November 24, 2020 – A local Boy Scout troop has canceled their annual Christmas tree sale due to COVID-19.
Scouts BSA Troop 43 and Venturing Crew 343 have sold the trees as a fundraiser for 28 years. Troop Committee Chair Kent Newton, Scout Master Kevin Johnson, and Venturing Crew Advisor Chip Platt said in a joint statement that “After much deliberation considering the health and safety of our Scouts and customers, and the financial impact if additional mitigation measures. ., {we} Scouts BSA Troop 43 and Venturing Crew 343 committees have decided to cancel the annual tree sale fundraiser for this year.”
The tree stand was originally established in the Kmart Plaza off Mount Zion Road in the early 1990s, but relocated to the Mt. Zion Kroger and Kenny’s Ace Hardware when Kmart closed in 2002.
There are currently 32 active Scouts and 10 Crew members. Newton said that the Troop was planning new COVID-19 safety measures for this year’s sales that included reducing the number of Scout families working each shift as well as the number of hours for each shift. However, the committees unanimously agreed that continuing the holiday tradition was both too risky for the health of the Scouts who staff the tree stand and too burdensome to effectively operate.
Johnson said that the Troop had placed a $1,675 deposit with the supplier of Scotch and white pine trees and was concerned that the entire amount would be lost when the decision to cancel the fundraiser was made. Fortunately, the Troop recently learned that the supplier released the Troop from the contract and issued a full refund.
