Mistletoe Magic, 2019. (RDRHF)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

MEDICINE MEETS CHRISTMAS MAGIC

Festival of Trees raising funds for much-needed accelerated cath lab

Nov 5, 2024 | 4:38 PM

The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation (RDRHF) is getting set to light up Westerner Park with its 31st annual Festival of Trees, a critical fundraiser for the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.

This year, funds from the event will be put towards a temporary cardiac catheterization lab for the hospital.

“Our cardiology team does need our help. The Foundation has taken on a major project to transform the way that we handle cardiac incidences here in central Alberta,” commented Manon Therriault, CEO, RDRHF. “The hospital expansion does have those two cardiac cath labs set for 2031, but we as a Foundation and our local AHS partners, don’t believe that that’s soon enough. We’ve taken on the project to find a solution to bring cardiac cath labs to our centre five years earlier, which could save up to 160 lives.”

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The event takes place from Nov. 29 to Dec. 1 and will feature a variety of activities for the public to attend.

As usual, the main event will be a tree room (Neeralta Pavilion) filled to the brim with around 50 generously donated and decorated Christmas trees of various themes that can be bid on during the festival.

In the tree room there will also be other items up for silent auction, raffles for wreaths and smaller trees, a gift and sweets shop, an upgraded Candy Cane Lane for the kids, and an entertainment stage.

Tickets to the tree room and all its fun are available at the gate only. Tickets are $10 for ages 13 and up, $5 for children 4-12 (three and under are free), and $8 for seniors.

The public hours for the tree room are as follows:

• Friday, November 29, 2024 – 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  (Candy Cane Lane closes at 8:00 p.m.)
• Saturday, November 30, 2024 – 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
  (Candy Cane Lane closes at 8:00 p.m.)
• Sunday, December 1, 2024 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The tree room is just the beginning though, as the festival boasts a handful of extravagant ticketed events you can enjoy as well.

• Festival of Wine and Spirits (Nov. 29, 7-11 p.m.): In the Prairie Pavilion, about 20 restaurants and 30 beverage vendors will offer a curated tasting event featuring a wide collection of wines, beers, spirits, and cuisine. Tickets are $105 and include food tastings and 15 beverage coupons.
• Mistletoe Magic (Nov. 30, 5-10 p.m.): A daddy-daughter dance including a buffet dinner, soft drink bar for the ladies, and cash bar for the adults. Tickets are $125.
• Festival Pyjama Breakfast (Dec. 1, 8-10 a.m.): Enjoy the tree room, Candy Cane Lane (including Santa), and a breakfast buffet before the doors open to the public. There will be prizes for the family with the best pajamas, and tickets are $40.

Therriault shared that last year, every event sold out and about 20,000 people attended, so if there is something you have your heart set on attending, it’s advised to get your tickets sooner rather than later. All special event tickets include access to the tree room and its activities.

“That is the true testament to the community’s commitment to the work that we do and to how they want to support our community. Central Alberta is a very generous community,” she added.

As of Nov. 5, Therriault said the festival has about 1,500 volunteers signed up to help, but there are still shifts to fill if residents have the time and capacity to contribute.