HOLIDAY FESTIVAL OF TREES TO FEATURE DICKENS VILLAGE COLLECTIBLES

Boulder County Aging Services Foundation has donated to the December 6th Holiday Festival of Trees 75-plus retired pieces from the Lenox Department 56™ Dickens Village and Christmas in the City collections. These collections will be a highlight of the silent auction held during this year’s event.The collection was given to Aging Services Foundation which feels that partnering with the Holiday Festival of Trees allows the sale of the collection to jointly benefit our aging population in Boulder County. The current value of the collection is more than $8,000.There are several groupings in each collection which visitors can bid on, such as the David Copperfield grouping (shown below) and the Pump Street Shoppes. The most valuable grouping is the original Dickens Shoppes, released between 1984 and 1988 and originally priced at $175. The buildings alone are currently valued at more than $1,000.Meals on Wheels of Boulder and the Boulder Flatirons Rotary Club are partnering for the fourth year to host the event which benefits programs sponsored by the two organizations. The annual event will begin at noon on Sunday, December 6, 2009, in the Stadium Club at Folsom Field on the CU-Boulder campus.In addition to the silent auction there will be a display and raffle of 50 donated holiday trees decorated with items of value and beauty, such as the “Comfortable Shoe Tree” from Pedestrian Shops, money trees, spa trees with massages, facials, pedicures and spa products and trees laden with gift certificates to restaurants Boulder. Trees will be available for viewing beginning at noon and winners will be drawn beginning at 2:30 p.m. One must be present to win and trees must be removed by 4 p.m.Admission to the event is $50, which includes the tree raffle and silent auction, five $2 raffle tickets, holiday buffet, and parking. Tickets are available online at www.mowboulder.org, at the event or by calling 303-441-3907. Advance ticket sales will close on Wednesday, December 2nd but tickets will be available at the door on the day of the event.Meals on Wheels of Boulder was created in 1969 and is a locally administered and funded not-for-profit organization serving residents of Boulder. Proceeds from last year’s event covered the cost of food for nearly 5,000 of the 26,000 meals for those who can afford to pay less than $1 for a meal. In 2008 Meals on Wheels of Boulder prepared more than 87,000 meals.The Rotary Club of Boulder Flatirons was chartered in 1997 and currently has 40 members. Proceeds from this event support programs for at-risk youth in Boulder, including books for the Bright Beginnings program at the Parenting Place, scholarships for Justice High School students, and mentors for Greenhouse Scholars. Learn more by visiting www.boulderflatironsrotary.org.