business and pleasure, and they want to share the joy they find in their business with their customers. We want to
start traditions with all the families, said Jann Dittmer. We want to bring back the tradition to families. We've had some
families here every year since we opened. We're watching their children grow.
