A favorite Boise Christmas event was virtual last year. Now it’s canceled over COVID-19
For the second straight year, you won’t be able to stroll through the Festival of Trees in Boise.
The Saint Alphonsus Foundation announced in a news release Tuesday that this year’s holiday event — typically held on Thanksgiving weekend — is canceled, but will return in 2022. Saint Al’s said the cancellation was made out of an abundance of caution over the resurgent spread of COVID-19 in a state where vaccination rates remain low.
Saint Al’s hoped that safety protocols and the availability of the coronavirus vaccine would make the event possible, but COVID-19 cases continue to grow.
“As a health care system and as caregivers, we have a responsibility to navigate the pandemic with caution and provide a safe environment for those within our hospital, as well as limiting large community gatherings that we would normally have,” Odette Bolano, president and CEO of the Saint Alphonsus Health System, said in the news release.
In 2020, Saint Al’s held the festival virtually, which allowed the public to view trees and decorations from the comfort of their homes.
Gary Raney, a former Ada County sheriff and the chair of the Saint Alphonsus Foundation, said in the news release that it would be irresponsible to move forward with the event given current coronavirus data.
“As a community, we all want to return to normal and enjoy events like the Festival of Trees again,” Raney said in the release. “Unfortunately, it’s clear there is too great of a chance that we would be putting our community at risk by holding a live event. As difficult as it was, we know we are doing the right thing.”
The Saint Al’s Festival of Trees was scheduled to take place Nov. 24-28, with a gala set for Nov. 23 and a fashion show on Nov. 29, according to Saint Al’s spokesperson Mark Snider. All events are now off.
The beneficiary for the event would have been the new Neuro/Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. The health system is in the process of forming a new fundraising plan in light of the cancellation.
The Canyon County Festival of Trees appears to still be planned, as the festival’s website says the event will take place from Nov. 26-29 at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
This story was originally published August 3, 2021 at 12:55 PM.
