ADAMS TWP — A much-anticipated Christmas event will get visitors into the holiday spirit while raising funds for a worthy cause.

The 6th annual Hosanna Industries Festival of Trees will be held Nov. 16, 17 and 18 at Quality Gardens, 409 Route 228.

At the event, locals decorate a Christmas tree and submit it for bids by those who attend the free event to view the trees, enjoy live music and partake of refreshments.

Last year's festival included almost 60 trees decorated in various themes and raised $13,000 for Hosanna Industries, a faith-based, nonprofit mission whose work involves a variety of charitable initiatives aimed at helping the poor through projects including building or repairing homes for the needy, providing relief workers in disaster areas and vocational training for unskilled young people.

The trees on display at the festival, which also features live music and refreshments, are sold to the highest bidders.

There is no cost to view the trees and bid sheets or a “buy it now” price is displayed in front of each tree.

New this year, said Amanda Becker of Hosanna Industries, is the festival's opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday evening.

Becker said the reception offers 100 guests a first peek at the decorated trees and first chance to bid on them or secure one by paying the “buy it now” price for a tree.

“So technically, all the trees could be (purchased) by Thursday night,” Becker said.

She said professional red carpet photos, musicians from the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, hors d'oeuvres from a popular Warrendale tavern and beverages from Kingview Mead will be included in the reception at a cost of $25 per person.

Another new feature at this year's festival is a Giving Tree, Becker said.

On the tree will be tags emblazoned with items or services needed by the clients that Hosanna Industries serves. Becker said “$200 for a replacement window” and “$20 toward a Thanksgiving meal” are examples of tags on the Giving Tree.

Those attending the festival can pull a tag off and donate the amount on the tag to Hosanna Industries.

Becker said Hefren-Tillotson has agreed to match donations from the Giving Tree up to $1,000.

“It's a nice incentive to get people to give generously, knowing that their donations will be doubled,” Becker said.

One group that has participated in the Festival of Trees for several years is the Butler Area Woodturners.

Member Mike Grguras said he is friends with many Hosanna Industries workers and another member donated significant heavy equipment services to Hosanna construction missions in years past.

“So we thought it was a good idea to get the guys involved,” Grguras said. “Ever since then, it's been one of (the group's) missions.”

The group members are alerted each year at the September meeting that ornaments will be accepted for the Festival of Trees.

“The first year we got about 30 ornaments,” Grguras said. “Some guys make 15 or 20 and some guys make one or two.”

The wooden ornaments made by the group for the festival have included birdhouses, cathedrals, candles, mushrooms and everything in between. Some are sanded and stained, some are primitive and some are painted, Grguras said.

He estimates that individually, the ornaments could be sold for $15 to $35.

While most people decorate their own tree, the Woodturners ornaments are delivered directly to Hosanna Industries.

“Amanda decorates our tree,” Grguras said of Becker's help with the Woodturners tree. “She puts it all together.”

He said the group is happy to help the mission of Hosanna Industries.

“It's a wonderful organization,” said Grguras. “They help people and they also get people involved.”

Becker said she enjoys watching families peruse the trees, which this year will include a spice tree, an emoji tree, a butterfly tree, a tree with hand-painted watercolor ornaments, a tree with all recycled decorations and a tree decorated by the work skills students at Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“It's neat to see the handmade ornaments and the wide variety of talented artistic people we have around here,” Becker said, “and it's a great way for (Hosanna) to get the word out about what we are and who we serve.”

She hopes to raise at least $20,000 in the 2017 Festival of Trees because Hosanna Industries has received more calls for furnaces and hot water tanks in the past year than it has in its 26 years of existence.

Hosanna also will use some of the money to pay for the disaster relief mission they completed in flooded Richwood, W.Va., last year.

“We helped more than 40 households there,” Becker said. “We're now exploring ways to help the victims of the recent hurricanes (in the south.)”

She hopes everyone who has a passion for Christmas or art or helping those in need will visit the Festival of Trees this year.

“I think it'll be our best year ever,” she said.

In addition to the opening reception, the trees can be viewed or bid on from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18.

Santa will visit the latter viewing at midday.