Hamilton County residents will soon be able to get in the holiday spirit while helping the community at the same time. Good Samaritan Network will host the fourth annual Festival of Trees at 6 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Bridgewater Club, 3535 E. 161st St., Carmel.
The evening will include dinner, a keynote address and a silent auction of creatively decorated Christmas trees, wreaths, centerpieces and oil paintings.
“We work for about two weeks to get everything ready,” event coordinator Kim Harden said. “Then we move them up to the ballroom the day of the event. The designers come up with so many different themes. They’re just really cool designs.”
The fully decorated trees will be delivered to the winning bidder’s home by the Two Men and a Truck service to help ease the pain of holiday decorating.
“If people want to come back every year or re-donate your tree back to Good Samaritan Network, we’ll take it apart and re-work it,” Harden said. “Then they could get a new design every year.”
In addition to holiday decor, guests will be able to bid on two experiences with Santa—a visit from St. Nicholas on Christmas Eve and an afternoon of toy making.
“For the toy making, he’ll have two different age-appropriate toys. It will be a wooden, keepsake toy and he will sign it and date it. He’ll bring the workshop to you,” Harden said.
Good Samaritan Network delivers non-perishable food items to food pantries in Hamilton County. Admission is $75 per person. To purchase tickets, visit gsnlive.org/festival-of-trees.
