The Festival of Trees typically held in Litchfield did not take place this year. According to Litchfield Tourism Coordinator Sarah Waggoner, more money ended up going into decorating the trees than to the intended charities. Waggoner added, based on studies conducted, the event also did not serve the nature of a tourism event which is to bring in visitors from at least 50 miles away to Litchfield. The way the Festival of Trees worked was someone could sponsor a tree, decorate it and pick a charity they wanted proceeds to go toward. Others could then place silent bids on the trees with the money going toward the charity each tree represented. Waggoner says in recent years, the money from silent bidding did not outweigh the cost of decorating the trees. After last year, the Tourism Office decided to try to come up with other ideas for a similar event to raise money for charities and something that would reach a larger audience. Waggoner says they will be open to working with any organization willing to host the event next year. Contact the Litchfield Tourism Office for more information at (217) 324-8147. Thomack 12/22/15