Festival of Trees hits record crowd

A record crowd filled the main room of the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line on Saturday night for the annual Festival of the Trees.

This year's celebration - the eighth in the club's history - was entitled "Home for the Holidays."

Because of the success of past festivals, the club was recently able to make an addition to its 1st Street building for a massive all-purpose room large enough for the crowd of 260 people at the event.

Two-hundred-sixty tickets were printed. They were all purchased, said Krista Solomon, head of the HELP Committee, the club's parent group.

And there was still room to spare, she said.

"We can fit more people in if we need to," she said.

The activities took place pretty much as they have for years. People bid on trees that were decorated by area businesses, families and civic groups.

` Fifteen trees were auctioned, one of them was auctioned off twice.

A tree aimed at encouraging young people to read that had been prepared by Dustin and Bridget Kallenberger was purchased by Pam Hillery, but she donated it back and asked that it be reauctioned. It was, raising another $500.

Trees offering overnight stays at the AmericInn, gifts at Kmart, fine jewelry and quilts were auctioned off throughout the night, interspersed with games of the Price is Right and Heads and Tails.

As usual, a group of the club's alumni, were on hand to help serve people and assist with the auction.

"Some of these people started at the club when they were 6 years old, said Scott Durward, the auctioneer. "And they were with the club until they graduated."