Sometimes a reset can refresh a long-held event. That's exactly what the McDonough District Hospital Foundation and Festival of Trees Committee is planning for the future of the Festival of Trees.
According to Brittany Moore, director of the MDH Foundation, the 2025 event will be replaced with a special Polar Express-themed Family Fun Night during Dickens on the Square, with the annual gala moved to Spring 2026. The team is 'pivoting' this year following the renovations of the Macomb Arts Center (MAC), which has not yet included the electrical upgrades necessary to power the thousands of twinkling holiday trees during the usual weekend long event. The Festival of Trees was established in 1993 by Peggy Scharfenberg and the MDH Auxiliary. The hospital took over the festival in 2006.
'The newly renovated space is beautiful, and we're excited to try something new this year while the center continues its building renovations,' Moore added. 'We wanted to share our plans for this year's holiday event as people usually begin asking about Festival of Trees this time of year because of the planning involved in putting together a showstopping tree.'
During the Friday evening of the Dickens on the Square event, which will be held Dec. 5-6, the MDH Foundation and sponsors will host North Pole Square from 5-9 p.m. The family-friendly event, which is $10/family, will offer numerous activities, along with a few special additions available for a nominal cost, such as family photos for $10/family, she shared.
'Festival of Trees has been a long tradition for us during Dickens and we still very much wanted to have a presence during this special weekend, so we decided to set up an event that families can enjoy together,' Moore explained. 'And while we usually have our annual fundraising gala as part of the holiday event, we're moving that to the spring to allow everyone more time to plan over the next several months.'
The Dec. 5 North Pole Square will include craft stations, 'reindeer snacks,' hot cocoa, face painting and more, all with the classic Polar Express playing on loop during the event. Businesses and individuals interested in sponsoring a station can contact Moore at [email protected] or by calling the MDH Foundation Office at 309-836-1757.
'We're really excited to try something new this year, and the Polar Express theme offers so many wonderful things for us to offer families and friends,' Moore said. 'We'll also be running our Teddy Bear Drive that evening, so we're encouraging people to bring in, or drop off, a teddy bear for our pediatric patients.
'We know that some of our patrons will be disappointed we're not doing the trees this year; however, it gives us a great opportunity to reset and try something new,' she concluded. 'We look forward to welcoming everyone to this new event, so please mark your calendars and stop by to celebrate the season with us Dec. 5.'
