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Exeter's Festival of Trees silent auction goes virtual

Portsmouth Herald
·3 min read

EXETER — The Festival of Trees will once again be an in-person event, but the silent auction will be online.

The Festival of Trees will take place Dec. 1 and 2nd and utilize an online platform to manage both the silent auction and raffle tree ticket sales. The event usually held on one day has been split into two in an effort to manage the number of visitors.

All proceeds from the Festival of Trees in Exeter, N.H., benefit the Community Children’s Fund by providing local families in need with vouchers for winter clothing and bedding.
All proceeds from the Festival of Trees in Exeter, N.H., benefit the Community Children’s Fund by providing local families in need with vouchers for winter clothing and bedding.

The link to the online auction will be available to bidders when the festival opens on Dec. 1st at 11 a.m. and will remain open until Dec. 2nd at 8 p.m. The auction link will be posted on the Festival of Trees website at www.exeterareacharitablefoundation.org/festivaloftrees, as well as on their Facebook page (Festival of Trees – Exeter, NH).

As in previous Festival of Trees events at the Town Hall, all of the 50 decorated trees will be on display for viewing. But, instead of using paper bidding sheets, all of the bidding for the trees (and raffle tree ticket sales) will be done via an online platform. Directions on how to bid on a tree and buy raffle tickets will be available during the event.

“The committee is looking forward to once again, hosting the festival in person and we’re confident that the new online format will provide access to even more people wishing to participate in the 23rd annual Festival of Trees,” said the event’s co-chair Bonnie Galinski. “If they can’t make it in person, and still want to support us, the site can be accessed from home.”

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All the trees will be posted on the site with corresponding photos and each tree will have a plaque in front of it with a QR code. Visitors can easily use their Smart Phones to directly access the bidding site for each tree.

A specific bid or maximum bid can then be placed. If a bid is placed on more than one tree, the bidder will be responsible for accepting any of the trees they bid on and win. An email or text will be sent with updates during the auction and the final winner will be announced at 8 p.m. on Dec. 2nd when the auction closes. Winners will be notified via email.

Tickets for the raffle tree will be available via a separate link on both the Festival of Trees website and Facebook page. They will be sold in increments of 1 for $1; 6 for $5; or 12 for $10. Quantities of tickets can also be purchased. A random winner will be chosen at 8 p.m. on Dec. 2nd and notified via email.

Thanks to the many area businesses contributing gift certificates, this year’s raffle tree is valued at over $2,000.

Printed instructions for accessing the online platform for both tree bidding and raffle tree ticket sales will be made available at the Festival of Trees event. Committee members will be assisting visitors as well.

All proceeds from the event benefit the Community Children’s Fund by providing local families in need with vouchers for warm winter clothing and bedding. Last year, the fund under the auspices of the Exeter Area Charitable Foundation, distributed $93,000 in vouchers. Over $35,000 of that total was raised through the Festival of Trees.

For any questions, please contact the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce at 603-772-2411.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: 2021 Exeter's Festival of Trees silent auction goes virtual