Festival of Trees in Simi Valley to help families of cancer patients

Elvis has not left the building.

At least not yet.

For now, an Elvis Presley-themed Christmas tree with a photo promoting the King’s 1968 NBC comeback special is part of a magical North Pole setting at the former Macy’s store at the Simi Valley Town Center.

It’s one of 24 decorated trees at the Festival of Trees Ventura County, which runs 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, 4-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at 1657 Simi Town Center Way. Admission for the Simi Valley event is $20 on opening night, which includes champagne and sparkling cider, and $5 for adults and $3 for children Thursday through Saturday.

Besides Elvis Presley, the trees are decorated in themes varying from Santa Claus to the Old West, and they range from 4-to-10 feet tall.

Proceeds from the festival and its silent auction of Christmas trees, holiday quilts and wreaths will benefit families of cancer patients at the Adventist Health Simi Valley hospital and the Adventist Health Urgent Care clinic in Moorpark, said Barbara Glodfelty, one of seven local women organizing the seventh annual event.

The retired Simi Valley event planner discussed the festival as she led the way around the trees, wreaths, the Elf’s Emporium with hand-knitted gifts, Kids’ Craft Corner and Frosty’s Sweet Shoppe with baked goods, hot chocolate and candy canes.

In addition, there's the area where Santa and Mrs. Claus will meet with children and their families. At the opposite end of the festival, ensembles varying from the Simi Valley High School Choir to the Gotta Dance Academy will perform on a large stage. For the entertainment schedule, see festivalofthetrees.org.

Before this year, the event was known as the Simi Valley Festival of Trees. Glodfelty, who’s been with the festival since it was started in 2017 with the help of the Adventist Health Simi Valley Foundation, said the event got a new name after becoming incorporated this year as a separate nonprofit, Festival of Trees Ventura County.

Glodfelty said she doesn’t have past attendance figures but said the event’s large space at the front of the old Macy’s store last year was “wall-to-wall people.”

Bids for the Christmas trees start at a price based on the costs of the ornaments and presents that go with the tree, said Glodfelty, who decorated a Barbie-themed tree that she expects will begin at $100. She has seen $1,000 bids.

“One year, we had a tree with a whole camping set, including a tent,” Glodfelty said.

She predicted most of the trees will be sold Wednesday but added they will remain at the festival before being delivered on Sunday to their new owners.

The wreaths vary from traditional Christmas decorations to one made entirely from coffee filters and another created from ribbons. One volunteer painted a hubcap light blue and turned it into a wreath.

Since 2017, the festival has raised approximately $125,000 and helped more than 35 families in Simi Valley, Glodfelty said.

She said Festival of Trees Ventura County is reaching out to City of Hope and UCLA, which have cancer treatment facilities in Simi Valley, to find more families.

She added that the new nonprofit’s goal is to eventually raise money for families of cancer patients at hospitals and clinics throughout Ventura County.

Families can spend the money however they’d like, she said. For example, a family getting a $2,000 grant could spend it on their rent, bills, transportation or medical equipment not covered by insurance, she said.

“We’re trying to help them out with everyday living expenses," Glodfelty said.

She knows from her own experience how the expenses add up. Her husband, Bill, a corporate and acrobatic pilot who flew in plane shows, died approximately two years ago from blood cancer.

"He chose not to do the more expensive treatments because he did not want to go through the family savings,” she said.

Glodfelty said the Festival of Trees began when founder Jaimee Roark was inspired by her mother, who worked at a similar festival at a convention center in Salt Lake City. Roark approached the president of the Adventist Health Simi Valley Foundation, who liked the idea.

“We started out at the old Blockbuster’s on Tapo Canyon Road the first year,” Glodfelty said. “We’ve bounced all over town.”

Glodfelty said organizers get a lot of help from other residents and people like the Simi Valley High School boys basketball team, which this year unloaded what was needed to turn the old Macy's store into the North Pole.

“I am invigorated by this every year,” Glodfelty said. “My kids and grandkids come and think it’s inspiring. They love the idea that Christmas is not just about presents under a tree. It’s about giving back.”

Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Festival of Trees Ventura County to help cancer patients' families