The Sixth Annual Washougal Festival of Trees is back to spread holiday cheer and raise funds for Washougal schools at Hathaway Elementary School, 630 24th Street in Washougal. It will run Friday, December 4, 2015 from 6 pm-9 pm and Saturday, December 5, 2015 from 9 am-6 pm.
Each year people gather in Washougal on the first weekend of December to bid on beautiful pre-decorated Christmas trees, enter into a silent auction for baskets of merchandise, or take their chances in one of many raffles. It is a gala weekend, with live music and free refreshments, and features a breakfast and photos with Santa on Saturday morning. The festival is presented by the Washougal Lions Foundation and is a community effort involving many businesses, organizations, school groups and individuals. They decorate over twenty trees, donate more than 50 baskets of merchandise, and devote many, many hours to create what has become a high point of the Washougal holiday season!
“Each year the festival has grown,” said Chuck Carpenter, Festival of Tree Committee Chair. “Our first year we earned a little more than $2,000, and last year community support raised more than $11,000. The funds are distributed to all seven Washougal schools based in part on their level of participation and how many trees they decorated for auction. Each school determines how the funds can best meet the needs of their students.” Last year’s festival funds were used on items such as science supplies, field trip scholarships, art materials, online reading programs, science night, Math Masters and school assembly speakers.
For more information, visit Washougal Festival of Trees online.
