A week of festivity came to a close on Saturday, Nov. 26 with the annual Festival of Lights (FoL) gala dinner at the Stettler Community Hall.
Hosted by the Stettler Health Services Foundation, the FoL started as a simple decorated-tree auction but morphed into a full five days of events designed to raise money for the foundation, which is in turn used to help purchase equipment for the Stettler hospital.
The hall, decorated by the many volunteers involved in the festival, was a sparkling wonderland of crystals, silver ribbons and holiday decor.
The edges of the hall were crowded with the many items donated by local residents and businesses for the auction, which brought in a decent amount of money again this year – though final numbers weren't available, FoL committee Chair Sue Peterson said she expected it to be on par with previous festivals.
"Our attendance for events was very good, though quite quiet during the day," she said. "We had a generous amount of donations for the food bank though, despite the daily downturn."
The gala on the final day featured a live auction, several raffles, and the closure of the remaining silent auctions.
A significant number of the silent auctions are closed at 1 p.m. on the Friday of the festival. This year, the Festival introduced "Bids and Bites," as people were in the hall to ensure no one sniped their bids.
"Many people come in early to watch over their bids, and we thought it would be helpful to offer a bite to eat," Peterson explained. The festival offered up soups prepared by Brenda's Country Catering.
The gala itself was catered by Teresa Kneeland Catering and was "met with rave reviews," Peterson said.
Every year, festival volunteers Dick Creasey, and Battle River-Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorenson donate their time to auction off the live items.
Sorenson, though busy with many events during the holiday season in his riding, said he always makes time to come to the Stettler festival.
"And then I'm back to Ottawa tomorrow," he said.
This year saw several jerseys, game tables, hockey tickets, fireplaces, and other home decor go up for bid, along with items suited for both him and her.
"While our attendance was a little lower than in past years, the bright side of things was the little extra space in the hall for the display of our auction items," Peterson said.
The annual Festival of Lights quilt, made and donated this year by the Stettler Stitchers, was won by Allen McMillan. Wendy Volker walked away with $1,000 from the cash auction, while Len Kostenuk won $650. The third-place cash raffle of $350 was won by Scott Nelson.
The festival doesn't forget its volunteers; at the gala, a raffle is held for people who volunteer during the week. This year, the volunteer raffle was won by Cindy Nelson.
"I am impressed with the excitement of our committee as they prepare and set up for each event," Peterson said. "By the end of the week, we are exhausted, yet they 'flip the room' to prepare for the gala with the excitement of kids on Christmas morning."
While the festival is over, there's still lots of work to do, as the committee plans to meet to discuss what worked and what didn't, iron out any kinks, and tally up the donations made throughout the week.