Festival of Trees Continues Cedar Falls Tradition

The trees are up, tickets are sold, and the 23^rd annual Festival of Trees is in full festive swing.

The event, a yearly fundraising extravaganza for , is organized by Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.

The Festival of Trees features a gallery of uniquely decorated Christmas Trees and other holiday display items, all on show for public viewing at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center through Sunday. Trees are sponsored by area groups and businesses, and will be delivered to them after the majority of the display comes down at the end of this weekend. Other display items will be sold by public silent auction until Nov. 27.

In addition to the gallery, this year marks the first Sartori Night Live, a comedy evening that will be hosted by Cedar Falls native and former Saturday Night Live cast member Gary Kroeger. Tickets are going fast, organizer Christy Stolz said. The night will feature a silent auction for goodies such as a dinner for eight at , furniture donated by and Waterloo Industries and an ocean-side resort vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, donated by the Black Hawk Hotel.

Another highlight this weekend will be the Teddy Bear Tea at Park Place Center, where kids can take home a special stuffed bear after sing-along songs, refreshments, a visit from Santa and dancing with members of .

Stolz said her favorite part of the annual tradition is seeing all the planning and efforts coalesce into one week of activities and the tree display.

“We have probably over 150 volunteers setting up the events,” she said. “We started Sunday. At 8 a.m. the Gallagher was empty. Now it’s full of the trees. For it to all come together, it’s just amazing.”

The full display of decorated trees will be up at the Gallagher through Sunday. Gallery viewing hours, along with a full schedule of the week’s events and ticket information for Sartori Night Live and Teddy Bear Tea, are available here.

Check back with Patch for photos from the Teddy Bear Tea and the gallery of trees!