Yearly event fosters season of generosity

Isabella Best admires one of the many trees that were later auctioned off during this year's Festival of Trees. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Elmore County, the event raised $2,000 to support the club's scholarship program.

The season of giving became the season of generosity Saturday evening as local businesses and organizations joined forces during the Fourth Annual Festival of Trees.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Elmore County, the event raised $2,000 to benefit local students.

"This is a wonderful weekend devoted to children and families," said Jon Sowers, who served as the evening's emcee.

Nancy Thompson showcases a wreath as Jon Sowers opens the bidding during the evening's live auction. An assortment of wreaths, Christmas trees and other gifts were featured during the annual auction. By the end of this year's Festival of Trees, organizers had collected $2,000, including a $215 bid for one of the decorated trees.

Each year, the festival helps raise money to fund scholarships for high school graduates attending high schools in Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry as well as the Bruneau and Grand View area. While this year's tally was short of the $2,800 raised in 2012, it still exceeded the amount raised during the festival's first two years, according to Sowers.

The Rotary Club will use proceeds from Saturday's event to help fund the six, $1,000 vocational and academic scholarships it plans to award later this year.

In addition to raising thousands of dollars, the event also drew record crowds throughout the day, Sowers said.

Chiana and Zharia Jurek take a ride on a supersized rocking horse built by Jace Prow.

This year's festivities actually started early last week as volunteers set up trees in the showroom of the Mountain Home Auto Ranch. The local dealership kept the trees on display throughout the week along with an assortment of additional decorated wreaths and centerpieces.

While many of the trees featured traditional lights and ornaments, some groups chose a specific theme for their respective evergreens.

One paid tribute to Mountain Home High School. Decked out in orange and black ornaments that matched the school's colors, it came complete with a stuffed tiger standing guard next to it.

Some of the trees also generated plenty of chatter among the guests on Saturday. Among their favorites was one decorated by Carol Dalton and Clorinda Tapia that took pieces of traditional children's board games and turned them into various ornaments.

Meanwhile, the Delaplane Family loaded the bows of their tree with snack-sized bags of various snack foods with A Bright Beginning Montessori School filling theirs with various toys.

But what seemed to catch the most attention was a wooden rocking horse that was roughly as tall as an actual thoroughbred. Throughout the evening, children young and old stood in line for a chance to ride the horse, which Jace Prow from A to Z Lumber built a few years ago.

He opted to bring it to this year's festival specifically for the children to enjoy, Prow said.

Members of the Mountain Home Arts Council were among the featured guests that evening with representatives showcasing their work between the various holiday displays.

The evening's festive mood officially began as members of the Mountain Home High School cheerleading team showcased their dance moves. A few minutes later, the high school concert band took the stage to perform a number of holiday favorites.

The musical mood quickly changed as the band's drumline picked up the beat with a non-traditional performance. Instead of standard drum kits, they opted to use wooden poles and drum sticks to showcase their talents.

The evening's festivities moved into full gear as Sowers got to work on the evenings's fund-raising effort. Guests stepped forward to bid on the donated trees, wreaths, centerpieces and other gift packages. While many of them fetched between $75 to $100 on average, a traditional tree decorated by Sandy Friedly fetched the most at $215.

"There were a lot of bidders on that tree," Sowers said.

Meanwhile, another tree brought in another $200 for the Rotary Club's scholarship effort.

The buyer can do whatever they want with the trees. While some tend to display their trees at their local businesses, others will donate them to the Giving Tree group, which provides help to those most in need as the holidays approach.