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Christmas Trees in Seaside |
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12/3/2010 5:41:27 PM |
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 It’s that time of year when many will venture into the garage to pull out the artificial tree or trudge into the great outdoors to chop down their own. There’s also the option of swinging by a local store that imports trees from a wide variety of locations. But what if you don’t have a tradition or you’re looking for a way to give back to your local Seaside community? The Kiwanis Club of Seaside is here for you.
For as long as the Seaside Kiwanis group can remember, it’s been heading north – to a tree farm near Rainier, Oregon – with a group of Seaside High School students to load a truck full of 400 freshly cut trees and deliver them back to Seaside. “It’s a great tradition,” retired businessman Fred Loser told me this past week. The kids love it, the Kiwanis get a real thrill from the holiday spirit and locals have a chance to nab a tree that’s just a few days old and support their local economy in the process.
Karen Murray, a Kiwanis member for ten years – who helps staff the lot at the Seaside Factory Outlet Mall – was happy to tell me about the tremendous value customers get when purchasing through the Kiwanis. “All of our trees are gorgeous and have very few space problems or flaws,” she said. “You can get a noble for $40 that is nine feet tall, which is really unheard of when you buy from most places.”
Not only do you get a great tree – for a phenomenal price – but you also get the satisfaction of knowing that the money you put towards your tree will go to support the Kiwanis Club’s local fundraising efforts. This is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Kiwanis and the biggest beneficiaries of this campaign are local high school students who have a chance at the two-three $1,000 Key Club Scholarships that are generated each year. “Anyone can apply for the scholarship,” Murray told me, but the Key Club students are generally the ones involved in the tree gathering and often benefit from the gift of higher education.
The trees were delivered about 24 hours late this year due to a minor communication error but that didn’t stop regulars from attempting to be the first to buy. “We have a couple of families that race to be the first one to purchase,” said Art Davidson. “And because we had the delay in delivery this year, our first buyer waited more than four hours to get first dibs on the trees.” With trees like the ones out of Rainier, you’ll understand the demand when you see them. They went on sale yesterday afternoon and will be available until they run out. “We anticipate they will be gone by the middle of next week,” said Murray.
Get them while they are fresh goes without saying and enjoy your Christmas celebration this year knowing you contributed to the local economy.
If you go:
What: Kiwanis Christmas Tree Sale
Where: Seaside Factory Outlet Mall (12th Avenue & Hwy 101 in Seaside)
When: Through December 12, or until the trees sell out.
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