Mercy Festival of Trees 2006
The Mercy Festival of Trees was kicked off last night at the Holiday Inn in downtown Dubuque. The QueenB on-air personalities were on hand to interview Diana Kirkwood, the Marketing Director for Mercy Medical Center and so was 365's Ralph Kluseman to take a few pictures and check out the display. The Mercy 2006 Festival of Trees is presented by KWWL - TV. Visit the Holiday Inn and see the fabulous trees, wreaths, mantlepieces and table decorations, gifts and collectibles and place your bid during the silent auction that runs throughout the festival. This event runs through this Sunday. Find out more about the festival in the 365Ink Magazine feature article reprinted below...

Time to Light Up the Trees
by Tim Brechlin, 365Ink

The holiday season brings with it quite a few things ... wreaths ... caroling ... the annual opportunity to curse the demented soul that invented eggnog ... but let's not forget one of the biggest staples of the holidays. We're talking about trees!

It's time for the 2006 Festival of Trees, brought to you by the Mercy Medical Center, presented by KWWL Channel 7, held at the Holiday Inn in downtown Dubuque. And, as one might expect, the Festival of Trees will feature ... well, a lot of trees, and a whole lot more.

The festival officially begins on Wednesday, November 22, with viewing of the trees in the Holiday Inn Lobby from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. daily. The festival will run through Sunday, November 26, and a silent auction of all the trees, wreaths, decorations and gift items will run throughout the entire festival until 5 p.m. on November 26.

But there's more than just viewing of trees! The festivities will actually begin a day earlier, on Tuesday, November 21, with the third annual Red Dress Breakfast in the Holiday Inn's grand ballroom. Ladies, put on your finest red attire and get thee over to the Holiday Inn by 7:30 a.m. Yeah, it's early, but it's worth it! For $15, you get a great breakfast and a ton of information about heart disease in women. Some health, some food, some friends, some fun ... how can you argue? Reservations can be made by calling 563-589-9600.

There's plenty more going on, like the Champagne & Diamonds reception on the same day (November 21). That'll be from 6 until 9 p.m., in the grand ballroom, featuring a string quartet, Madrigal singers, hors d'oeuvres, a live auction and a wine pull. Those diamond-inclined people over at Doland Jewelers will also be raffling off a 2.10-carat diamond bracelet ... shiny! Tickets are $25, and reservations can be made by calling 563-589-8772.Or if you're more for the baked goods thing (totally understandable), there's a cookie walk on Saturday, November 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Guests can wander through a simply stupendous selection of homemade cookies, hand-picking various ones to fill a bucket (and a bucket averages 2 1/2 to 3 dozen cookies). All for $9!

And for parents with little girls, make time for the Mommy and Me Tea, presented by Pixie Stix on November 25 from 11 a.m. until noon. This is a time for the wee daughters to spend some quality time with mom, sampling finger sandwiches, cookies and punch, picking up a special goodie bag, and enjoying other fun activities. Tickets for Mommy and Me Tea are $8, and seats are limited. You can grab a ticket at the Mercy Gift Shop or at Pixie Stix.
And there will also be a few musical offerings throughout the Festival of Trees, too. On Thursday, November 23, T's N J's Disc Jockey Productions will be playing Christmas music and requests from 5 until 7 p.m., and the All-Star Country Dancers will be performing on Friday, November 24, from 7 'til 8 p.m. On Saturday, November 25, there's a huge assortment of music, with the Claddagh Irish Dancers at 1 p.m., the Dubuque Dance Studio at 2 p.m., American Brass at 4 p.m. and the Dubuque Rhythm Cloggers at 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, November 26, you can catch the Resurrection Church Choir at 1 p.m., the Hempstead Show Choir and Brass Quintet at 2 p.m., the Jefferson Middle School Brass Plus at 3 p.m. and the Wahlert a cappella choir at 4 p.m.
So, between the music, the events, the auctions, the raffles ... there's going to be quite a bit going down over at the Holiday Inn.
Plus, you know, trees.

- Photos by Ralph Kluseman