The Manville-Hillsborough Elks on Brooks Boulevard is once again selling Christmas trees and grave blankets.
By Mary Ellen Zangara Special Writer
The annual event sponsored by the Elks helps raise money for the Special Children’s Committee. Some of the proceeds will send kids to Elks Camp Moore, the Special Children’s camp in North Jersey.
Elk member Tom Cronin, chairman of the annual event for the last 15 years, said he enjoys chairing the tree sales and spending time selling them.
Mr. Cronin started with 90 trees and now moves as many as 325 trees. They have Douglas, Kanen and Fraser fir trees, all brought in fom Dover, Pa. The cost of the trees are between $35-$55.
The lodge alos sells grave blankets, priced from $25-$35.
The trees arrived Nov. 24, and the 10-member crew put together the selling area, unwrapped the trees and will work the sale until the trees are sold out.
”We will sell them until Dec. 23 or until we are sold out,” said Mr. Cronin.
Member Dan Shields joked that one year they even sold a tree the day after Christmas.
According to Mr. Cronin, someone stole four or five trees last week and it was like the Grinch who stole Christmas.
”If they needed a tree that bad, we would have given it to them or paid for it ourselves,” Mr. Cronin said. “That is just ridiculous to take it from the kids.”
Mr. Cronin says the sales will really pick up beginning this weekend and knows the profits go to a good cause.
”Not a lot of people have their tree yet, it’s too early,” he said. “We will get people this weekend and next weekend.”
The hours for purchasing trees are 3:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.