Festival of Treats… and some Trees

Yesterday was decorating day for the Festival of Trees down at the South Towne Expo Center. It is always quite a sight to walk in the empty building at 7:00 in the morning (a “blessed” hour, according to Wendy, who’s the one that ropes me into this every year… ok, so it’s pretty easy to rope me in) and see the transformation that takes place. By 7:00pm there are almost 400 decorated large trees, 100 or so small trees, gingerbread houses, wreaths, a gift shop, sweet shop, bakery…etc. filling the room to the brim. And let me tell you there are some gorgeous trees this year.

A few of the “over-the-top” trees include the Grinch and the Star Wars tree. Seriously, even if you’re not a fan of Star Wars, you’ve gotta respect this tree, it is amazing. A collector is giving up his entire collection of over 30 years… hundreds of figurines, every ship and vehicle in series, it’s crazy.

But back to my point… the trees are great, but the treats… OH, THE TREATS… everyone kept coming by with treats. A cinnamon roll here, a scone there. They’re fabulous. One of the Festival board members made the yummiest treat I have ever tasted. It’s a cross between a biscuit and a sugar cookie and has the most fabulous fresh raspberry and almond frosting. I wanted to die, then come back to life and eat another one!

So, in case you couldn’t tell, I think you should go to Festival this year. It runs Wednesday through Saturday from 10am to 10pm. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for kids. I have some discount tickets if you’re interested. They’re only 50¢ off the door price but the best part is you don’t have to stand in line for tickets. The best part, though, is that all the proceeds go to the children and families of Primary Children's Medical Center. Everyone who helps bring this function to fruition (did I really just use that word?) is a volunteer!!

Oh, and make sure you check out the gingerbread house section, too. There’s a gingerbread train that is fabulous and a gingerbread castle. If you’re bored with the large trees and want to see the best of the best just make a huge loop around the entire large tree section because most of the biggest and best trees are on the ends of the aisles.

If you’re looking for gifts for loved ones there’s a great selection in the gift shop and the treats,… well, they’re everywhere!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

For more info check out: http://festivaloftreesutah.org/