Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital Auxiliary volunteers pose with one of the trees during setup for last year's Warther's Christmas Tree Festival. (Union Hospital Auxiliary's Warther's Tree Festival)

DOVER (Tusco TV) - Warther’s Christmas Tree Festival organizers are gearing up for another season of giving to support Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital. 

The 26th-annual festival opens Saturday and runs through November 24th at the Warther Museum in Dover. Event co-chair Nathan Paternoster says auxiliary volunteers have spent months getting everything ready for the weeklong fundraiser that features a large assortment of themed Christmas trees.
  
"They’re either put together by us, the auxiliary, or they are also donated by people in the community We have 80 trees this year and the ladies travel to Atlanta and buy items for the trees and we all collectively decorate them. It’s a labor of love, really," he says.

Festival admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and under for the chance to view the trees and decorations that are also available for purchase. Or for $75, Paternoster says people can attend Friday’s Preview Party for the first choice of trees and the chance to bid on some great items. 

"There is a live auction. Warther’s Cutlery donates an item. The House of Stones donates a piece of jewelry. Williams Furniture donates a beautiful bedroom suite. We also have a lodge stay that has been donated," he says.

The festival runs daily from 11 am to 8 pm except for the final Sunday when it closes at 5 pm. Auxiliary First Vice-President Angie Thomas says it's the group’s largest and most important fundraiser.

"It typically raises a hundred-thousand dollars or more. That’s our donation from this fundraiser. Our entire donation to the hospital last year was about $225,000. That money was used to purchase mammography equipment for Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital," she says.

Other festival highlights include Senior Day on Monday with half-price admission for people ages 60 and over and a kids tree decorating workshop next Saturday that's $25 for participating children. Reservations are required for the workshop and can be made by calling 330-260-4770. 

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