By Darren Lewis
Special to The PREVIEW
To jump start your holiday spirit, come down to the Ross Aragon Community Center on Thursday, Dec. 6, from noon to 6 p.m. for the public viewing and voting.
This unique, free public event will showcase 20 different decorated Christmas trees, all representing a local nonprofit. Come down and enjoy Christmas music, hot chocolate, coffee, cider and cookies while you stroll though a small forest of magic.
If you choose to vote, each vote will cost you $1. Out of that $1, the nonprofit you vote for will earn $0.50. All the votes help determine the top 10 trees for the main event set for Dec. 7.
If you would like to attend the 13th annual Festival of Trees event on Dec. 7, tickets can be purchased at the Community Center. Tickets to this event are $25 per person and tables for eight are available to reserve. Tickets are only sold in advance, so make sure to get your tickets ahead of time.
Doors will open on Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m. for this year’s Festival of Trees. Come down and enjoy live holiday music by Steve Blechschmidt, a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres.
All 20 trees will be open to silent bidding during this time. Upon arrival to the event, you will receive one event vote. The event vote is that last vote placed to determine which top 10 nonprofits go up for live auction. At 6:30 p.m., all voting will close.
The live auction with auctioneers Jake Montroy, Mark Crain and Michael Branch will start at 7 p.m., with the announcement of the top 10 live auction trees. The remaining 10 trees will stay on silent auction throughout the live auction.
Once the live auction ends, you will have 10 minutes to place bids on the remaining 10 silent auction trees. All proceeds that each tree earns from the tree auction (live and silent) go directly to that nonprofit organization the tree is representing.
So, whether you want to decorate your house or business for Christmas, donate to a family in need of a fully decorated tree, or if you are just wanting to give money to a great cause, come down and listen to some wonderful holiday music, bid on your favorite tree, sip some wine and have some fun. Nothing in town will put you in the Christmas spirit like the gift of giving.
For more information, please give us a call at 264-4152, ext. 532.
