Auxiliary turns museum into indoor Christmas tree forest
DOVER (WJER) (Nov. 10, 2023) – Union Hospital Auxiliary members had a busy week setting up for their biggest and most festive fundraiser of the year.
Susan Mosher is chairing the 30th-annual Warther’s Christmas Tree Festival that opens Saturday at 11 am in the museum on Karl Avenue in Dover. She and other auxiliary members were hard at work when WJER News stopped by earlier in the week.
“Sunday morning we brought everything over and decorated the lobby to get that all finished. Then on Monday, we have a truck and we bring all of the trees that we decorate, bring them in, put them where they’re supposed to go and the rest of the time is just spent helping people get their trees in, fluffing, putting in the accessories that go with the trees – just making the last little tweaks and putting the signs up.”
The festival runs through next Sunday and features 58 intricately decorated trees, many with coordinating furniture and gifts, that you can buy to put up in your home or office afterward if they don’t/didn’t get snatched up during tonight’s preview party for ticketholders.
“They’re all my favorite. I love Christmas,” Mosher says. “We have the owl tree. It’s called ‘It’s a Hoot.’ I really like it. We have a couple of gingerbread-design-type themed trees, and I really like those. There’s really none that I don’t like.”
Admission is $5 per person and proceeds are donated to the hospital for patient care.
“All of our money stays here locally in Dover. We’re part of the Cleveland Clinic now but it doesn’t travel outside of Tuscarawas County. It stays here in Dover.”
The festival is open daily from 11 to 7 except on the final day next Sunday when it will close two hours earlier.
