Optimists sell cheer for children
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on November 29, 2016 8:27 AM
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Gary Pender, one of two owner/operators at the Optimist Club of Goldsboro's Christams Tree lot, helps Galen Parks with a newly-picked tree on Saturday evening.
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Celena Parks, front, points out the perfect tree as her daughter Nyla, 11, checks a branch for herself at the Optimist Club of Goldsboro's Christmas Tree lot on Saturday. A large portion of the tree lot's proceeds go towards helping kids diagnosed with cancer.
Jamie McCarthy and her family noticed the Optimist Club of Goldsboro's Christmas tree lot on Cashwell Drive Friday and decided to stop and look around.
Typically, the family buys a tree in early December, with the hope that the Fraser fir will last through Christmas.
While they were looking, Jan Edgerton walked up to McCarthy's three children and handed them candy canes.
The freshness and smell of a recently cut Fraser fir makes all the difference during the holiday season, Mrs. McCarthy said.
"It makes it feel more Christmassy if it's real," she said. "Normally, we wait until the first week of December so it doesn't die on us. We were out shopping, and my husband wanted to see what kind of trees they had and the price ranges."
Her children enjoyed looking at the trees throughout the lot, which is next to Dick's Sporting Goods. Eventually, instead of waiting, the family bought an 8-foot tree and tossed it on top of their SUV.
The McCarthy's, who are new to Goldsboro, learned Friday that the trees were cut a little more than a week ago in Avery County, near Boone, and usually last at least until the end of December.
The Optimist Club, which plans to sell all of its 400 trees, received its first shipment a week ago Saturday, said Bill Edgerton, Optimist Club past-president. A second shipment arrived Friday.
"We get these from the mountains of North Carolina in Avery County," Edgerton said. "They generally cut them just a few days ahead of shipping them."
The lot has Fraser firs ranging from 6 to 12 feet in height and ranging in price from $30 to $200. Freshly made wreaths, from branch clippings, are also being made and sold onsite for $15, $20 or $25, and tree stands are available for $7 or $15. Before a tree leaves the lot, the bottom is cut and branches are trimmed, as needed.
"We cut the bottoms off so they draw water, and we cut off whatever limbs they want so it'll fit into their stand," he said. "Someone mentioned today he kept his until the 5th or 6th of January. The key is to keep them in water."
The lot is open Monday through Friday from noon to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 6 p.m.
Edgerton expects the lot to sell out by the middle of December. The profits made from the Christmas tree sales support Optimist Club youth programs in Wayne County.
"We're all volunteers," Edgerton said. "All of the money we make off the trees goes to our youth programs. We've got trees of all sizes, and the community is invited to come out and help support the youth in Wayne County."
Last year, Christmas tree sales provided the Optimist Club with $9,000 to $10,000 in profits, which went directly to support youth programs, including computers for students.
"If a student in Wayne County doesn't have a computer, we give them one," Edgerton said.
The club also gives $500 worth of books each year to Goldsboro Pediatrics, hosts an annual Kid's Fun Day in June, provides bike safety programs twice a year and gives out prizes to the winners of the Optimist Club's essay and oratorical contests.
The tree sales are the largest annual fundraising effort for the Optimist Club, said Jewel Wilson, president-elect.
Ham's Christmas Trees on Royall Avenue, next to Sunburst Drive, is also selling Fraser firs of different sizes ranging from 5 to 10 feet in height and from $40 to $115 in price, said Matt Webb. Webb's father, Walter Webb, is the owner of Ham's Christmas Trees, a mainstay in Goldsboro for 30 years, including 20 years at its current location.
"We usually get about 400 trees," said Webb, who expects to sell out by the middle of December.
Several smaller table-top Fraser firs are also available for $15, and 18-inch wreaths are being sold for $20 or $25 with a bow. After a tree is purchased, the bottom is cut, limbs are trimmed and the tree is baled for transport.
The private Christmas tree lot is open Monday through Thursday from 2-8 p.m., Friday from noon to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 1-7 p.m.
The trees arrived in Goldsboro about a week ago after being cut in Newland, which is about 30 miles from Grandfather Mountain.
"We got them in Friday of last week, and they were cutting them on Thursday to bring them in," Webb said.
Star Barwick was excited as she looked through the trees with her husband, hoping to find the right 8-foot-high Fraser fir.
"We know that we don't want a 6-foot tree so it's a little stretch to get a bow on," she said.
She also planned to buy one of the 2-foot-high table top trees for their grandmother. The couple plans to take some of the tree limbs and place them near heating vents at home.
"It really just sends the smell through the house," she said.
Barwick never had a freshly cut tree until five years ago. Since then, the couple only buys Christmas trees from one of the area lots, in support of charity or small business owners.