Saturday, December 6, 2008

Selling Christmas Trees for Circle Pines Center

I'm selling Christmas Trees in Hyde Park for the Circle Pines Center. Circle Pines Center is a cool campground, basically run by a bunch of hippies, and lefties.

I've been up there before for one of their “Work-Bee Weekends” where you chip in with some work around the place and you get free food, shelter and recreation. I went up during the fall of 2005, where I worked with a bunch of people chopping down trees with chainsaws to make some firewood. It was a lot of fun.

The Christmas Trees are sold to help raise money for scholarships for kids who want to go to the summer camp at Circle Pines. Every year they raise around $15,000. They have been selling trees in Hyde Park for the last 40 years or so.

They used to be closely affiliated with the Hyde Park Cooperative Grocery Store. Unfortunately the Co-op has closed and a Treasure Island grocery store open in the same space. Treasure Island was not as friendly towards Circle Pines as the Co-op was. Treasure Island attempted to prohibit the Christmas tree sales, but gave in after Circle Pines pressured them. Treasure Island, the non-union grocery store, decided to sell their own cheap Christmas trees, just a few steps from the Circle Pines trees.

Apparently Obama has bought his trees from Circle Pines in the past. We keep expecting a dozen black SUVs to roll up and secret service to jump out and secure our parking lot before Obama comes and buys his Christmas tree. If he does, we are supposed to invite him to send his daughters to summer camp at Circle Pines.

I have to thank my friend Rob who is on the Board of Directors at Circle Pines and who hooked me up with the job selling the trees.

I'll be selling trees on the weekend for the rest of the month, so feel free to come and visit.







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