We posted on the tree lights along Queen Anne Ave N on Upper Queen Anne last Sunday. The lights are all strung, but some trees and blocks aren’t on. If you stroll along Queen Anne Ave N, you’ll notice that the lights in front of Safeway and The Towne are dark. There are other smaller dark spots between Galer and McGraw too.
As we mentioned in our post, the Upper Queen Anne Merchants help pay for the lights. Each tree runs about $200 for the duration of the season, from mid-November through the first of the new year. Not all of our small business owners can afford to light the tree in front of their business, and each year that number (sadly) grows. Plus, it seems not all businesses are on board with the tree lighting [editor’s note: Safeway and Trader Joe’s are not small businesses, but their trees are dark – why aren’t they on? You might want to ask next time you shop there, and let us know what you find out.].
Here’s where you can help. To light the trees this year, the Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce is asking for donations. What do you get for your money? A lit tree and a laminated sign with your name on said tree. You can also get creative, one family has a note from Santa to their little girl on a tree – just keep the message family-friendly, and voila!
Some businesses have their names on trees, and if you’d like to have your “name in lights” you can sponsor a tree for $200. Or, pool together funds from your neighbors, book groups, or community organizations, and sponsor a tree – just $10-20 a house/apartment can add up quickly!
The Chamber hopes that sponsoring the trees will help raise awareness of the tree funding and get the community involved.
If you’d like to sponsor a tree, click here or call 206.412.5802.