Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club Christmas Tree Sale

by Bruce Malkin

Unloading 800 Fraser fir trees from a 40-foot tractor trailer on Saturday morning, November 27, at 8:00 am was the way the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club (MVKC) began its final preparations for its annual tree, wreath, and garland sale at the Belle View Shopping Center's parking lot near the corner with Fort Hunt Road. These high quality yet moderately priced trees from Powers Tree Farm in southwest Virginia form the main financial basis for the various volunteer community service programs that the MVKC will carry out next year. The ten MVKC members were assisted by a dozen of their Kiwanis Key Club students from West Potomac High School and South County Secondary School, 3 officers from its Kiwanis CKI Club at NOVA Community College (Alexandria campus) plus five members from the Tyson's Corner Kiwanis Club, including the Capital District's Governor-Elect, Jeff Wolff.

The first tree was sold before the sale officially began at noon to the Young family of West Grove, and sales were brisk throughout the rest of the day. MVKC members will be on site to help customers select their tree, to trim the base, and to put it on or in their vehicles from 12-8 on weekdays and 9-9 on weekends, rain or shine.

Many families have been buying their 3 to 9-foot trees here for years, so the trees always sell out early. The best selection is now as it is first come first served until December 19 (if any are still left then). This year, on request from the MVKC, Powers Tree Farm donated 20 trees to be given to the families of our soldiers based at Fort Belvoir who are fighting in Afghanistan, and a few will also be donated to the Sacramento and Creekside Neighborhood Centers, which the MVKC actively supports throughout the year. For more information about the Mount Vernon Kiwanis Club, visit www.mtvernonvakiwanis.org, see its FaceBook page, or contact brucemalkin1@gmail.com.

MVKC Tree Sale Coordinator Paul Mehler is proud of his 800 Fraser firs

From left, Paul Mehler, Terri Young, Jim Todd, Al Young, Nick Young as the Youngs picked and bought the first tree of the season

Some of our student helpers, from left, Ryan Pierpoint, Sandra Vargas, and Ash Elmelik (kneeling) from NOVACC (Alexandria campus) CKI Club officers, and Elise Bell, Shannon Frydenlund, Julie Labelle, Joanna Morgan, and Liz Bobo from West Potomac Key Club

From left, MVKC's Ken Smith, Tyson Corner's Jeff Wolff (Capital District Governor-Elect) and Kristina Dlugluzima ((President), MVKC's Joanne Malkin, Tyson Corner's Stacy Bruss and Jim Hutchinson, MVKC's Bruce Malkin, Paul Mehler, Don Reynolds, and Rich Keil

Kiwanis Capital District Governor-Elect Jeff Wolff offloads a tree to MVKC's Co-Secretary, Joanne Malkin, while MVKC members and Kiwanis student club helpers line up to carry theirs to the awaiting sales racks

MVKC Sales Lot Preparation Team, from left, Ken Smith, Ken's son Parker Smith, Joanne Malkin, Reid Novotny, Bruce Malkin, Paul Mehler, Richard Peterson, Rich Keil, Paul's son, Robert Mehler