A chance to vote on beautifully decorated Christmas trees and the opportunity to help support the Salvation Army will again happen when the 16th Annual Salvation Army Festival of Trees is held at the Lycoming Mall on Friday, December 7, beginning at 7 p.m.

This annual event is sponsored by the Lycoming Mall, Backyard Broadcasting and Roan Real Estate (Mike Roan – auctioneer). Webb Weekly and the Williamsport Sun-Gazette are also key supporters. “We thank all our sponsors and key supporters for all their support,” Tony Perrotta, director of public relations, fund development and marketing for the local Salvation Army, told Webb Weekly. “Without their efforts, the annual Festival of Trees would not be successful.”

According to Perrotta, this year’s event has a total of 34 beautifully decorated trees with great incentives in which to bid. There are several new tree sponsors this year. There are also many that have supported the Festival of Trees for many years.

A listing of all trees with incentives can be seen by going to The Salvation Army’s web page: http://www.salvationarmywilliamsport.org

Again this year, you can vote for your favorite tree online. Visit The Salvation Army web page (listed above), and you have an opportunity to vote for your favorite and help The Salvation Army raise needed dollars.

From the diverse listing of those sponsoring a tree this year, the auction will have something for everyone; from a room, makeover to hand painted ornaments to gift certificates from area businesses. The successful bidder not only receives the incentives but the trees and all the decorations.

Are you interested in attending the Alabama and/or Justin Moore concert(s) at Mohegan Sun Arena — be the successful bidder for the Backyard Broadcasting tree and enjoy these two concerts and more. How about the successful bidder on the Sun-Gazette beautiful tree and having a Lionel Commemorative Sun-Gazette Box Car and a Seven Springs Getaway weekend for two and more. Come to the auction and make a bid.

The auction begins promptly at 7 p.m. Come early to register and enjoy fun and fellowship with all those attending this special night for The Salvation Army. The auction is located at the Lycoming Mall in the old Gap store (across from Dairy Queen).

As in other years, the tree auction will be conducted by veteran auctioneer, Mike Roan.

“We have more than 30 trees that we will be auctioning off, and they are all beautifully decorated,” Roan said. “I think this is extra significant in light of some of the challenges that the Mall has been going through. This is a great fundraising event that helps out a great group such as the Salvation Army and I am proud again to be part of it. It is worth it to come down and see all these trees and to bid on them. We hope for another great turn out by the public.”

Others who are involved with the “Festival of Trees” are also pleased with their involvement with it.

Janet Johns owner of Janet’s Floral said that “The Salvation Army is our charity of choice and we are happy to support The Festival of Trees each year.” Perrotta states that Janet’s tree and incentives are beautiful each year and highly valued again this year. Janet’s Floral has been a supporter of The Salvation Army’s Festival of Trees for many years.
This is the second year that Kaufman’s Funeral Home has supported the Festival of Trees. Scott Kaufman said that “Last year was our first Festival of Trees, it was fun and we are glad to support this event again this year. The Salvation Army is one of the leading community agencies that is able to meet individual and family needs. All funds raised remain local, and The Salvation Army values the dollars raised as they place value on each dollar received.”

Major(s) Donald and Paula Spencer would like to thank all those who support The Salvation Army’s Festival of Trees. “This fundraising event is especially important this year as our donations received thus far are down from previous years, but the need for help remains high,” Major Spencer said.

The Salvation Army, through its programs and services, meets the needs of children, families, men, women, and seniors in our community. Within the past 12 months, The Salvation Army has provided assistance and help in a variety of ways. Through our Food Pantry over 3,263 grocery orders have provided supplemental food to families, individuals and seniors. Over 180 families have received utility assistance to avoid shut-off, and 46 families received financial assistance for rent to avoid evictions. The Salvation Army provided 410 food baskets, 5,690 toys, and 1,375 clothing items during the 2017 Christmas season.

The Salvation Army Red Shield Garden provides the community with a place to plant food as well as education on planting and harvesting. The Red Shield Community Garden produces 2,000 pounds of produce this past year for families within our community.

In addition to basic needs, The Salvation Army provides fellowship programs, educational programs (such as financial management), uplifting spiritual programs, basketball program, etc. In addition, The Salvation Army provides hot meals and snacks with programs such as the Golden Agers Club and Youth Programs.

Your dollars contributed to The Salvation Army are appreciated and valued. The Salvation Army ranks among the top 10 most trusted non-profit organizations in America. It uses 83 cents for every dollar donated to provide direct services and 90 percent of the donated dollars stay within our community.