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Show Festival Of Trees 1981 Continues A Gift Of Love The gaily decorated Christmas tree, jolly old Saint Nicholas, and the humble Nativity scene have endured as major symbols of the Holiday Spirit. They never fail to rekindle our faith, restore some semblence of hope and wonder, and renew our sense of charily. For the past len years, the Women's Endowment Com mil lee of Primary Children's Medical Center has undertaken to provide a holiday gift ()f magnificent proportions for area residents and needy children - the annual Festival of Trees. For I he eleventh consecutive year, the magical Festival will unfold in the Salt Palace Exhibition Hall December 2-5 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. The chairman of this year's Festival is Marsha McNeil, with Barbara Frazier and Susan Ludlow serving as co-chairmen. Dependent upon the support of a large group of people working toward a common goal, the Festival fills the hall with scenes of wonder. Featuring its own forest of 240 trees of all shapes and sizes, the Festival benefits charily patients at Primary Children's. The trees are uniquely decorated and donated by creative, generous friends of the medical center. Businesses, church and civic groups, and individuals purchase some of the trees at a silent auction held the night before the Festival. Other trees are sold throughout the week. The money raised goes directly to Primary Children's, which spent $1.6 million in 1980 for the treatment of 1,206 charity patients. A substantial portion of the charily budget comes from the annual Festival of Trees. In addition to the magic of the trees, the Festival features a boutique stocked with handmade animals. Homemade candies, cakes, pies, rolls, breads, and gingerbread ginger-bread houses can be purchased in the Festival's Sweet Shoppe to supplement holiday larders. Special treats for the young at heart will include suckers, popcorn balls, filled stockings, and other delights. Also available for purchase will be Christmas cards especially designed for the Festival and featuring children in holiday settings. Entertainment will be provided throughout the Festival on the front stage, with 73 groups, including children's groups, high school madrigals, a'cappella choirs, jazz ensembles, and senior citizen bands. Thousands of volunteers work to make the first week in December a gift of love for both the community and children who need medical care. Cody Fredrickson, a six-year-old hospital patient from Kearns, will turn on the lights of the 240 trees Tuesday night, Dec. 1. The program is by invitation only for Festival volunteers and those who plan to purchase trees in the silent auction. |