Town of Bonnyville 2021 Festival of Trees planning underway

The planning for the Town of Bonnyville’s 2021 Festival of Trees is well underway for the event.

The elves at the Town are hard at work rounding up items for the silent auction, putting the finishing touches on the nine trees up for grabs, and picking the best wines around for the wine tasting.

“The Town of Bonnyville is excited to bring the Festival of Trees back to an in-person event this year,” said Doreen Kushnir, organizer of the Festival of Trees. “We had to go virtual last year, which was great, but we’re glad to be able to turn the C2 into a winter wonderland to kick off the Christmas season in Bonnyville this year.”

The Festival of Trees is happening at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre on Saturday, Nov. 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Photos with Santa will be happening 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily during the event.

The Wine Tasting Event will be an ‘after hours’ sip and shop event from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Nov. 27.

Something new being added this year to the event is the Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas Craft Show and Expo.

“Christmas is a time for giving, it’s also a time for connection and reflection,” explained Serina Parsons, Executive Director of the Bonnyville Chamber. “The Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce wanted to host an event that incorporated all of these things to our first Chamber Christmas Craft Show and Expo.”

Parsons stressed its ‘not your regular craft show.’

“This event promotes businesses on the new Chamber Market e-commerce site, shopping local, giving back to our community, and vital community partnerships.”

All of the proceeds raised from the Festival of Trees, including the silent auction and tree auction, will be going to the Bonnyville Child and Adolescent Mental Health Collaborative.

“Living in a rural area, it’s extra important that youth have access to mental health supports when they need it. We’re glad to be able to support this cause through the Festival of Trees,” noted Kushnir.

Parsons agreed, “We have partnered with the Town of Bonnyville’s Festival of Trees to bring all the magic of the season to our community. This partnership ensures vital funds are raised for the child and adolescent mental health collaborative, while also supporting local and giving back during a time that our businesses need it the most. The Bonnyville Chamber believes wholeheartedly in giving back and that is why each of our events will have an element of giving back to another charity or organization in our community. While we are also a non-profit and depend on these community events to be successful, we know that success comes from working together.”

Due to the current restrictions in place, the Festival of Trees and the Chamber Christmas Craft Show Expo will be participating in the Restriction Exemption Program (REP). This will change if provincial health orders allow at the time of the event.