Cambria's Festival of Trees: Decorated and donated to benefit charity

Cambria’s Festival of Trees on Dec. 6 raised about $10,000 for various charities specified by the people who decorated and donated the trees, according to Mary Ann Carson, executive director of the sponsoring Cambria Chamber of Commerce.

“The trees were particularly large and beautiful this year,” she said, with heights including a 10-footer, 9-footer, eight that were taller than 6 feet and four that were shorter.

The top-selling tree was Brian and Wendy Sheridan’s “Choose Your Own Charity” tree, which sold first to an anonymous donor for $1,150 (for the high school computer department), and then to Linda Finley for $250 toward the Sunrise Rotary Club.

Tish Rogers’ “Wildlife of Cambria” tree raised $800 for Santa Rosa Catholic Church. Cathy Wilson bought the Plummer family’s tree for $250, but the next day, chamber President Mel McColloch added another $400 (Wilson got the tree, however), all of which went to the Central Coast Honor Flight program that escorts war vets to Washington, D.C.

The “Cambria Christmas” tree donated by Cambria Rotary Club for high school scholarships raised $600, as did the “Gingerbread Christmas” tree donated by Ramona Voge to benefit the county Sheriff’s Explorer Scouts. Some of the scouts were at the event with the tree, and also helped with cleanup, as did Cambria Boy Scouts.

Organizer Wendy Sheridan said the associated tour of five bed-and-breakfast inns “was all fantastic a success in every way.”

Carson said some of the changes made to this year’s tree auction format won’t be continued next year. “We tried to make too many changes all at once,” she said.

This story was originally published December 10, 2014 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Cambria's Festival of Trees: Decorated and donated to benefit charity."