Festival of Trees: The 2019 Festival of Trees fundraiser. The UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital Auxiliary holds the fundraiser every two years in November, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the 2021 event was postponed to 2022. The festival of trees is scheduled for 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 at the Canasawacta Country Club. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH — The UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital (CMH) Auxiliary is bringing back their largest fundraiser, the Festival of Trees, from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 in the Canasawacta Country Club ballroom.

The event will feature decor aligning with this year's theme of "A Midsummer Night's Dream," passed appetizers, dinner, dessert, a cash bar with signature drinks, music and dancing, and a silent auction from 6 to 8 p.m. to benefit UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital.

"It will be in the ballroom at the Country Club. It won’t be a fancy affair, but it will be a nice affair, and people can come and bid on items, and there will be delicious food that will be passed, and there will be music offered by Live Event NY," said CMH Auxiliary Co-chair Katie Voss. "So it’s an all encompassing event rather than just an auction. It’s a way to celebrate and get out finally and see people you haven’t seen in a while, and celebrate the hospital."

Access to the outdoor deck at the Country Club will also be available for those who aren't comfortable spending the whole evening indoors.

In the past, auction items mainly focused around decorated Christmas trees, wreaths, and other holiday decor. The selection has expanded over the years, however, to include things like experiences, gift cards, and gift baskets — all generously donated by local businesses and community members.

"The Festival of Trees was started in the early 1990s as an idea for showcasing and showing off the talents of local community businesses and local talented community members to decorate Christmas trees and wreaths and decor that people could bid on in a silent auction," said Voss. "Over the years, it’s changed a lot because you can only have so many holiday decorations. We thought we should expand it to include many more opportunities and things that people might want to bid on."

Voss said past auction items have included a week's stay in a vacation home, sports tickets and gift baskets, framed art, and gift certificates for shopping and food. This year's big ticket items are a ride in a helicopter and a free stay at a rental camp on Chenango Lake.

The Festival of Trees is usually scheduled in November every two years; but in November of 2021, the CMH Auxiliary decided to postpone until COVID safety concerns had eased. Now they're bringing back the fundraiser, but as a summertime event rather than the typical holiday-themed affair.

"We had originally thought we could do it in November of last year, but because of COVID and the continued health concerns and safety of everyone involved, we pushed it to the summertime," Voss explained.

"There are still decorated items, we have some trees and wreaths, and we’ll even have them this summer because it is called the Festival of Trees," she added. "They won’t be limited to the holidays; they could be summer themed, they could be fall themed, because we’re having it in July so it can be different. Which is nice because people are being very creative with what they’re going to come up with."

Pre-registration for the event is required to attend. Registration is available online at cmh-festival-of-trees.mailchimpsites.com, via email to cmhfestival@gmail.com, or by phone at 607-226-5152.

Tickets are available at three price levels: $75, $95, and $120.

"Each reservation level provides you admission to the event, but higher price levels allow more of your dollars to directly support CMH Auxiliary," Voss explained. "We just give that option because there are some people who do want to give more to the auxiliary and attend, and this is a nice way to do it."

The CMH Auxiliary was created over 100 years ago, and aims to support the hospital in any way that's needed.

"We are a leg of the hospital supporting the hospital, and not just monetarily. We coordinate volunteer services, so any volunteer opportunities at the hospital, and they rely on volunteers a lot for patient care and comfort, and other tasks to support employees, and we also support the facility upgrades," said Voss. "So any sort of support they’re looking for, the auxiliary is there to help, and fundraising is one aspect but not the sole aspect."

She added that supporting the hospital is more important now than ever, after the COVID pandemic impacted the ability for volunteering at CMH as well as the auxiliary's ability to fundraise.

"We are really committed to the hospital, especially after the last few years because our ability to do so has been limited. We haven’t been able to have volunteers in the hospital due to COVID, we’re slowly getting back up to being able to do that," said Voss.

"We really want to show our support to the hospital, and like I said, we’ve been limited in our ability to fundraise due to the pandemic, so this is really important for us and meaningful for us to get the word out to make this a successful event, because we are so fortunate to have a hospital in Norwich," she continued. "Not many people can say that they have a hospital in a town this size, so we are very fortunate and we feel grateful to be able to have the hospital and its healthcare workers. So of all the years, we really want this to be a successful event."

More information about the UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital Auxiliary and the Festival of Trees can be found at cmh-festival-of-trees.mailchimpsites.com and on the Chenango Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Facebook page.