Festival of Trees Raises Funds—and Fun!
By Michael McAllister
Among the many sights and sounds of the holiday season that Grinnell offers Grinnellians, the Drake Community Library’s Festival of Trees ranks high on the list of delights. This year’s event officially opened at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 1.
The festival is a Grinnell tradition that predates the library’s present location established in 2009. It is intended as a fundraiser for the library, enabling the purchase of a variety of resources materials, and it is also a Christmas gift to the community.
Individuals and businesses can decorate a tree—creativity is encouraged—and members of the community vote for their favorite tree through monetary 
contributions. This year’s voting window was December 1 through December 3.
As this article is written, voting time remains, so the winning tree has yet to be determined. All trees, however, are winners in the sense that they display imaginative efforts to support a worthy cause.
The pictures that follow provide a virtual tour of some of the creative offerings on display.
