Festival of Trees returning to Madras Dec. 4

The annual Festival of Trees is back for a third year on Dec. 4, with proceeds going to the Madras Community Food Pantry. Last year, the pantry raised more than $6,400 during the festival and the money was used for general operations of the pantry. This year, the event will be held at the Jefferson County Event Complex, 430 S.W. Fairgrounds Road in Madras, starting at 5:30 p.m. Black Bear Diner will cater a prime rib dinner and silent auction items will be available for bidding. The evening’s main event will be an auction of decorated trees submitted by individuals or businesses ahead of time. Donna Hagedorn, the pantry’s secretary-treasurer, said they hope to auction off at least 20 trees fully-decorated Christmas trees. Kelly Simmelink will serve as auctioneer. “He makes it an incredible amount of fun and we’ve had so many good sponsors this year, such tremendous support already that we’re really excited about providing this fun event for the community,” Hagedorn said.

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