Local Boy Scouts selling Christmas trees at Graber’s

Boy Scout Michael Whistler, left, and his dad Tim Whistler talk outside of Graber's Ace Hardware in Newton while Tim adjusts branches on a tree. The two were there on Monday evening selling Christmas trees for Boy Scout Troop 127. Wendy Nugent/Harvey County Now

By Wendy Nugent, Harvey County Now

NEWTON—Troop 127 Boy Scout Michael Whistler and his dad Tim Whistler already had sold two Christmas trees on Monday only minutes into their shift.

The Boy Scout troop is selling trees at Graber’s Ace Hardware in Newton as a fundraiser.

“The boys use it to go camping mostly,” Tim said. “Summer camp is the big expense—usually in June. The troop goes every year.”

There are about 30 Boy Scouts in the troop, Tim and Michael agreed.

Tim said they have about 50 trees left as of early Monday evening and he wasn’t sure with how many they started.

“It was quite a bit,” he said.

They’re going to sell the trees until they run out. They sell from 4:30-7 p.m. weekdays and during Graber’s regular business hours on weekends.

All trees are about 6 feet tall or a little higher, Tim said.

“If they want a huge tree, we don’t have it,” he said.

Scouts sign up to man the tree selling area, which is at the store’s east entrance.

“They can all do it,” Tim said about the Boy Scouts selling.

They started selling on Black Friday and they have regular customers.

“We have people come and say, ‘We buy one every year,'” Tim said.

Tim wasn’t sure how long the troop has sold trees, but they’ve been doing it at least for as long as Tim’s been involved with his kids in scouts.

Although the trees all are about the same height, they are different, since there are four types with prices listed—Scotch Pine, $41.49; White Pine, $42.99; Fraser Fir, $61.99; and Balsam Fir, $48.49.

Part of the service they offer with the trees is they’ll trim the trees at the bottom and load them onto vehicles.

The trees are delivered by semi-truck.

“I think they come from northwest Oregon,” Tim said.

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