Memorial’s 29th Annual Festival of Trees to be Held November 17-25 at the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds

 

[November 05, 2018] 

The 29th annual Memorial’s Festival of Trees will be held Nov. 17-25 at the Orr Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The festival’s hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 17, Nov. 19-21 and Nov. 23-24; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 18 and Nov. 25; and 4-8 p.m. Nov. 22 (Thanksgiving Day).

Admission is charged for Memorial’s Festival of Trees, with the theme of “Holidays Through Our History.”  Admission is free for children 2 and younger. Adults who are 55 and older receive a reduced admission on Tuesday, Nov. 20, which is designated as Senior Day.

“Our wish is that the many families and friends who visit Memorial’s Festival of Trees will be caught up in the magic of the season as they explore all of the creative and colorful displays,” said Melissa Hansen Schmadeke, executive director of the Memorial Medical Center Foundation, which organizes the festival. “The holiday season holds different meanings for so many people, and we’ll look back on those memories as we celebrate our state’s bicentennial.”

Visitors will see more than 200 decorated trees and wreaths and the return of festival attractions, including the Gingerbread Village, Little Elves’ Workshop, Candy Cane Express Train and Holiday Kitchen. New this year is the Sockefeller Skating Rink, where festival-goers can spin, glide and slide on a sock skating rink; tickets cost $1 for five minutes.

Children and adults can have their photos taken with Santa for $5 if parents or guardians take their own photo or $7, which includes a frame for the photo. Santa’s hours are:

Saturday, Nov. 17: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 18: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday, Nov. 19, through Wednesday, Nov. 21: 5 to 8 p.m.
 

Thursday, Nov. 22: 4 to 8 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 23, and Saturday, Nov. 24: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 25: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

During its 28 years, Memorial’s Festival of Trees has raised more than $4.9 million for health-related projects and programs for Memorial Health System and the Springfield community.

Last year, nearly 35,000 visitors attended Memorial’s Festival of Trees. PNC is the event’s principal sponsor.

For more information about Memorial’s Festival of Trees, contact the Memorial Medical Center Foundation at [phone] or visit MemorialsFestivalOf Trees.com.

[Michael Leathers, Festival of Trees]