Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The 2005 Festival of Trees opens today and continues through Saturday at Town Center Mall, Key Bank Building, 119 E. Center St., Warsaw.
Exhibit hours are from 3 to 8 p.m. today through Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Designers' Choice awards were announced Tuesday.
People's Choice awards are determined by those attending the event who give a penny a vote for their favorite tree. The event benefits the Health Care Foundation, which provides the following assistance programs: Beds and Britches Etc., Care Connection, PUENTE and Reality Spanish.
Joy Lohse, president of the board of directors of the foundation, said, "The Festival of Trees is a warm and inviting community event, and what's even nicer about it is it helps many people in the county who are served through the foundation. It's a great way to start the holiday season."
Winners of Designers' Choice awards include: first place, "Nature's Splendor," designed by the Town and Country Garden Club; second place, "Wee Three Trees," designed by Master Gardeners of Kosciusko County Mary Thomas and Lana Jarrett; and third place, "O Holy Night," designed by Karen Smith and Terri Landrum of Kosciusko Community Hospital.
A highlight of this year's Festival is "All Gave Some, Some Gave All," designed by Cheryl O'Halloran, with decorations sponsored by her husband, Richard. The tree is a tribute to all branches of the American military services - Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard, Navy and Reserves. Ornaments on the tree are actual photos of 113 area people or ancestors who have served in the various branches of the armed services, starting with three who served in the Civil War and continuing to the present time. The photos were gathered with the assistance of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
There are a total of 36 trees on display, exhibiting a wide variety of themes. The 10 Community Giving Trees are sponsored by community businesses and will be donated to needy families in the Kosciusko County area. There are a total of 28 trees on display, exhibiting a wide variety of themes. Raffle tickets will be sold for one tree, "All Nature Abounds," designed by Deb Conley, and a wreath donated by the Village Florist, Syracuse. Both are on display.
The Festival also includes a live broadcast on WRSW this evening, Chamber of Commerce Business after Hours Thursday evening, a Christmas concert by the Men's Quartet of Warsaw Evangelical Presbyterian Church Friday, and a visit with Santa and his Reindeer Saturday at the Lake City Bank Park at the corner of East Center and Indiana streets. Photos and more information will be included in Thursday's Times-Union. For more information, call 574-268-2273.
