MIFFLINBURG --Dozens of buyers from all over the east coast came to the Buffalo Valley Produce Auction near Mifflinburg to bid on Christmas items. Organizers call this the biggest Christmas tree auction in the world. It starts with the selling of wreaths. Shelby Hackenberg of Lewisburg calls it a bit overwhelming.
"There's so much here. You have to figure out exactly what you want. You can't over buy because you have to get rid of it in the next couple of weeks," Hackenberg said.
Hackenberg works at Ard's Farm Market near Lewisburg. Like dozens of other buyers, she is hoping to find some good deals for her store.
"We get a lot of stuff delivered locally from local wreath makers and things, but we come over here to fill in the holes and that kind of thing," Hackenberg said.
The auction is not just for buyers. George Stanton has a Christmas tree stand in Tunkhannock, and he sells decorations at this auction.
"We make a few wreaths, a few grey blankets, stuff like that," Stanton said.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. You see all of these Christmas trees behind me? There are close to 90,000 of them. On Tuesday they will all be auctioned off too.
"If somebody can't find what they want in this pile, they don't want a Christmas tree," Stanton said.
The Christmas trees will be auctioned off in bulk, so buyers will pay between $8-25 per tree. Doug Lee is from North Bay, Ontario, but is visiting friends in Selinsgrove. He used to sell Christmas trees, and said he is amazed by the selection.
"It is amazing. I've never seen so many trees in one place. And the two auctioneers? Well, I go to a lot of auctions, but they're amazing," Lee said.
The Christmas tree auction starts Tuesday morning at eight and will last all day.