Deck the Trees breaks record again in 2021
Annual fundraiser collects $41,000 for SVCM Fuel Fund, organizers announce winners
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
January 12, 2022
As the annual holiday fundraiser Deck the Trees wraps up its 11th year, organizers are celebrating another record-breaking holiday season of fundraising in which they raised $41,000 for the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry Fuel Fund. Photo by Fred McCormick
Two things remained remarkably consistent through the first decade of Deck the Trees. Each year the annual fundraiser supporting the Swannanoa Valley Chrisitian Ministry Fuel Fund grew in size, and every holiday season the event generated more money, used to provide heating assistance for local residents.
As organizers of Deck the Trees put a bow on the fundraiser’s 11th year, which featured 45 entries from local businesses and organizations, they’re celebrating another record-setting holiday season, in which the event raised $41,000 for the fuel fund.
Twenty-one Christmas trees, each creatively decorated to coincide with the 2021 theme - “A Black Mountain Christmas” - were arranged throughout the first floor of the Monte Vista Hotel through the month of December, while 24 participating businesses displayed their entries across the Swannanoa Valley. The viewing public selected their favorite trees through donations, counting each dollar as a single vote. Participants were allowed unlimited votes, which could be cast for various entries.
The fundraiser, which is organized by a committee that begins meeting each summer, was sponsored by 17 area businesses, including Mark Kleive Renewing Smiles, Givens Highland Farms and Cheryl Keefer Fine Art.
Winners of the 2021 Deck the Trees were announced in four categories, including two inside the Monte Vista, which has hosted the event since it began, and two in the community.
A tree decorated by the Black Mountain Fire Department, which featured wooden ornaments with the names of past and present firefighters and their families, received the most votes of the entries in the hotel.
Of the 21 trees displayed in the Monte Vista Hotel for the 11th annual Deck the Trees, the entry by the Black Mountain Fire Department raised the most money for the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry Fuel Fund. Photo by Fred McCormick
The white tree with red bows and a focus on sweet treats inside of Kilwin’s earned the most votes of the 24 trees displayed throughout the community.
Kilwin’s, with entries in its West State Street location and inside the Monte Vista Hotel, led the way in votes for its in-store entry in the 2021 Deck the Trees. Photo by Fred McCormick
Entries by the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, Oliver’s Woodworks, Mountain Fairy Hair and Black Mountain Pickleball each received honorable mentions as top fundraisers in the Monte Vista, while Krista Anne’s, The Old Depot Gallery, Green Tee Grille and Herschel’s were among the top of that list in the community.
Herschel’s, a country store and farmers market on Broadway Avenue, was selected by a panel of judges as the tree in the community that best represented the theme. The entry featured black-and-white scenes from Black Mountain’s past and a toy train around the base, and was the first for Herschel’s, which opened in the spring of 2021.
Herschel’s, which opened in 2021, was selected as the Deck the Trees entry in the community that best represented the theme, “A Black Mountain Christmas.” Photo by Fred McCormick
Judges declared the entry by Good Mow Joe, which featured ornaments depicting the location of towns that share the name “Black Mountain” in various states, the tree that best represents the theme of those displayed in the Monte Vista.
Displayed in the lobby of the Monte Vista Hotel, an entry submitted by Good Mow Joe that depicts the location of towns named “Black Mountain” in various states, was declared by judges to best represent the theme of the 2021 Deck the Trees. Photo by Fred McCormick
Honorable mentions in that category from the hotel and in the community included trees from the Monte Vista, the Black Mountain Fire Department, Tyson’s Furniture and Kilwin’s.
Each of the four winners will receive a $100 gift card for Milton’s at the Monte Vista Boutique Hotel.
“It’s absolutely fabulous,” said Deck the Trees Committee Chair Libba Fairleigh, who has been involved in the fundraiser since it began. “Everyone did such a great job with their trees this year, and the community responded with tremendous generosity.”
A total of $41,400 will be given to support the SVCM Fuel Fund, which helps the Black Mountain-based nonprofit organization provide propane, kerosene and wood to local residents in need each winter. Since its inaugural year in 2011, Deck the Trees has raised nearly $200,000 for the fund.
“I really believe that this event shows some of the best the Swannanoa Valley has to offer each year,” Fairleigh said. “From the support of our amazing sponsors, to the hard work and creativity that these businesses put into their trees, to the generosity of the people who vote for them, it really shows just how much this community can accomplish when it works together. And, we’re incredibly grateful for all of that.”