Festival of Trees Has Best Year Ever!
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The variety and creativity of each tree at the Festival of Trees is endless, thus making this event a popular "must see" tradition for local families.
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Word of mouth is one of the factors said to have influenced the increase in attendance at the 7th annual Festival of Trees to benefit the Springfield Boys and Girls Club, which ended last month.
"This year the Festival was our biggest event ever, in both attendance and in fund raising," commented Gary McCarthy, Executive Director of the Springfield Boys and Girls Club.
More than 6,400 people attended the two-week event held in the Tower Square Meeting Room. That's approximately two thousand more people than attended the previous year. The event netted close to forty-three thousand dollars, which is twelve thousand dollars more than the previous year.
"The income is very important to the Boys and Girls Club," added McCarthy. "It helps to keep our doors open for the kids, and especially helps us to provide a healthy environment for the teenagers in the afternoon after school."
The Festival of Trees is a forest of more than one hundred holiday trees donated and decorated by local sponsors. Attendees purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win the tree of their choice. All trees are raffled off before Christmas to give the winners a chance to display the trees in their home or business. Many of the trees, are valued at a thousand dollars or more.
To further enhance the environment at the Festival of Trees, local entertainment, including children's choirs, dance troupes, professional talent and Santa himself; perform at various times throughout the event.
The Festival of Trees committee, headed by chairperson Dianne Mitchell, began planning meetings in July. It takes approximately 40 volunteers to orchestrate the event.
"The Festival is a great family event that has grown into a great community event, and the Boys and Girls Club is proud to produce it," commented McCarthy.
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