Athletes from three Arlington high schools provided the muscle to unload 2,000 Christmas trees in preparation for an annual fundraising sale.
Members of the Yorktown, Washington-Liberty and Wakefield crew teams, plus the Yorktown and W-L lacrosse squads, were up early this morning (Wednesday) to remove the Optimist Club of Arlington’s trees from three tractor-trailers that had arrived overnight from Galax, Va.
“It’s fun,” said Matthew Gaull, a senior and coxswain on the Yorktown crew squad who participated in the unloading event. “There’s a nice smell of pine. It’s a good community event.”
“It’s kind of cool. I’m glad I came,” said his senior classmate, Thomas Totten.
Optimists have raised millions of dollars by selling Christmas trees since 1946.
For decades, the sale was conducted at the bank parking lot at Langston Blvd and N. Glebe Road, but in 2022, the all-volunteer effort moved to the larger parking lot at the Knights of Columbus at 5115 Little Falls Road.
Through the impacts of Covid and a tree-supply crisis, in addition to the relocation, the club has never missed a year.
The weather for the 2025 unloading may not have been picture-perfect — overcast with temperatures in the 40s — but for unloading purposes it was excellent, said Sue Gartner, a longtime Optimist Club member.
Gartner remembered the days when the trees would arrive on uncovered trucks. If it rained during their journey from southern Virginia, those trees became much heavier and more unwieldy.
“The fact that we have covered loads rather than open flatbeds is a miracle of joy,” she said.
The high-school sports squads are financially supported by the Optimist Club. Participating in the unloading is a way for students to earn volunteer-hour credits and thank the club for its backing.
“This is sort of mutually symbiotic,” said J.B. Whitlow, an Optimist member.
“Optimists support us, and we love to support them right back,” said Joe Pilch, a member of the Yorktown lacrosse booster organization. “It’s a great relationship.”
Optimist Sandy Bushue delivered instructions to team members, coaches and parents before unloading began at 8 a.m. Safety first, she cautioned everyone.
“Be careful — these are very, very heavy trees,” said Bushue, who has led the tree-unloading effort for years.
She also reminded everyone to wear gloves or risk getting covered in sap for days.
Bushue told the students their efforts were appreciated. “Hopefully you’ll feel proud of what you do today,” she said in the early-morning pep talk.
Jonah Spiggle, a senior at Wakefield High School and member of the rowing team, first participated in the unloading as a freshman.
“It was a little bit intimidating … a little bit scary,” he said of that experience.
Now three years older and a foot taller, Spiggle said he looked forward both to the event itself, and to meeting up with friends from other schools he hadn’t seen in a while.
“It’s fun coming to this,” he said.
Finn Cupples, a W-L senior and member of the crew team, was participating for the first time.
He, too, used the word “intimidated” to describe his initial sensation, but said he was happy for the experience.
“I love helping the community,” Cupples said.
Keith McCartney, a W-L staff member and part of the lacrosse coaching squad, has participated for multiple years.
“It’s kind of a natural fit,” McCartney said of the relationship between Optimists and local schools.
He noted he has three members of the club in his neighborhood, and he hopes to become a member himself in the new year.
Though it’s not technically a competition, when dozens of young athletes are around, the urge to break records is inevitable. McCartney said that while they are told to plan for three hours of unloading time, in past years “we’ve been done in under two.”
The Optimist Club is the largest of numerous Christmas tree sales sponsored by community organizations across Arlington. The club’s trees range from table-top to 9 feet and range in price from $65 to $220.
A 14-footer is also included in each year’s shipment, for display in the showroom at Mercedes-Benz of Arlington.
Wreaths, garland, tree stands and White House ornaments are available at the Optimist sale, which will continue until trees run out.
The tree sale has been a fixture at the club literally since its founding. Chartered two weeks before Christmas 1946, the club began its tree sales the very same week.
