Club sponsors tree festival this weekend
Brown Express raising money for several causes
By Bobbi Mlynar
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Emporia Brown Express Athletic Club will sponsor its first annual Kansas Festival of Christmas Trees on Dec. 8 and 9 at the Flinthills Mall, 15th Avenue and Industrial Road.
Gilbert Rodriguez, club spokesman, said that the weekend festival is planned to raise money for the Emporia State University Hornet scholarship fund, the Salvation Army, and a medical expense fund for Landon Doty, who was born Jan. 19, 2007 with a chronic illness that affects lungs and digestive system.
“People from the community, students or organizations, businesses, or anybody can go (to the mall) and dress up a tree, and then Sunday at 4 o’clock we’re going to auction off the trees,” Rodriguez said.
A program is planned to open the festival and vendors will have food stands and T-shirts to sell, he said.
Alyssa George, the 2007 Miss Kansas, will be in Emporia Monday evening at two events in support of the festival.
George will sign autographs and be available for photographs from 7 to 7:40 p.m. Monday at the mall. She will be at the W.L. White Auditorium at 8 p.m. to do a promotion for the festival during half-time of the Emporia State University vs. Evangel women’s basketball game, Rodriguez said.
Members of the A Company, 1st Battallion, 635th Armor of the National Guard will escort Geneva Anders into the festival to sing the national anthem at noon on Dec. 8. State Rep. Don Hill, ESU President Michael Lane, city commissioners and other dignitaries are expected to attend, he said.
The program that day will include performances by the ESU Madrigal Singers, singers and dancers from Sandra Burgen’s Studio of Fine Arts, students in the ESU piano program and the New Covenant Choir.
The program on Sunday will begin at 1 p.m. with performances by the Studio 2B Mexican dancers, solos by Geneva Anders, the Salvation Army Little Angels in God’s Army, the Emporia Christian School, Midwest Martial Arts of Topeka, and Sandra Burgen’s Studio for Fine Arts.
The festival will be similar to those held annually in Topeka and at Crown Center in Kansas City, Rodriguez said.
Co-sponsors of the festival are the mall, Navrat’s Office Products, Emporia State Federal Credit Union, Riverside Gardens and Jock’s Nitch.
For more information call Rodriguez at 340-0353 or 341-5331. Donations of Christmas trees or money also will be accepted.
Rodriguez said that people who want to make tax-deductible monetary donations need to call the Emporia State Federal Credit Union, 342, 2336, for information.
The Brown Express also has raised money for ESU scholarships for 12 years by hosting a car show each April.