The 39th Annual Redmond Festival of Trees took place on Dec. 3 at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center to raise funds for Hospice of Redmond.

Decorated Christmas trees lined the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center on Saturday, Dec. 3, for the return of the annual Festival of Trees event to benefit Hospice of Redmond.

According to Jayme O’Neill, marketing coordinator for Hospice of Redmond, over 350 people attended and helped raise more than $175,000. The People’s Choice Award went to tree #14 from Select Care Dental.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, the tree decorators got to work stylizing the Christmas trees.

“That’s a special time for them,” said Jane McGuire, the executive director of Hospice of Redmond. “Some of the tree decorators gather together because they’re doing the tree in remembrance of someone like a family member. Some of them are civic organizations that come together, and some of them are businesses.”

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, the public was able to walk through and take in all the beautifully done-up trees and vote for their favorite.

The gala and live tree auction, which started at 5 p.m. on Saturday, is where each tree got to go home with the highest bidder. The gala and auction was a ticketed event that cost $75 per person and included hors d’oeuvres and a beer or wine of choice.

“Every year the community comes together and decorates these beautiful trees that are then auctioned off during our gala,” McGuire said. “And those funds go to support our programs here as well as patients that come in that don’t have insurance.”

The money raised from the event makes it possible for Hospice of Redmond to provide services to terminally ill people and their families not covered by Medicare or private insurance including bereavement counseling, the Transitions program for people with life-limiting illnesses, caregiver support, and Camp Sunrise, a grief camp for children.

After two years of hosting the fundraising event online due to the pandemic, the organizers were happy to be back in person.

“We’re super excited to be back together again, all under one roof and doing the live auction, there’s a lot of energy that is around that,” said McGuire.

“People put in such incredible effort and designs and themes behind these trees,” McGuire said. “They’re really something to enjoy and look at. But I think the main thing about this event is the heart behind it. And the fact that the community comes together in such a manner to celebrate and to provide for Hospice of Redmond is really just amazing. It makes all the difference.”