Festival of Trees is Saturday
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 2 months AGO
Columbia Basin Herald/file photo Festival of Trees participants check out some trees at a previous event. This year’s festival is Saturday.
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | December 1, 2017 2:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — Habitat for Humanity of Greater Moses Lake will sponsor its annual Festival of Trees fundraiser beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the 4-H building at the Grant County Fairgrounds.
It will be the 23rd annual Festival of Trees, which is the major fundraiser for the organization, according to the Habitat for Humanity website. Major sponsors include Samaritan Healthcare, Michael’s Market & Bistro, Washington Trust Bank and Alstead Real Estate.
In addition to the auction, Carolyn Grant will receive the organization’s Golden Hammer award for her work for the organization.
Grant said she moved to Moses Lake 10 years ago. She was a longtime Habitat volunteer, and has been a board member and two-term Habitat board president.
Twelve trees will be auctioned in 2017, said Habitat president Shelly Detrick. There will be other items for auction along with the trees.
Organizations and individuals decorate the trees, and even add a few presents. The trees, complete with decorations and presents, go the highest bidder. For 2017, tree sponsors are Dune Lake Properties, Lioness Club of Moses Lake, Windermere Real Estate-K2 Realty, Jones of Washington winery, Washington Trust Bank, Frontier Title, the McConhie Book Club, Tammy Roloff, Renea Kehl and Irene Packard; Jay and Renee Ballinger and Mel and Veronica Lisa Bradley; Cynthia Harder; Jennifer Dennis and friends and Guild Mortgage. Samaritan Healthcare also displays a tree.
Students from the CB Tech advanced manufacturing class built the metal art on the Jones of Washington and Dennis & Friends trees, and Frontier Middle School students made one of the prizes for the Dennis tree.
Other items to be auctioned include a movie night in a private theater, dinner packages and a handmade metal bench. The evening begins with a sale of Habitat for Humanity mugs that’s also a raffle. The winner of the mug drawing can have first choice of any auction item. Mugs are $100 each.
There’s another raffle, this one for the wreaths used as decoration; they were donated by Florist in the Garden. Wreath raffle tickets are $10 each or six for $50.
Habitat for Humanity works with potential homeowners to help them build a house, with the help of volunteers and local construction professionals. The homeowners are required to work on the project also.
Some tickets are still available; tickets are $65 per person, $125 per couple. People who want to buy tickets can contact the Habitat for Humanity office, 509-765-4030.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
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