31st annual Festival of Trees full of delights, surprises
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 30, 2016
TULALIP — Be prepared for surprises at Wednesday’s Festival of Trees community open house.
Fourteen intricately decorated Christmas trees are displayed around the perimeter of the Tulalip Resort’s Orca Ballroom, each with a different theme, from traditional holiday ornamentation to a tree topped by a pirate flag.
“Christmas in the Northwest” was the theme for a tree with raindrop and umbrella ornaments. Twelve feet from the ground, the tree’s highest branches support a model of Seattle’s Space Needle.
Debbie Phibbs, of Camano Island, was part of a team of Stanwood-area volunteers who spent months choosing how the tree would be decorated and finding the right ornaments. “I love the umbrellas,” she said. “It’s so Northwest.”
Children and adults can see the trees and holiday wreaths during Wednesday’s free open house, scheduled from 1 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. There will be visits with Santa and crafts for kids as well as music provided by local groups throughout the day.
The open house is part of a series of Festival of Trees events this week. The annual celebration, now in its 31st year, is organized by Providence General Foundation. Events began Tuesday evening with dancing and a buffet dinner. On Friday evening, a dinner and live auction is planned. The annual Teddy Bear Breakfast is scheduled Saturday for morning.
Some 400 volunteers are needed to assist with the week’s events. This marks the 14th year Mary Lou Finley, of Everett, has helped out, this year assisting with the silent auction. “It’s just fun,” she said. “And I love Christmas.”
The goal is to raise $850,000 for children’s services at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. The money will go to the Children’s Center, autism services and its intensive care unit for babies born prematurely, said Lori Kloes, chief development officer at Providence General Foundation.
Part of the money raised this year will be used to buy specially equipped bassinets for the neonatal intensive care unit.
They’re essential for the care of tiny, premature, fragile babies, weighing less than 2 pounds and born before 26 weeks of pregnancy. They often end up staying in the neonatal intensive care unit for several months to give their bodies time to grow and mature, she said.
The unit needs seven of the bassinets now “and we’ll need more as time goes on,” she said. The units cost $40,000 each. “It’s a very high-tech piece of equipment,” Kloes said.
Following Wednesday’s community open house, the decorated trees on display are set to be auctioned off. Three of the trees are to be donated to the Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic, the Everett hospital’s emergency department, and Providence Children’s Center.
The tree going to the health care clinic has a pirate theme. In addition to its decorations and a pirate flag on its topmost branches, its display includes toys, ships and books. “Kids will be able to take home a book before Christmas,” said Susie Black, who is a Festival of Trees manager.
The Children’s Center will get a tree that’s not only decorated in a Sesame Street theme, but comes with accompanying plush toy Sesame Street characters and books that children can take home.
Robin Schemkes, of Snohomish, was joined by eight friends in planning and designing the tree. Schemkes said she’s worked on decorative tree projects for Festival of Trees for the past 14 years.
She said she and her friends decided on the Sesame Street theme because they wanted to design something with books and animals.
“It’s all about the kids,” she said. “We’re all moms.”
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
Open house
The Festival of Trees community open house is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Orca Ballroom Tulalip Resort, 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd. Tulalip. More information on other festival events is available at http://bit.ly/2ghdVBM.
