Carpinteria Lions Club to announce winners Sunday
A Christmas tree and its assorted prizes is among the 25 trees being offered during this Sunday’s drawing at the Carpinteria Lions Club’s Festival of Trees.
If you want to feel the heartbeat of America during Christmas, look no farther than Carpinteria.
That’s where the holiday spirit is alive and well with the annual Festival of Trees.
This year the Carpinteria Lions Club will host what’s billed as the 10th and final festival, but the event’s chairman is hoping that another festival might become possible.
Each year the event’s finale is a raffle of the Christmas trees. And the winner of each tree receives not only the tree, but all the prizes underneath it.
This year’s festival started Nov. 26, and the drawing will take place at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the festival, located in a downtown building at 700 Linden Ave.
In the past 11 years, the festival has raised more than $150,000 in total to help the community.
This is the first festival of trees since 2019, due to COVID-19,
The last event raised more than $38,000.
“We hope to surpass our 2019 achievements in terms of fundraising,” Festival Chairman Mike Dawson told the News-Press Wednesday.
The money raised from this year’s festival will go toward building the Carpinteria Skate Park.
Supporters have been working on this project for 11 years. They now have a building permit in hand, and the project is out for competitive bid.
Funds from previous year’s festivals have gone to support local nonprofits such as the Carpinteria High School Culinary Arts Club and the high school’s FFA club.
This year’s festival has 25 trees, which have all been donated by the Big Red Crane Co. Mr. Dawson is not only the festival chairman, but he is the owner of the Big Red Crane Co. He has also donated all the marketing for this year’s festival.
Each tree is sponsored by a local group or individual and is fully decorated with lights and ornaments.
Each tree has a theme as well.
The trees include the man’s dream garage, which features more than $7,000 of power tools and garden supplies; the Carpinteria High School class of 1978 tree, which includes $4,200 in cash and $3,800 in gift cards, which have all been donated by 27 class members, and the Carpinteria High School Boosters Club tree, which includes jerseys, basketballs, soccer balls and all kinds of sports equipment.
“The festival draws in everyone from 5 to 85. Everyone wants to buy tickets,” said Mr. Dawson said. “Everyone is smiling and getting along. It shows the heartbeat of America, in a small community.”
Sadly, this could be the final year for what’s known as a spectacular community event. There are now other plans for the 700 Linden Ave. space.
“We are saddened by the loss of the building that we are in, but we are excited for the opportunity of the owner,” Mr. Dawson said. “We really hope another building opens up in the eight-block main drag.
“But if not, we look forward to the community finding a new and unique way to continue this annual celebration.”
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
IF YOU GO
The Carpinteria Lions Club’s Festival of Trees runs through Sunday at 700 Linden Ave., Carpinteria.
Hours are from 2 and 8 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends.
The drawing for the winners of the 25 trees — and the prizes with them — will take place at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
