DIXON, CA (MPG) - Dancers, violinists, and handbells, too, will be part of the entertainment lineup at this Saturday’s 13th annual Kiwanis Festival of Trees at the Veterans Memorial Hall. Grab a cup of coffee or cocoa provided by Dutch Brothers and enjoy the show.

Performers will feature live entertainment amidst beautifully decorated Christmas trees up for auction.

“The Festival of Trees offers a wonderful opportunity to see amazing hand decorated trees and experience joyful entertainment,” said Kiwanis Club President Mike Liu.

The event opens at 9 a.m. and offers day-long musical entertainment starting at 10 a.m. with ‘The Seasonal Strings,’ a group of Florie Brown’s violin students from Davis. The Methodist Handbell Choir will perform a bit later at 11 a.m.

The fun Santa-garbed young people from the Dixon Dance Studio will perform at noon to a variety of holiday songs.

Next up at 1 p.m. will be the John Knight Middle School Band followed by the WCW Strings at 2 p.m., and then at 3 p.m., the Dixon High School Choir will perform Christmas favorites.

With any luck and lots of encouragement, you may get to hear the Dixon High School Key Club students singing Christmas jingles and they will be inviting the audience to sing along. Over the past few years, the Kiwanis club recognized there was a growing need for being able to take credit or debit cards for the decorated trees at the end of the auction at the annual Kiwanis Festival of Trees. Now, that option has become a reality thanks to Co-Chairs Brandi Profitt and Kristen Janisch.

Janisch pursued getting a web host that specializes in these types of auctions and now the trees will be pictured on one’s personal phone or tablet through a simple process and bid on the beautifully decorated trees.

“Anyone could make a bid anywhere from their phone – even while sitting with a friend in Starbucks or Solano Baking Company,” she said. You will also be kept abreast of other people’s bids so you can choose to increase your bid or not from your cell phone.

“The program will send you a text called, ‘outbid’ which alerts you that someone has outbid you,” she explained. Instead of the traditional bid sheets placed on stands next to the corresponding tree, where you wrote your number and the increased dollar amount, there will be ‘elves’ wandering around ready to take your bid on their iPads.

Guests are invited to light refreshments at the dessert social at 5 pm thanks to wonderful volunteer cookie contributors that help make this unique Dixon tradition a hometown favorite.

“The funds raised through this event benefit the children of our community,” added Liu. “We look forward to seeing everyone there.”

The Festival of Trees will be held at 1305 North First Street, across from Ron DuPratt Ford. There is free admission and also free parking to this silent tree auction which serves to benefit Dixon children and the Kiwanis Family House. 

For more information, go to Kiwanis of Dixon Facebook page, call (707) 635-3303 or email [email protected].