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The Family Place’s Festival of Trees turns 25 this year, and they are planning on celebrating in style.
“This year, we are going back to an in-person live auction,” said Dawn Gutzke, the executive director of The Family Place. “It’s going to be absolutely amazing. It’s going to be a wonderful way to celebrate the success that the community has given us over the years for our Festival of Trees.”
The festival had gone to an online auction since 2020, and Gutzke noted this is the perfect year to gather the community together and celebrate as they used to.
This year, the festival will be held at the Great Plains Ford Auction Building, behind the Ford dealership at 285 1st Avenue SW. The tree set-up will be on November 18th and 19th, with the tree viewing happening on November 20th to 23rd. Then, the gala event itself.
“The live event is actually going to happen on a Wednesday, November 27th,” explained Gutzke. “The doors are going to open at 6 p.m. There’ll be a presentation to follow, and then the tree auction will start.”
This year, there will be tables of eight for the gala event for sale for $150. This will allow businesses to advertise their logo on the table for the entire evening. As well, a charcuterie board will be served at the intermission as a snack for the evening.
The silent auction for various items donated to the event will also be returning. The silent auction will be online throughout the entire week that the venue is open for viewing.
As for the trees themselves, Gutzke says they are all donated for the event.
“They’re amazing,” she said. “They’re donated by community members, businesses, other organizations, and they all try to come up with just a unique idea that’s maybe special to them, or a memory tree, or anything. They’re just all amazing. Each and every year, honestly, the community astounds us.”
Those who would like to donate a tree for the event, want to purchase a table or would like more information, can reach out to The Family Place at (306) 842-7477.