Cheney's Festival of Trees continues to be a success

The second annual Cheney Festival of Trees has proven to be such a success — and it’s not even over yet — that coordinator Lori Musgrave is already planning next year’s event.

The owner of the Marketplace Bakery & Eatery said she already has several local businesses and organizations confirmed to provide trees and gifts next year, and have also selected a charity to receive the proceeds. This year’s organization receiving 100 percent of what is raised by the raffle is the Cheney Historical Museum.

“We’re keeping with the 501(c)3 nonprofits,” Musgrave said. “They don’t always have the money to do a fundraiser.”

Much like the Spokane Symphony fundraiser “Christmas Tree Elegance” at the Davenport Hotel, Cheney Festival of Trees features Christmas trees decorated with ornaments, gifts and gift certificates that are available to be won by entering a raffle. Raffle tickets are available at the Marketplace for $1, with the drawing taking place at 8 p.m. on Dec. 22.

Organizations and businesses decorating or sponsoring trees this year are Eastern Washington University, Yoke’s Fresh Markets, CHAS, DCI Cable, Chet’s Flowers, Jackie Sholz State Farm Agency and the Mason Jar. Musgrave said there are also two “community trees” decorated with gifts and gift certificates by residents who couldn’t do entire trees but wanted to be part of the fundraiser nonetheless.

The nine trees are one more than last year’s inaugural event.

Musgrave is especially proud of the community response to a Tree of Sharing her business set up in coordination with Cheney Care Center. Musgrave worked with Care Center activity director Kris Bahr to get names of residents who don’t have family or family close by and “might not get a Christmas.”

Musgrave and her staff decorated a tree with tags carrying the names of these residents, and asked Cheney residents to pick one off, take it home and bring back the gift named on the tag.

“Boy were our residents supportive of that,” Musgrave said. “The first weekend the tree was up, half the tags were gone.”

All of those tags are gone, she added, and the tree has a growing pile of presents underneath it. Musgrave said she and Bahr have developed a list of other gifts people can still purchase and bring in for residents at the Care Center.

“It was a lot of fun getting to do this for the community,” Musgrave said of the trees.

Raffle tickets for the Festival of Trees are available for purchase until 8 p.m., Dec. 22.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].