The Children’s Center of Transylvania County will host The Festival of Trees from Friday, November 30, through Sunday, December 2, at the Paul Porter Center for Performing Arts on the campus of Brevard College. The center’s two-story lobby will be filled with 25 elaborately decorated Christmas trees. The six-foot trees are decorated by volunteer individuals and groups, who unofficially compete to produce the most striking tree. The event will also feature a small gift shop and a bake shop where visitors can purchase carry-out, homemade pastries, pies and cakes.
The Festival of Trees was a popular holiday event for the region for 22 years until it was canceled five years ago. The original festival was held in the smaller rooms of a historic mansion in Brevard. “Now, we will be spread out over the Porter Center’s ground floor space, with windows overlooking the campus grounds,” says Kathie Williams, executive director of the Children’s Center.
Coinciding with downtown Brevard’s Twilight Tour holiday celebration on Saturday, the festival is a major fundraiser for the Children’s Center. The nonprofit operates free programs for abused and neglected children and families at risk, serving more than 2,500 people a year in its seven major initiatives.
The Porter Center is located at 1 Brevard College Drive. Admission is $5 for adults, with children 12 and under admitted free. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 828.885.7286.
