The Christmas holiday will make its debut in Trenton on Friday, Nov. 29 with the annual Festival of Trees and Christmas Parade.
Activities get under way at 4:30 p.m. and will continue throughout the evening. All proceeds from this year’s event will go to fund activities throughout the year for individuals with special needs, including water aerobics, bowling, self-advocacy classes, attending plays, etc.
There is a new location for the festival this year, with the main activities taking place at the Red Barn Events Center on Iowa Boulevard. The parade will line up at the Barton Farm Campus and head north on Iowa Boulevard to the Red Barn.
The parade will be led by festival king and queen, Zac Allen and Tabby Glenn. Santa Claus will also be on hand, being transported on a Trenton Fire Department fire truck. Also participating will be the North Central Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center, the North Central Missouri Saddle Club, the Trenton High School Student Council, David Kurtz, Jim Bush and his “music machine,” Jane Cooksey, the Murphy family and the Currie family. Other individuals, organizations or businesses are also invited to join in.
From 5 to 7 p.m., persons will be able to view the many trees, wreaths and other Christmas items that have been donated for auction later in the evening. There will also be a concession stand and food booths as well as a candy/cookie sale with items provided by various individuals. Pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans and desserts will be available for purchase (eat-what-you-want, pay-what-you-want), along with caramel apples and Cooksey kettle corn.
Among the activities planned during the evening are Santa plate painting, gingerbread house making, photos with Santa (Jon Shannon/Bailey Studio), face painting and carriage rides by David Kurtz.
Musical entertainment scheduled so far includes Tim Cason, Hannah Patterson, Connie Olmstead, Mari Atup, Toni Allen, the THS Colorguard, SuperStars Dance Studio and the Laredo Tiger Cubs. Others may be added later.
The highlight of the evening will be the annual auction, set to begin at 7 p.m., with Scott Roy as the auctioneer. Several local and area individuals, organizations and businesses have donated seasonal items (trees, wreaths, ornaments, tree stands, etc.) to be sold throughout the evening. There will also be donated food items auctioned as well. Among those providing donations are Sam Day, Smithfield, FCCLA, Lucky Dog Embroidery, the North Central Missouri Children’s Advocacy Center, the Trenton Republican-Times, Lowell Anderson, Shelly Muff, Karen Fries, the Grundy County-Jewett Norris Library, Barnes Greenhouses, the Grundy County Breast Cancer Support Group, Dave and Cindy Jennings, the Grand River Garden Club, Hannah Griffin, Lynn Griffin, Hadley Windsor, Connie Olmstead, Valerie Kitchen, Marigold’s, Donna and Mitch Dougan, the THS football team, Cashmere Cotton Boutique, Junk Journey, Green Hills MOPS, Shelburne Farms, Washington Street Food and Drink, Gloria Kaufman, Maynard Cleaning, Denise and Mike Bruner, Cutting Loose, Chumbley’s, Linda Buckner, Mackenzie Weldon, the Community Action Partnership of North Central Missouri, Tara Walker law office, the THS maintenance department, Families and Friends of the Developmentally Disabled of Grundy County, Janna Burkeybile and Kim Taylor.
Individuals, businesses or organizations wanting to make a donation to any of the activities or participate in the parade are asked to contact Judie Leininger at 351-2985, Brenda Thorne at 654-0218 or Cindy Soptic at 359-1649. Donated items can also be brought to the Red Barn throughout the day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
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