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How is your holiday planning going? It may
seem far too early to even contemplate this question. However, at
UPARC Foundation the holidays are on everyone's minds since
planning for the 23rd Annual Festival of Trees Tampa Bay is already
well underway.
"This event is a year round endeavor,"
said Karen Crown, UPARC Foundation's executive director. "We live
and breathe festival almost every day."
"Like the reformed Scrooge," Brent Troth,
director of development added, "We keep the holidays in our hearts
(and minds) all year long."
The theme for this year's festival is
"Home for the Holidays," which brings to mind all of those happy
memories of times spent with family and friends during the holiday
season. Brett McMullen, the volunteer chair of the festival for
this year sees the theme a little differently.
"When I hear 'Home for the Holidays,' it
makes me think 'Down Home for the Holidays.' It reminds me of
simpler times in an era that sometimes seems to be fading from our
community. I think that is the feeling this year's Festival will
try to evoke," he said.
Of course, other than determining a theme,
one of the most important tasks for UPARC Foundation is to find a
signature artwork to use in promoting the Festival.
"We try to find an image that is fun and
colorful, but that also embodies the atmosphere that is the
festival. This year, I think we have achieved that goal," Troth
said. "We are very fortunate to have as our signature artwork
'Purrfectly Trimmed,' an original watercolor by a world renowned
artist with a local connection, P. Buckley Moss. The piece is
beautiful with a great whimsical touch. We all just love it."
"I am delighted to be a part of this
wonderful event and honored to have been asked to participate,"
Moss said. "I am always happy to help an organization like
UPARC."
At the Festival of Trees, P. Buckley Moss
Galleries will release a limited edition print of 'Purrfectly
Trimmed' which will be available for purchase through all of its
galleries with a portion of the proceeds being donated to UPARC.
UPARC will also receive a percentage of the purchase price of the
original watercolor.
"The participation of P. Buckley Moss in
this year's Festival is an amazing gift to the people served by
UPARC," noted Karen Crown. "We never dreamed when we asked for
their involvement that they would give so much. We appreciate both
P. Buckley Moss' incredible talent and her tremendous
generosity. This will truly be a 'Purrfectly Trimmed' Festival
thanks to her."
The Festival of Trees will be held Nov.
21-25 at the Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St., Clearwater, with
the Premiere Night Gala being held at the Harborview Center on the
evening of Tuesday, Nov. 20.
For more information about the festival,
visit www.treefest.com or call the UPARC Foundation offices at
727-712-3993.
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