Festival of Trees brings in $10K in Pahrump

The Mountain Falls Grill Room was all aglitter with the shine and sparkle of the Christmas season during the 14th Annual Festival of Trees, hosted by Nathan Adelson Hospice.

The largest fundraiser of the year for the Pahrump branch of the nonprofit hospice, the Festival of Trees was hailed as a big success with thousands of dollars making their way to Nathan Adelson’s coffers to support the organization’s vision that no one ends the journey of life alone, afraid or in pain.

“We were thrilled to host the 14th Annual Festival of Trees in Pahrump at the Mountain Falls Grill Room. It’s wonderful to see everyone come out, enjoy themselves and help raise money for our efforts to continue providing exceptional end-of-life care for the entire community,” Cassondra Farris, an executive assistant at Nathan Adelson Hospice, said following the event.

Farris detailed that over 100 patrons packed into the Grill Room on Friday, Dec. 7 to enjoy an evening of food, fun and fast-paced auctions. The Festival of Trees is brought to life each year by the generous donations of local businesses, organizations and individuals, with a total of 24 auction items hitting the auction block that evening. Included were a variety of trees, wreaths and stockings, all decked out in holiday style.

The action of the live auction was manned by two veterans of the auctioneering profession, Ski Censke and Ron Gipson, who have been lending their fast-talking talents to the Festival of Trees for many years. The pair makes an excellent team, sweet-talking the crowd and cajoling participants in order to bring in as much cash as possible, often resulting in gales of laughter from their audience. In addition to the auction, there were also 14 different raffle items for attendees to take home, with all the proceeds going toward Nathan Adelson’s nonprofit hospice work.

“Every year we are so thankful that members of the community help us raise so much money. This year, we had some incredibly decorated trees and wreaths. Several were so popular during the bidding that after being auctioned off, they were donated back and then bought again! To that end we raised more than $10,000,” Farris stated. “This year we had so many wonderful sponsors. We would like to thank the following: Gunny’s Air Conditioning and Heating, Desert View Hospital, Valley Electric Association, Dr. Mirit Avram, Dr. William Craig, Southern Nevada Detention Center, Saddle West Hotel and Casino, Ms. Senior Golden Years, Nevada Silver Tappers, Great Basin College and Pahrump Family Dental.”

For more information on Nathan Adelson Hospice visit www.nah.org or call the Pahrump office at 775-751-6700.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com