Christmas comes early
By Casey Gillis on Nov. 08, 2007
It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and Amazement Square is already getting into the Christmas spirit with its upcoming Festival of Trees.
“We always say it’s a signature event to get into the holiday spirit,” says Laura Francis, Amazement Square’s special events coordinator.
The main draw, of course, is the trees. Area businesses, organizations and individuals donate decorated holiday trees, wreaths and mantelpieces – all of which are later put up for silent auction.
This year, there will be 25 trees, each with a different theme.
Francis says the themes are pretty varied, including two Virginia Tech trees, as well as ones built around themes like trains, penguins, Santa Claus and Victorian Christmas.
“They’re just wonderful,” she says. “Everybody puts so much time and effort into it, and you can just see the effort they put in.”
While the trees are the main attraction, there are plenty of events built around them to keep everyone occupied.
It all kicks off with a fashion show and luncheon at noon Sunday (tickets are $25 per person). It’ll be the first chance for the public to check out the trees, while also seeing models strut the catwalk in fashions from local shops like Jasmine, The Columns, Plato’s Closet and Twinkle, Twinkle.
The following weekend has more activities in store.
A children’s breakfast with Santa is scheduled for 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Nov. 17 (tickets are $10 per person). Francis says the event drew 300 people last year, and they’re looking for similar numbers this year. In addition to getting breakfast, the children can have their picture taken with St. Nick and participate in some crafting activities.
Also scheduled for that weekend is an open house and winter warehouse. New to the festival this year, it will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Nov. 16, and 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18 (tickets are $5 per person).
Featuring nine vendors selling their wares — pottery, jewelry and handbags, among other things — “you can get all of your shopping done right there,” Francis says.
The winners of the tree auctions will be announced at the Denim & Dazzles Gala, scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 17 (tickets are $40 per person).
All the events will take place at Amazement Square. Tickets to any event can be purchased at Amazement Square or by phone, or at any BB&T Bank in Lynchburg, Madison Heights or Forest.
The proceeds from every event, as well as the silent auction, all go to Amazement Square.
For more information, call (434) 845-1888.
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