For over 60 years, the Waynesburg Lions Club has sold Christmas trees, and despite the rise of plastic trees, the 2008 recession and COVID-19, they’re still selling. Each year, the Lions Club sets up its fundraiser sale on the property of the Funk family, near the intersection of E. Greene Street and S. Porter Street.
Tom Dorazio, member of the Waynesburg Lions Club, has been working the fundraiser for over 24 years, this year being his 25th. Tom said this sale is the club’s most extensive fundraiser each year. “We earn funds to use for our projects, like take care of [the Lions Club] park, buy eyeglasses for people, and stuff like that,” Tom says.
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Mussers Farm, which resides in Indiana, Pennsylvania, drives a truck laden with Christmas trees to the Lions Club’s designated spot and has since the 1970s, Tom shares. The trees are mixture of Canaan and Fraser Firs. As the truck arrives, a myriad of Lions Club members and volunteers await to unload the trees.
Vickie Funk, Waynesburg Lions Club member and current owner of the property where the club hosts its fundraiser, says her brother and late husband, Earnie Funk, bought the property together and signed a lease with the Lions Club in the late 1980s. The owners of the property before the Funks previously leased to the Lions Club, and Vickie’s family wanted to keep the tradition. “If people want to know where I live, what the street is, or whatever, I always say, ‘do you know where the Lions Club sells the Christmas trees? That is my lot. I am the white house there,’” Vickie shares.
The Lions Club is the only group selling Christmas trees directly in Waynesburg besides the Tractor Supply in the Widewater Commons shopping plaza. In the past, the Lions Club ordered 500 trees to sell. This year, however, they only ordered 400. “It’s been 500 for as long as I can remember when I’ve been ordering the trees,” Tom says. “But since we had so many left last year, we figured we’d cut back.”
Unless they run out early this year, Tom says they will be sticking with the 400 trees for future fundraisers. The Lions Club sells the Christmas trees at prices ranging from $55 to $75.
Despite the cutback due to lack of previous year’s sales, Tom says the club witnessed their largest sale of trees in a single day. “We sold around 50 trees in the first day, so people are getting antsy to go out and get them. That’s what I’m thinking,” Tom says.
Tom attributes the large sale and anxiousness of tree buyers to worries over COVID-19. Besides the record sale, Tom noted that the pandemic has not changed their operation significantly and does not foresee any future issues from it.
The Lions Club will continue to sell their trees until either Christmas Day, or they run out of product. Until then, a volunteer or two will be manning the small RV and Christmas tree lot from 11 am to 8 pm. They will do this again next year, and probably for many years to come.
Tom Dorazio would like to thank the Funk family for allowing the Lions Club to use part of their property for their fundraiser for so many years.