Christmas is fast approaching, and the Town of Bonnyville is going to kick-off the holiday season with a sparkle.
The annual Festival of Trees will be taking over the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre from Dec. 5 to 8.
The Town of Bonnyville and the Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce have partnered to organize the celebration since it was started over 10 years ago.
“The Festival of Trees is an extended weekend of Christmas fun in one location,” explained acting executive director with the chamber, Megan Wakefield. “We have pictures with Santa, we have Santa’s Secret Shop for the kids to buy presents for their families, and we have raffles. It’s just a great way to kick-off the Christmas spirit in the Lakeland region.”
The magic begins with Christmas Tea on Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. The Festival of Wines is happening on Friday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m., and the Festival of Beers and Spirits will take place on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. Families can stop by for pictures with Santa on Dec. 7 from noon to 4 p.m., and on Dec. 8 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
All of the proceeds will go toward the Bonnyville Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinic.
“It’s very unique to our area, and mental health is something that’s very important that people should be talking about more often,” Wakefield expressed. “It’s just as important as your physical health, especially for kids. Lots of people travel to places like Edmonton to receive services like this, so it’s great to bring something to our area that’s important.”
Doreen Kushnir, who organizes the event for the town, agreed.
“The service has a big demand in Bonnyville. Everybody knows somebody that could use it, and they rely on funding and donations.”
Last year, the Festival of Trees raised over $20,000 for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinic.
Those organizing the event decided to change this up when it comes to how residents win decorated trees.
“In the past, all the trees were silent auctioned throughout the weekend. All the bids started at $400, and then you could bid on the tree you wanted. This time, we’re selling tickets, and you can put the ticket into the basket beside the tree that you could potentially win. This makes it a good opportunity for people to have the chance to win one of our trees that can’t necessarily afford that $400 and up price,” detailed Wakefield.
Kushnir noted the idea came from reaching out to other municipalities and seeing how they raised money through similar events.
“Most of them sell their trees at a silent auction, and the ones that don’t sell get auctioned off at a gala, but because we don’t have a gala attached to the Festival of Trees, I thought we could sell tickets for the trees instead. I thought it would be enticing for everyone to participate,” she said.
Both Wakefield and Kushnir encouraged residents to partake in the festivities.
“It’s for a really great cause with 100 per cent of the proceeds going toward the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Clinic, and it’s just a really great and fun community event that kicks off the Christmas season,” Wakefield added.
