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Festival of Trees
from Taos Aglow 2022
By Mary Gutierrez, UNM–Taos
The Festival of Trees is an annual event that has been held in Taos for many years and has functioned as a gala fundraiser for Taos non-profit organizations. Leadership for the event has changed hands over the years. In 2013, The Taos Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event, and more recently in 2019, DreamTree sponsored it. In 2022, the Taos Milagro Rotary Club is happy to bring the Festival of Trees back to Taos in a reimagined form. Taos Milagro Rotary’s focus on service, literacy and educational scholarships are reflected in the family-focused version of the event that will take place this year. Scheduled for Dec. 2 from 3-9 p.m. at UNM–Taos’ Bataan Hall, the Festival of Trees will occur before the Town of Taos tree lighting, and resume following the tree-lighting. The early hours of the event will feature seasonal performances by youth groups. Families will be served free hot cider and hot chocolate and welcomed to tour the trees before walking to the plaza. Following the tree lighting, the Festival of Trees will resume with the tree and wreath auction, a silent auction, live music and entertainment as well as a cash bar. The event is intended to be a fun for all members of the Taos Community. A s the Festival of Trees event was passed to the Taos Milagro Rotary Club, there was an opportunity to increase inclusivity and produce an event that was an effective fundraiser for the organization’s scholarship and community grant funds. In previous years with other organizations, the gala event would bring in as much as $30,000. However, it also had significant expenses, as much as $18,000. The Rotary reimagining of this event has a goal of raising $50,000 and engaging 300 community members as guests and/or volunteers. By keeping the event simple and focusing on families and the auctions, we hope to reach these goals.
