Dedicated decorators prepare dazzling display of Christmas cheer for charity.

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

The numbers for the Festival of Trees are impressive:

A total of $5.7 million in charitable contributions.

An expected $500,000 in additional contributions at this year's event.

About 18,000 visitors a year.

More than 900 volunteers.

For 15 years, those numbers have been growing faster than a Doug fir in Oregon. A favorite of families and anyone else looking to get an early start on holiday celebrations, the event puts elaborately decorated Christmas trees up for auction and lets the public take a peek at them before they go on the offering block.

"Our sponsors go to a lot of work to make their trees fabulous," says Margie Brooks, vice president of McKenzie-Willamette Community Health, the festival's charitable foundation.

Most of the trees sell for about $1,000, although there have been notable exceptions. In the late 1990s, a tree went for $15,000 after a bidding war drove the price up.

That tree included a golf vacation package to Pebble Beach, Calif., and like many of the trees, it adhered to a theme. Some of this year's motifs include New Orleans, New York and Beavers baseball.

"Decorating a tree with orange and black colors will be a challenge, but I'm going to do it," explained tree designer Sue Vickers, who is in charge of trimming the Oregon State tree, dubbed Back to Back.

Vickers is also decorating a more traditional tree she calls Rasberry Ice. Over the years, she's decorated about a dozen firs including a nutcracker themed creation, and a tree that incorporated angels and a nativity scene.

It isn't just evergreens that bring in the crowds. More than 400 stockings and 150 wreaths also will be auctioned off.

There are children's decorations, gift items for sale and live musical performances. A massive gingerbread village is one perennial favorite, and a performance by the Oregon Children's Choir is also popular.

Although the Festival of Trees includes nearly a week's worth of events, for many, the highlight is a turkey day visit to view all the twinkling decor and jump-start the holiday season.

"Coming here (on Thanksgiving) has become a tradition in some people's families," Brooks says. "I think it's a family event that truly does touch people's hearts."

For the first time ever, the festival will be auctioning off an artificial tree this year, and ironically, it's an Oregon-themed creation called Home Sweet Tree.

Lest anyone get upset about not using a locally grown fir, this particular tree is headed to Iraq along with a crate-load of donations for soldiers.

The rest of the trees are all Oregon grown. There are 57 of them, decorated by more than 100 very serious tree trimmers.

Almost as impressive as the trees is the fact that they are all decorated on a tight deadline.

The fun starts on Monday when tree decorators - many of them interior designers and floral designers - are presented with their blank green canvases. They have 24 hours to light and trim their creations. Some are working on multiple trees at once.

Brooks has seen lots of creative trees over the years. Designers have placed everything from bubble machines to water fountains, even a snow blower, in between the branches.

All of the proceeds from this year's festival, as well as future festivals, will be going to help build a hospice house for terminally-ill patients. The foundation is seeking to raise some $2.5 million for the facility.

Festival of trees

When: Festival runs from Tuesday through Nov. 25

Where: Valley River Inn, 100 Valley River Way

Tickets: $6 for adults, $4 for children and seniors. Tickets are $25 for Tuesday's preview party and $150 for Saturday's black tie gala. Call 228-3040.

Information: Call 228-3003 or go to www.cascadehealth.org/foundation/festival/

Event schedule

Tuesday: Designer's Preview (by reservation, 228-3040) 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Evening Gala Celebration follows (by reservation, 228-3040), 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Nov. 25: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.