Holiday traditions in Butler County may include driving around to view holiday lights, visiting a holiday parade or drinking hot chocolate after building snowmen outside.

For the Butler Lions Club, selling Christmas trees is a tradition.

Barry Flecken, co-chair of the sale, recently recalled seeing the trees for sale decades ago. At that time, he remembers the club set up in the city of Butler, near the former Butler Middle School, with the cut trees lined up for customers to peruse.

The local Lions Club now sells trees — mostly Fraser firs — at the picnic shelter at Trinity Lutheran Church, 120 Sunset Drive. The sale began on Black Friday and continues from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays until the trees sell out.

The proceeds from the sale benefit others who are working to combat food insecurity, childhood cancer and diabetes and to ensure protection of people’s vision, youth services and the environment, Flecken explained.

Maybe you’ve seen signs along the road that indicate that the Lions Club keeps that stretch of road tidied up? That’s one of the ways this club seeks to protect the environment.

For the Butler Lions Club, the tree sale is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year, and none of the money raised from the sale goes into running the club, Flecken said. It’s all for the causes the Lions Club supports.

If part of your holiday traditions include buying a fresh cut tree, consider visiting the Lions Club. It’s tradition of selling fresh trees could fit with your family’s tradition and with your support, the local club can continue to work to improve Butler County.

— TL