Scout groups enjoy a long tradition in the area, having been on the North Shore for more than 80 years.
One of those groups, the branch known as 1st West Vancouver Scouts, was organized in 1927 and held weekly meetings at a local church. Eighty-eight years later, that group is still going strong. Chris Nemeth is a West Vancouver dad who first got involved with the group when his son joined Scouts. His son is now in his 30s and is a Scout leader, and Nemeth continues to be involved. He is now a member of the Scout’s annual Christmas tree sale committee.
The 1st West Vancouver group is one of many local Scout groups participating in the West Vancouver sale, which Nemeth says involves about half of all the groups on the North Shore.
The annual holiday tradition started in the 1950s when individual Scout groups held smaller sales in the parking lots of the churches where they held their weekly meetings. Then in the late 1950s, it was decided to combine the group sales into one big one. The sale moved around to a few different locations in its early years but has been calling Park Royal home for five decades.
Nemeth admits the mall had a lot more space in the early days but despite its development over the years, Park Royal has continued to maintain a space for the Scouts tree sale. Last year it was held at the old White Spot location, but this year has been moved to the corner of Clyde Avenue and Taylor Way.
Putting together the annual fundraiser takes a lot of work and a lot of volunteers. A team of about 15 adult volunteers starts working on planning and early logistics for the sale in July. All the trees sold at the lot are grown in B.C.
Scout leaders and parent volunteers then help set up the lot, including the trees, fencing and a trailer. About 400 scouts, boys and girls ages five to 19, participate in the sale.
Scheduling all those kids and parents can be quite a task, admits Nemeth.
From start to finish, the operation is a lot of work, he notes, but it’s worth it because the tree sale is the Scout group’s largest fundraiser each year.
The money raised from the tree sale is used to support various Scouting programs, including renting spaces for meetings, paying for campsites, and covering other expenses, such as uniforms and equipment, as well as subsidies for families who can’t afford fees and uniforms, and other costs associated with Scouting.
The fundraising helps keep Scouting affordable for local kids, notes Nemeth.
“One thing I like is that we can support local tree growers. We get to know them and they’re family operations and they’re not making a lot of money but they’re able to keep their land as agricultural. The other thing is seeing so many people that used to be in Scouts coming down to buy trees. That’s fun,” says Nemeth, adding there are a couple of members of their group helping out with the sale who are in their 60s now and first started selling the trees when they were 10-year-old Scouts.
Nemeth says he has also noticed an increase in the past couple of years of families who are new to Canada buying their first Christmas tree ever. Nemeth says it’s nice to see their excitement and to help explain the tradition to them.
Although the Scouts who participate in the sale don’t receive any special training for it, the experienced ones show the newer ones the ropes, and Nemeth says he thinks the Scouts learn about communication by being a part of the sale.
“I think they learn how to deal with people a little bit,” he adds.
The annual Scout traditional tree sale is on now until Dec. 24. Hours: Monday-Wednesday noon-7 p.m., Thursday-Friday noon-9 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m.-7 p.m.. Delivery available.
