HERMISTON, Ore.-Hermiston’s Festival of Trees, an annual fundraiser for the Hermiston Kiwanis Club and Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation (GSCHF), is December 6-7 at the Hermiston Community Center.
2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the two-day fundraiser that features live and silent auctions of Christmas trees, tabletop trees, gift baskets and stockings to benefit the community.
Origins
The idea for Hermiston’s Festival of Trees sprouted from similar events held annually in Tri-Cities and Pendleton.
“I was really inspired by the fact that it’s a local event, there’s no national organization,” said Mike Mehren, one of the original organizers of Hermiston’s Festival of Trees. “The money earned stayed in the local community, I thought that was pretty slick.”
According to Mehren, six or eight of the festival founders, including Kari Christiansen and Debbie Pedro, met with representatives from festivals in Tri-Cities and Pendleton, and the rest is history.
Pedro, who used to have a store in downtown Hermiston and had home décor experience, remembers being approached by early organizers to help put on a festival similar to Pendleton’s.
“I thought it was a wonderful idea, something the community could really get behind,” said Pedro, who attended Pendleton’s festival and talked with organizers about what it took to put on such an event. “It’s a wonderful, magical time to kick off the holidays.”
Festival of Trees Takes Root
In 1995 the average price of a gallon of gas was $1.16, “Forrest Gump” was the best picture Oscar winner, a new Ford F-150 cost $19,297, and Hermiston’s inaugural Festival of Trees was held.
Starting from scratch, event organizers had to figure out everything from designing a logo to securing Christmas trees and getting people to decorate them.
“Festival of Trees is people contributing their talents, abilities and interests for one wonderful night of celebration to benefit the community,” said Julie Puzey, who has volunteered to do the graphics for the festival every year since it started, and has been instrumental in creating and maintaining branding for the annual event.
In the mid-nineties computer usage was not yet widespread, and Puzey helped create a logo for the first Festival of Trees, before working on building a public identity for the event over the next year.
“Calligraphy has always been of my favorite things,” Puzey recalled of the early festival days. “I remember doing the lettering for the auction items by hand.”
Artificial Christmas trees were decorated for the original festival, something that changed after a few years, with Pedro part of the group that went and cut the trees and brought them back to Hermiston to be decorated and auctioned.
“I remember the fun of going and getting the trees,” said Pedro. “It was quite a compliment when a family bought a tree I decorated, saved the ornaments and invited me to recreate the tree in their home the next year.”
Tabletop trees, wreaths and gift baskets were added to Festival of Trees over the years as both community involvement and sponsorships expanded. This year 13 large trees and 15 tabletop trees will be up for auction, and attendees will also be able to bid on 11 wreaths, 12 stockings and 13 gift baskets.
Community and Giving
“It’s a terrific event by the community, for the community,” said Mehren, who was involved with Festival of Trees for a decade and is designing a tree this year. “The support is wonderful, and it gets a little bigger and raises more money every year.”
While the event has grown and evolved over the years, one aspect that hasn’t wavered is the benefit Hermiston’s Festival of Trees has on the community, and the commitment of event organizers and volunteers.
“It’s something that’s touched the whole community,” said Kari Christiansen, who has been involved with Hermiston’s Festival of Trees since its inception, only taking four years off when her sons were playing high school sports. “In the beginning, different organizations that needed help applied, and after an interview process, we were able to choose where the money went.”
The Hermiston Kiwanis Club, a nonprofit focused on serving the needs of children in the community, used funds generated at Festival of Trees to support different organizations for about the first decade of the event.
In December 1995, there was no Funland Park in Hermiston, and funds from the first Festival of Trees were used to develop and bring the playground to fruition.
According to Christiansen, an original member of the tree decorating committee, funds from early Festivals supported causes such as Hermiston Little League, Domestic Violence Services, Vange John Memorial Hospice, and many more.
Since 2007, the Hermiston Kiwanis Club has partnered with the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation (GSCHF) for Festival of Trees.
The GSCHF works to enhance the quality of life and the health of residents in Umatilla and Morrow Counties, providing resources to initiatives, projects, and organizations that address the health needs of the community.
“For thirty years, the Festival of Trees has been more than a celebration. It stands as a testament to the extraordinary things a community can accomplish when united by generosity and purpose,” said Liz Marvin, GSCHF Executive Director. “Every tree, every tradition, and every act of giving embodies the collective impact of three decades of neighbors supporting neighbors, inspiring hope, and building a stronger, healthier future for all.”
Recent projects awarded GSCHF grant funding include the installation of AEDs at some of Hermiston’s parks, and the purchase of new emergency medical equipment for Umatilla County Fire District 1.
More information on GSCHF grants and scholarships is available online.
Organizers and Volunteers
“Festival of Trees took a lot of people to get off the ground and put on, from committee members and volunteers to wreath, gift basket, tabletop trees and large tree designers, some of whom have passed on,” said Pedro.
It’s been said that it’s amazing what can be accomplished if you don’t care who gets the credit, and Hermiston’s Festival of Trees is a perfect example of that dictum.
Like many community events, Hermiston’s Festival of Trees would not be possible without the generosity of sponsors, as well as the tireless efforts of countless volunteers and organizers, many of whom have been associated with the event since it began.
“None of us are big back-patters,” said Christiansen. “We all did our part and helped create a good event that the community has embraced.”
2025 Festival of Trees
Doors open for Festival of Trees at 5:30 p.m. on December 6, with tree viewing and wine tasting set for 6, with dinner at 7, and the auction at 8.
Family Day, sponsored by Soroptimist International of the Greater Hermiston Area, is December 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hermiston Community Center and includes entertainment, crafts, cookie decorating, lunch and pictures with Santa.
“From the dinner and auction to family day with entertainment, Festival of Trees offers something for everyone to be part of,” said Christiansen. “It’s stood the test of time, who doesn’t love Christmas?”
Festival of Trees tickets are sold out, however, those interested in attending can be added to a waitlist by contacting Hermiston Parks and Recreation at 541.667.5018 or the GSCHF at 541.667.3419
