The treasured tradition of the Gatlinburg Festival of Trees is now in it’s final stages of planning for the 2009 festival.  The Festival will take place the week of Thanksgving, allowing tourist and locals both to enjoy the display of beautifully decorated trees.   For over 30 years Gatlinburg has hosted this beautiful tradition, and this year hopes to once again dazzle and enchant each and every visitor to the Festival.
Applications are now being received for tree sponsors for the event.  Sponsors can choose to decorate their own tree or have someone from the Event team decorate the tree.  Anyone interested in being a tree sponsor can contact the Smoky Mountain Area Rescue Ministries offices for a registration form or go online to www.gatlinburgfestivaloftrees.com
Along with the trees, this year the festival is hosting it’s first Gingerbread House Contest.   There are six categories in the competition:  amateur adult, youth, family, team/group, professional and purchased kit.  First and second place prizes will be awarded in each category level.  First place prizes will be  $100 Collier Foods Gift Cards and 2nd place prizes will be $25 Tanger Outlet Mall gift cards.  Contest Rules and applications can be found on the Gatlinburg Festival of Trees web site listed above.
This year will also be the first time the Festival has hosted a Business After Hours as part of the week’s festivities.  The Business After Hours will be on Monday night, November, 23, 2009 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.  at the Mill’s Conference Center.  This will give our local businesses a “first look” at this year’s Festival of Trees.  Sevier Co. Bank is the sponsor for the Business After Hours where  one of the door prizes for the evening will be a decorated tree displayed at the Festival.   The Gingerbread House winners will be announced at the  Business After Hours event.
The traditional Kick-off Luncheon for the Festival will be on Tuesday, November 24, at 11:30 a.m.    Tickets are now available for the luncheon ($25 per person)  at the SMARM office and at the Sevier Co. Bank Gatlinburg location.  
This is the second year in which the City of Gatlinburg has requested the help of SMARM in planning the event.   All proceeds from the event will benefit SMARM.
Volunteers are  needed the weekend before the event to help decorate the trees.  SMARM has set a goal of 100 tree sponsors for this year.
For more information concerning the Gatlinburg Festival of Trees,  contact the SMARM office at 908-3153, the SMARM web site:  www.smarm.org or the official festival web site at:  www.gatlinburgfestivaloftrees.com. 

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