Trees festival club in susan miller daily

(Created: Friday, September 12, 2008)
Annette Hayden Havre Daily News Fall is in the air and the community
is again bustling with plans for hometown festivals, football games,
fundraising galas and a banquet of other annual traditions Hi-Liners
look forward to as the air turns crisp. But there is even more going
on behind the scenes as holiday hosts prepare for the first snow fall
and the gatherings to follow, including one especially enchanting
event preparing to make its Christmastime premier. For the first year
ever on the northern plain, Havreites and their neighbors will be
treated to the Festival of Trees, courtesy of Boys & Girls of the Hi-
Line. “The new event will take place on the evening of Dec. 6 at the
Great Northern Fairgrounds Community Building,” said Festival of Trees
Committee Chair Barb Fournier. “It will be a major fundraiser for our
Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, which is busting at the seams with
children enjoying a positive place for kids. We expect the festival
will be so much fun for the community that it will become a treasured
holiday tradition, like it has for years now in Lewistown, where the
Boys & Girls Club festival has been growing every year. In fact, we
are very lucky to have our own Linda Johnson on the festival board of
directors. During her time in Lewistown, before coming home to Havre,
Linda worked on the Festival of Trees there. She knows all the ins and
outs.” Christmas wonderland To get an idea of what the Festival of
Trees is like, imagine stepping through crunchy, white snow under the
twinkling stars of winter’s Big Sky. You hurry a bit down the
chilly path and throw open the Community Building doors. Surprise
fills you at the scene like a five-year-old’s Christmas morning
dreams. Hundreds of community folks dressed in their holiday best are
there to greet you, as they mingle around white linen tables decked
with holiday glass, boughs and ribbon. Then you enter and realize that
the glittering room is only a frame — because the most amazingly
decorated Christmas trees are set center stage. All of the Festival of
Trees creations come from the imagination and generosity of local
businesses, individuals and organizations and they are donated to the
festival for live auction, Johnson said. Over the years she said she
has seen an array of festival trees from those beautifully decorated
with ornaments to others completely covered with toys and games, candy
and teddy bears, and one with Precious Moments figurines. One tree was
decorated all in train models and collectibles, with a train running
on a track underneath. There was a Barbie Doll tree, a garden club
tree, a sporting goods tree, a fishing tree including a guided trip,
and one business created an airplane tree complete with model
airplanes, airline tickets and an antique propellor. Other trees held
gift certificates, vacations, clothing and jewelry among their
twinkling lights — anything that might represent the business or
the idea they had in mind. And, she said, the Lewistown festival just
kept getting bigger every year. At this first year’s festival in
Havre, guests will be treated to beverages, live music and hors
d’oeuvre, while they preview the trees and other holiday wares set out
for the silent auction. “We will have a cocktail hour from 6 to 7 p.m.
then musical entertainment by Choral Fusion led by Frank Payn,”
Fournier said. “The food will be catered and we will have both a
silent auction of handmade and donated items and then the live auction
of the trees. A dance will follow with music by the Ray Miller Band.
“For our first festival we decided to start out with 10 trees,” she
added. “And local businesses have very graciously agreed To help us.”
Locals creating holiday surprises The Festival of Trees live auction
trophies, this year, will include creations by Northern Home
Essentials, Barkus Home Center, The Petal Pusher with Pat Matthew and
Waddell & Reed, Herbergers, Pizza Pro, JM Donavan Designs in Fine
Jewelry, Northern Montana Hospital, First Presbyterian Church, Kmart
and Ben Franklin. In the months to come, each will reveal their
creations with information and photographs featuring their donations
in the Havre Daily News. As the festival draws near, each will also
display their tree at their business or another location and the Havre
Daily News will publish a map of locations for the public to use in
viewing. “We have designer guidelines that each business is
following,” Fournier said. “All greenery must be artificial;
decorations must be secured to the tree, wreath or swag and sections
must be wired securely for moving and transporting the trees; All of
the trees will have UL approved lights; and nothing will be
perishable. “The businesses are paying for everything it takes to
decorate their tree and they all deserve our appreciation,” she added.
Funds raised at the Festival of Trees will directly benefit the
continued operation of the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, which is
now providing a healthy, caring and adventurous environment for a
large portion of Havre’s children. Trees to benefit Club growth
“Over the past six years, the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line has
experienced tremendous growth,” said Krista Solomon, executive
director of the HELP Committee and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Hi-Line,
in August. “In 2002, we served 70 kids a day and had a total
membership of 200. We are now serving over 200 kids per day with an
annual active membership exceeding 700.” The Club, on Sept. 4,
registered its 2,000th member, 9-year-old Walter White who recently
moved to Havre from Great Falls. To handle the rapid growth, the Club
has had to triple its staff and have devoted considerable energy to
fundraising. “For six years we have been able to primarily fund the
Club through various state and federal grants,” Solomon said.
“However, we are at a turning point in that grants are not forever. We
are nearing the end of our eligibility with several agencies and, in
fact, over the next year will experience a decline of $135,000 due to
retiring grants that were used to support club operations.” The Boys &
Girls Club of the Hi-Line’s Board of Directors is launching an
endowment campaign with the goal of permanently endowing at least 75
percent of the clubs operating budget. “We will continue to fund the
remainder by applying to foundations and granting agencies, and
through hosting special events, assessing membership fees, and
soliciting parent and community contributions through our Back-A-Kid
program,” Solomon said. “We are dedicated to insuring that the club
will be able to remain open for kids in perpetuity. “An anonymous
local donor has lead the way by contributing over $100,000 in gifts
directed towards our endowment fund,” she added. “And this December,
the Board of Directors will kick-off the endowment drive which will be
titled Campaign for Kids when they host our 1st Annual Festival of
Trees.” Sponsors welcome An important facet of the Festival of Trees
event will include community sponsorships. “Sponsorships, both
personal and corporate are fundamental to the success of the Festival
of Trees event benefiting the Boys & Girls Club,” Fournier said. “This
entire major fundraising event for the Club is volunteer driven, which
makes it very special to the community. We have designed sponsorships
in three levels, including a Golden Angel, Silver Bell and Red Santa
sponsors. These three levels offer an opportunity for more people to
get involved, each at a level they feel appropriate.” Golden Angel
sponsors donate $750 and receive event tickets and a private table
reserved for a party of eight during the Festival of Trees evening; a
representative who will “dazzle guests with a message at the event,”
Fournier said, along with their names prominently displayed during the
evening; and Festival of Trees promotional items, such as special
guest invitations, pre-event save the date cards, posters, recognition
in the program and a thank you to the sponsor’s guests. Silver
Bell sponsors donate $400 or more and receive event tickets and table
seating reservations for four; sponsor names prominently displayed;
and Festival of trees promotional items. Red Santa sponsors are those
who donate $250 or more. They receive event tickets and table seating
reservations for two; their sponsor name prominently displayed to
reflect their commitment to the community; and promotional items. For
more information about the Festival of Trees or Boys & Girls Club of
the Hi-Line, call Barb Fournier at 265-6627, Linda Johnson at 262-7192
or Krista Solomon at 265-6206. Other Festival of Trees coordinators
include, Carol Chandler at 265-6627, Rosalie Sather at 265-6792 ext.
105, Susan Somers at 265-2229, Mary Jane Borlaug at 265-8773, Dave
Rhines at 265-2737 and Pam Hillery at 265-4455

– To contact Havre Daily News- Phone: (406) 265-6795 – Fax: (406)
265-6798 – Toll Free Phone: (800) 993-2459 or send mail to: The Havre
Daily News, PO Box 431, Havre, Montana 59501

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