Not all Christmas trees are green

By Carol McIntire

Editor

If you’ve been an auto mechanic most of your life and have a substantial collection of hubcaps, what do you do with them?

If you are longtime mechanic Parke Butterfied, his wife, Betty, and son Kevin, you create a hubcap Christmas tree and share it with others!

Parke and Betty, who reside at 301 2nd St. SW, Carrollton, got the idea from a car show they attended in Hershey, PA.
“They had one there, but it was at least three times taller than this one,” Parke said standing in the yard at his home where the tree is located. “I told Betty I was going to make one of those trees. Kevin helped up and we did it!”
Parke and Betty created the base for 10-foot base for the eight-foot tall tree and Kevin assisted with wiring 82 hubcaps to the tree base. They added a couple strands of LED lights inside that shine through the metal to provide illumination.
“The ones (hubcaps) that have colored centers in them really shine with the lights behind them,” Parke noted. A tree skirt comprised of 12 hubcaps and a star on top compete the display.
The Butterfields have decked their home out in its holiday best for many years, and this year is no exception. The displays are lit nightly and the public is invited to drive by and view the display.