Avery Cotton, News Editor
@averyccourant
Kiwanis Park–a small, secluded gem on Old Norwalk Road lined with trees and filled with recreational opportunities. Home to a preschool and a pond, the park attracts a variety of visitors throughout the year, particularly in the summer months, when the park’s artificial pond and beach warmly greet all seeking solace from the heat. Though the pond is closed after August, the park is just as lively in the weeks leading up to the holidays, when locals gather in the spirit of the holiday season to purchase Christmas trees and other goods at the Christmas Tree Exchange.
Each year, the Christmas Tree Exchange is held after Thanksgiving through the third week of December. The event is run by the New Canaan Exchange Club, a local chapter of the nationwide Exchange Club. “Our mission is to fundraise throughout the year to give back to local charities within Fairfield County,” club president Jim Bakal said.
The Exchange is one of two principal fundraisers that the Exchange Club holds per year. “Some of the issues we try to focus on include child abuse, Americanism, patriotism, and women’s rights,” Mr. Bakal said. “Our other large fundraiser is a golf outing in the fall, which is far secondary to the Exchange.”
The Christmas Tree Exchange is a massive operation, running over three weeks in November and December. “We usually bring in anywhere between 1,300 to 1,400 trees on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and that afternoon we begin to sell to the public,” Mr. Bakal said. “We scale down operations around the 18th to the 20th of December. At that point, pretty much everyone has their trees. We regularly get visitors from New Canaan, Darien, Norwalk, and occasionally from other towns like Stamford, Bedford, and Vista.”
Because of the scale of the event, lots of manpower is required to attend to the customers’ needs. “We have 140 members in the club, and just about all of them participate in the event, as it’s highly recommended to volunteer as often as possible,” Mr. Bakal said. “We also have long standing relationships with SLOBs, PIVOT Ministries in Bridgeport and the Shepherds Mentors program. These organizations have all helped us with their manpower during the set-up and take-down of the lot, but the SLOBs are particularly active in helping move trees from racks to cars and helping with sales.”
A number of SLOBs volunteers are associated with the Christmas Tree Exchange. “I volunteered at the Exchange a year ago for a shift, and I did two shifts my freshman year,” junior Daniel Ristic said. “When I was there, all of the trees were wrapped up, and I would cut them out of the wrapping and put them on the stands. Sometimes, I would carry a tree around for someone and put it on their car.”
Though the work is strenuous at times, the event helps build a sense of community among the volunteers and visitors. “I enjoyed volunteering at the Exchange because I thought it was pretty laid-back and fun,” Daniel said. “You build camaraderie with the other volunteers because a lot of the time you have to work together, and I would definitely recommend volunteering because you can get outside for fresh air, help out the community and contribute to a good cause. Next year, if the spot is open, I would definitely consider being a SLOBs liaison for the Exchange.”
Some prospective volunteers have heard good things about the Exchange and are eager to contribute their share. “I’m very excited to volunteer for the Exchange, because I get to interact with people at the event,” junior Logan Gilbert said. “I’m also looking forward to carrying the trees and loading them on the cars.”
The volunteer crew at the event is well-organized, with each volunteer having their own responsibilities. “It’s a very well-coordinated event, with certain volunteers being in charge of selling trees and picking out trees with families,” Mr. Bakal said. “Three or four volunteers are dedicated to using the chainsaws to cut down the trunks, another two to three members help with wreath sales, and we also have two members in the booth as cashiers. Finally, we sometimes have another member show up as Santa Claus, which is a very fun surprise for the young kids.”
This year, the Exchange Club is celebrating its 70th anniversary, a large milestone in the club’s history. According to Mr. Bakal, the event requires little publicity to attract visitors because the club has run operations at Kiwanis Park for over five decades. “We have a lot of loyal families that know where to go to buy Christmas trees,” Mr. Bakal said. “We do advertise the event sometimes. For example, we might have a story in the Advertiser around Thanksgiving to remind people that we’re back in business again. However, the event is really well-run, and at this point it’s established like clockwork.”
What kind of items are sold at the Christmas Tree Exchange? “The two main kinds of trees we sell are Frasers and balsam firs,” Mr. Bakal said. “Other things that we sell range from tree stands and wreaths to evergreen roping, evergreen candle-holders, and wreath-holders. Of these items, Christmas trees and wreaths tend to be the most popular. Other popular sellers include items you can have for many years, like tree stands and replacement items.”
The proceeds collected from the Christmas Tree Exchange go towards helping a variety of charities. “A couple familiar charities that we help with include A Better Chance (ABC), Filling in the Blanks in Norwalk and Get About, which is a service to help seniors around town with their transportation needs,” Mr. Bakal said. “We try to select local charities to maximize our impact. We don’t want the funds to wash away.”
Why is the event held at Kiwanis Park, which is often overshadowed by larger and more popular parks like Waveny? “The park has a field, where inventory is kept, and there’s a loop around the right side of the park that allows families to have the trees put on their cars,” Mr. Bakal said. “In the winter time, the park is virtually empty, which makes it good to be used. Also, we need security at night, and leaving a lot of trees out in a bigger park like Waveny would be vulnerable. Kiwanis is a nice, compact park that we can keep an eye on, and while we hold the event there out of tradition, the facility definitely works and it’s a good spot.”
Though the event has consistently been popular and a major fundraiser for the Exchange Club, Mr. Bakal believes there is room for some minor modifications. “We’ve thought about adding another type of tree called Canaan Fir to the mix,” Mr. Bakal said. “We’ve considered including a custom Exchange Club of New Canaan ornament that comes along with purchases and leaving dog bones on the lot because lots of families bring their dogs to the event. These are little things but people remember them, and we really want to take care of everybody while they’re there.”
Overall, Mr. Bakal firmly believes that the Exchange is a fun event for people to reunite and enjoy themselves. “You get to socialize with friends in town and reconnect with people you haven’t seen all year long,” Mr. Bakal said. “The Exchange is extremely communal, very lively, and a lot of fun. Given its track record, I’d say the Exchange is hard to beat compared to other events run by New Canaan organizations.”
