A6 • Friday, December 11, 2020 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Trees: ‘A completely different way of putting on an event’
Continued from Page A1
trees, the 23rd annual Festi-
val of Trees had only eight,
all of which were sponsored
by local individuals and
businesses. However, the
effort that the organizations,
designers, fl orists and volun-
teers contributed to decorate
each individual tree was in
no way scaled back.
“Nothing has changed —
the trees are as stunning as
they are every year,” Ward
said.
The designers put a
whimsical spin on this
year’s theme. One elaborate
display, sponsored by the
Cannon Beach Chamber of
Commerce, included a life-
sized replica of the Grinch
attempting to steal the tree
and suck presents and dec-
orations down a giant tube.
Hanging from the tree,
wooden signs were posi-
tioned to read “2020 Stink,
Stank, Stunk.”
Each group, Ward said,
was “really trying to have
fun and be joyful about all
the challenges we’ve faced
this year.”
The trees were lined up
in the Necanicum Room,
which has a large, east-
ward-facing window.
On Saturday from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. — the time that
would normally be reserved
for the community open
house and “Candy Cane
Lane” — the public was
invited to stroll along the
sidewalk between the Neca-
nicum River and the con-
vention center and view the
exquisite trees.
Children received bags
with a cookie to decorate
and a couple craft proj-
ects, including a birdhouse
donated by Child’s Play in
Cannon Beach.
Organizers wanted to
give children and families “a
piece of festival to take home
with them,” which was remi-
niscent of the arts, crafts and
activities normally offered
on Candy Cane Lane, Ward
said.
The Festival of Trees gala
and auction, a fundraiser
for Providence’s campaign
to expand cardiac services
on the North Coast, also
looked different this year.
The virtual event was a
mixture of live-streaming
from the convention center,
prerecorded clips featuring
Providence executives, and
short musical performances
by Amos Lee, Storm Large
and Aaron Meyer and the
sion when they did. Had they
pursued holding the event
in-person, it likely would’ve
been canceled or they
would’ve had less times for
making adjustments.
As it was, the committee
had several months to col-
laborate with the organizers
of the Portland and South-
ern Oregon festivals.
“It’s been a really incred-
ible process of learning a
completely different way
of putting on an event,” she
said.
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The Providence Festival of Trees in Seaside looked a bit diff erent this year, although it still
involved eight stunning tree displays sponsored and decorated by local organizations and
individuals.
donations from local busi-
nesses. The trees and their
respective gift packages
were also auctioned off.
The silent auction fea-
tured a noticeably smaller
quantity of items this year,
which was intentional, Ward
said.
Unlike in previous years,
the organizers didn’t “pound
the pavement” asking for
donations, although they still
received several from will-
ing participants, Ward said.
“We recognize small
businesses are hurting, and
we wanted to be respectful
of that,” she added.
‘A Reimagined Event’
Signs placed on the tree made the fi tting declaration: 2020
Stink, Stank, Stunk.
Brown Sisters.
Mark Nelsen, the Fox
12 weatherman, emceed the
event onsite at the conven-
tion center. Mark Schenfeld,
of Stokes Auction Group,
was the auctioneer.
The virtual gala still
involved several staples of
the traditional event: raf-
fl e drawings for a wine tree
and an extended trip to one
of fi ve destinations, as well
as a silent auction featuring
The Festival of Trees
Committee met in mid-
March to discuss this year’s
event. Even then, Ward said,
they anticipated it would dif-
fer because of the COVID-
19 pandemic. They decided
then to change course and
organize a virtual festival.
“As a healthcare organi-
zation, it was our responsibil-
ity to do this event as safely
as possible,” Ward said, add-
ing it was the best alterna-
tive, “given we didn’t know
what would be going on with
COVID in December.”
Looking back, she is
grateful they made the deci-
Continued from Page A1
to win the game, he said.
“We have to make the
effort so people know that
the restaurants, hotels and
businesses are follow-
ing the rules,” he said.
“People are going out.
But where are they going
to go? The place where
they feel safest. Health
and hygiene is the first
priority.”
He advised business
owners to be clear and
upfront about what mea-
sures they are taking and
if and when a virus out-
break takes place.
Failure to follow coro-
navirus guidelines could
ruin the reputation of a
business, he said.
“If business owners
hide, it is a danger,” he
said. “It’s an obligation to
Head housekeeper Rocio Amezcua at work in the River Inn.
be transparent.”
Beyond burning trees and
structures to the ground, Ore-
gon’s historic wildfi res have
also impaired water qual-
ity in thousands of miles of
streams this year.
About 400 miles of
fi sh-bearing streams and
2,500 miles of other water-
ways were affected by wild-
fi res that burned 1 million
acres of forests in the state
this year, said Kyle Abra-
pressure to more strictly reg-
ulate irrigation diversions
and pesticide usage.
“Some of the most com-
mon threats we see include
accelerated soil erosion,
increased water runoff with
fl ooding and potential debris
fl ows, and expansion of
invasive plants and noxious
weeds,” Abraham said.
Water systems, fi sh hab-
itat, drinking water, roads
and bridges can be affected
by wildfi re damage, though
it’s possible to recover from
these effects, Abraham said.
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Apart from introducing
more sediment and nutrients
into streams, wildfi re reduces
shade and raises water tem-
peratures to the detriment of
aquatic species, said Keith
Andersen, western region
administrator for the state’s
Department of Environmen-
tal Quality.
In the immediate after-
math of the fi res, hazardous
waste is being removed from
burned areas and structures
near waterways are being
stabilized to prevent further
pollution, Andersen said.
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Experts say fi res harmed state water quality
ham, chief of the Oregon
Department of Forestry’s pri-
vate forests division.
“After severe fi re, soils
once held together by vegeta-
tion and protected by ground
cover no longer have the
ability to retain water or the
root support to prevent ero-
sion,” Abraham testifi ed on
Monday before the state Sen-
ate Committee on Environ-
ment and Natural Resources.
Water quality degradation
is concerning to agriculture
because adverse impacts to
sensitive species can increase
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Lodging: ‘It’s an obligation to be transparent’
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One benefi t of doing a
virtual event, she added,
was increased accessibility.
Anyone could tune-in to the
gala for free, and they could
watch from the comfort of
their own home, regardless
of location. Leading up to
the festival, people regis-
tered who had not attended
a gala in years past.
“We have such a gener-
ous community, and I think
they’re ready to have some-
thing to look forward to,”
Ward said.
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