Although it may not feel like it, thanks to that little warm spell we just had, the holiday season is upon us. When you think holidays, you think of turkey, family, pie, egg nog, presents – and the Feztival of Trees.
The Bektash Shriners are at it again with their 16th annual fundraiser known as the Feztival of Trees, a reference to the group’s penchant for wearing fezes.
For about a week – Nov. 19-27 this year – the center (189 Pembroke Road) turns into a wonderland of fake Christmas trees and wreaths, all donated by local businesses and individuals. All of the trees are loaded with cool prizes, and you can win one or all of them (however shockingly unlikely) by buying tickets and dropping them in the posts by the trees you want.
There’s plenty of new and improved stuff at this year’s Feztival, so we checked in with Past Potentate Ted Dooley to see what the deal is.
“Four major retailers have committed to submitting trees that have quite a lot of valuable gifts,” Dooley said.
Those retailers include Sam’s Club, BJ’s, Tractor Supply Co. and The Handy People – suppliers of the famous Tool Tree.
Each of these four trees have a lot of big-ticket items, such as a 32-inch smart TV, a Canon printer, a dog bed and loads of tools.
“In return, we have done some major advertising for them – we’re going to feature pictures of their trees in our advertising,” Dooley said.
Due to the stepped-up ad campaign this year, the fan favorite Tool Tree will be kicked up a notch as well, making the already-coveted tree even more attractive.
Speaking of which, the other fan favorite tree – the Lottery Tree – has been kicked into overdrive, too. The tree, apart from containing about $1,200 worth of scratch tickets as always, will also come with a guaranteed $2,000 value – meaning you get two grand right off the top, before you even touch a scratch ticket. Because of this bonus – courtesy of One Main Financial Concord and WJ Stewart Insurance – it is now called the Treasure Tree.
This year’s Feztival will also begin earlier than usual – 10 a.m. on Saturday, right after the city’s Christmas Parade. Now you can go right from the parade to the Feztival of Trees.
Other classic features of the Feztival will also return: mini trees, silent auction, pictures with Santa, wreaths, scavenger hunts, the Candy Cane Cafe.
The Feztival will be open at 10 a.m. every day from Nov. 19-27 except the 24th (Thanksgiving) and closes at 7 p.m. every day except Nov. 21 (4 p.m.) and Nov. 27 (4 p.m.). Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and free for kids 12 and under.
All trees will be raffled at 4 p.m. on Nov. 27. If you’d like to submit a tree, have it ready as soon as possible.
For more info, call 225-5372 or go to bektashshriners.org/feztival.php.
