AMHERST — An annual Christmas tree sale organized by local Boy Scouts troops and their associated Cub Scout packs, which has taken place in downtown Amherst since the 1950s, begins again Friday.
While the sale has become a tradition, for the first time both boys and girls will be part of the operation. Two younger sisters of members of the Troop 500 are part of that troop’s Cub Scouts pack, and girls will be admitted to Boy Scouts troops starting in February
Michelle Chandler, scoutmaster for the South Amherst-based Troop 500, which joins Boy Scout Troop 504 in North Amherst in organizing the sale, said the set up at the southern end of Kendrick Park takes place Wednesday, with the first trees arriving from northern Vermont. The trees will go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday.
Trees will be sold until 8 p.m. on Black Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends, and then from 4 to 8 p.m. on weekdays, through the holidays.
The 800 trees, fraser and balsam firs, will come in five deliveries through Dec. 12. Handmade wreaths will also be sold.
The Scouts bring the Christmas trees to customer vehicles, tying them on the roofs or placing them inside, and are also trained in making fresh cuts to the trunk, Chandler said.
For Troop 500 and its two Cub Scout packs, the proceeds go to cover annual membership fees to make scouting accessible for all families, monthly camping trips, camping gear, merit badges and other patches for uniforms and to defray the cost of a week-long Scout camp during the summer.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
