Festival of Trees to be held virtually this year

Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line will be holding it’s annual Festival of Trees fundraiser this year, albeit in a very different form with the event being held virtually.

Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line Marketing and Events Director Krystal Steinmetz said the gala is the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, typically drawing between 200 and 250 people, and was a great event to participate in.

“We’d have food, appetizers, desert and it would be a super-fun evening for everybody,” she said.

A press release about the event says the event helps the club’s ultimate goal to help young people become the best they can be.

“Every year, proceeds from the Festival of Trees help the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line in its mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,” the release said.

Steinmetz said that, this year, much has changed even though the centerpiece of the event, the auction along with some games, will still be available to anyone who wants to participate.

“Things look a lot different this year,” she said.

The release called this year’s festival “Holidays @ Home,“ and says it will allow the event, which has been going on for 13 years, to continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite these differences, Steinmetz said, the event still has a lot of support by the community as evidenced by all the moral support she received when the club was considering canceling it.

“We’d actually considered canceling the event entirely this year, just knowing how 2020 has been a challenge for so many people and businesses ... but we had community members who asked about the event and when we said we were considering canceling it they were so encouraging and urged us to have it and that’s why we continued to have it,” she said.

She said so many generous people are in the community that have seen the work the club has been able to do this year with COVID-19 and the desire to support it is still there and the club is fortunate to have their support.

Steinmetz said, the unusual nature of 2020 makes it difficult to predict how many the Festival of Trees will draw, but there is a possibility that it will be more than usual.

“We’re not sure what to expect, but we’re honestly hoping we might get more engagement,” she said. “ ... We’re anxious to see.”

She said she thinks this is possible because far fewer people will be traveling for the holidays this year and even those who do can attend the event virtually.

Steinmetz said the club has been working with a company to set up a bidding and auction website that has streamlined things immensely, and she’s hoping will make for a pleasant experience for attendees.

She said she’s encouraged by the fact that people are already checking out the site, and responses have been positive so far.

“We were pretty nervous,” she said, “Will this work? Will people be interested? So far we’ve had a good response.”

The auction will be held Nov. 24 at noon beginning with the ultimate winner drawing, back by popular demand, Steinmetz said, at https://www.bghavre.givesmart.com .

She said 150 ultimate winner tickets, which sold out last year, will be available for $50 each, and the website will be updated with new items daily.

“The Ultimate Winner game was incredibly popular last year,” Steinmetz said in the release. “In fact, we sold out the tickets quickly and ended up with quite a few disappointed people who missed out on the fun. So hurry and get your tickets today before we sell out.”

Winners will be announced Nov. 28 with the ultimate winner able to take whichever tree they wish.

Sponsors for the event are invited to the club a week before the event as thanks for their support.

Steinmetz said she’s grateful for the support of everyone, without whom the club and event would not exist.