EXETER — The Festival of Trees will soon be marking its 26th year of ringing in the holiday season and bringing joy to the local community.
This year’s event will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5 at the Exeter Town Hall, 10 Front St. Admission is free.
Since it began in 1998, the event has helped raise over $1.4 million dollars for the Community Children’s Fund, providing warm winter clothing and bedding for 13,000 local children in need. A record of over $54,000 was raised at the two-day festival in 2023.
Organizers will be using an online bidding platform called “Better World” for the silent auction of 50 decorated trees. Co-founder Jan Russell says the online bidding system has worked very well over the past few years.
“Visitors can bid on their favorite trees in person, enjoy the holiday festivities and then monitor the status of their bid from the comfort of their homes,” she said.
All 50 live evergreen trees, donated by Dan Jackson of Arjay Ace Hardware, will be creatively decorated by area businesses, organizations, clubs and residents.
There will also be a Raffle Tree valued at over $4,000 in gift certificates donated by local businesses. According to Russell, all of the trees were already spoken for by decorators by mid-October and registrations are closed for this year.
“Many of our decorators come back every year and don’t want to miss their chance, so they’re submitting their forms earlier and earlier,” he said.
Funds raised at the event come from the silent auction of the trees, raffle tree ticket sales, decorator registration fees, underwriter donations, Cookie Room sales, tree delivery fees, and general donations.
“We are thrilled to bring the community together once again for this magical event,” said co-founder Bonnie Galinski. “Not only does The Festival of Trees showcase the creativity and generosity of our community, but it also allows us to support an important cause. The holiday season is a perfect time to give back, and we invite everyone to join in making a difference.”
The Festival of Trees is one of several fundraisers that benefit the Community Children’s Fund, under the auspices of the Exeter Area Charitable Foundation.
Throughout the year, Chase the Ace, Kicks for Kids, the Duck Race and the Gingerbread House Contest also benefit the Community Children’s Fund, with the Festival of Trees being the primary source for the much needed funds.
As a result of these efforts, vouchers for warm winter clothing and financial aid are distributed regularly to families in Exeter, Brentwood, East Kingston, Epping, Kensington, Kingston, Newfields, Newmarket, Newton, Raymond, Stratham and Fremont.
For more information, visit the Festival of Trees website at https://shorturl.at/CwxSN or contact the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce at 603-772-2411.
To view photos from past FOT events and to get updates, visit the Facebook page: Exeter, NH — Festival of Trees — CCF.