November 26, 2024 • 17 mins
Each year since 1999, the Washington County Humane Society celebrates the holidays with their annual Festival of Trees celebration. In the program's 25 years, it has raised nearly $1 million to help support the Humane Society and the medical needs of its pets. The beautiful trees and wreaths featured at the event are decorated by local community members and area businesses, and then raffled off through the weekend to help support the Humane Society. They're then delivered just in time for the holidays.
This year's event takes place Saturday, December 7, 2024 from 10am – 7pm and Sunday, December 8, 2024 from 10am – 4pm.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $6 for kids aged 4-12.
Takeaways:
- The Festival of Trees celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, showcasing local creativity and community spirit.
- Attendees can expect a winter wonderland filled with decorated trees, live music, and bakery treats.
- Funds raised at the Festival of Trees directly support the medical needs of shelter animals.
- The event provides an opportunity for the community to learn about various animal services offered.
- Volunteers are essential for the festival, helping with setup, decorations, and event activities.
- The Washington County Humane Society relies heavily on fundraising events to enhance their shelter services.
Links referenced in this episode:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Fuzz Martin (00:08):
Well, good day, friend.
Thank you so much for tuning into Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
I hope you are having the best week.
Some of you might be driving toThanksgiving to see your family.
Some of you might be Doingsome early Christmas shopping.
And some of you might be horribledeer hunters that listen to
(00:29):
podcasts in your tree stand.
I see you.
Yeah, but I appreciate you.
And I'm sure the deer appreciateyou listening to me instead
of their little hooves.
Walking through the brush.
My name is Fuzz Martin, and this is ashow about positive things happening in
and around Washington County, Wisconsin.
And this week we're talking aboutthe upcoming Festival of Trees at
(00:51):
the Washington County Humane Society.
And I'm joined by Joe Poczkalski andJessica Pillsbury, and we're going to
learn all about the event, the trees, theanimals, and how you can enjoy it all.
And with that, here are 15 minuteson the Washington County Humane
Society's Festival of Trees.
With Joe Poczkalski and Jessica Pillsbury,right here on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
(01:24):
Joe, Jessica, thank you somuch for coming in today.
Can you please start by tellingus a bit about Festival of Trees?
How did it get started?
What makes it unique?
What's cool about Festival of Trees?
Joe Poczkalski (01:36):
Yeah, this is our 25th anniversary one, and we're very
excited to celebrate that milestone.
Myself and the director, Kay, atthe Humane Society, we're looking
back at some old photos from thevery first Festival of Trees, 1999.
Wow.
Really cool to see where itstarted and where it began.
Our previous director, MarnieBrown, came up with the idea in
(01:56):
the late 90s, and it was a hit.
It took off, and the first festivalreally set the groundwork for, you
know, Successful at fundraisers then on.
So really unique in the fact that, allof our decor is decorated locally by
businesses and individuals, families,in whatever fashion they want.
We really don't put a lot of guardrails.
So, um, we have a lot of people whoare really pro tip on their, their
creative capacity, which is exciting.
(02:16):
We get some really cool,unique ideas that come through.
So I don't see a whole lot ofthat in the area, which, which I
think makes it really unique andmakes it really one to stop at.
Fuzz Martin (02:25):
So, for people who have not attended Festival of Trees
before, can you walk us throughwhat a guest at Festival of Trees
could expect, at this year's event?
What are some of the highlightsthey can look forward to?
Jessica Pillsbury (02:35):
Absolutely.
So I like to describe it aswalking into a winter wonderland.
You really can't describe it topeople until they have been there
and to get the whole picture.
But you walk into a room full ofChristmas lights and decorated trees.
The trees all have a theme, there'swreaths, there's holiday decor,
and then we have live music, acafe, a bakery, and then we also
(02:58):
have adaptable animals for viewing.
Great.
Excellent.
Yeah.
Fuzz Martin (03:01):
Oh, always bringing it back to the pets is, the best part about
the Washington County Humane Society.
Joe Poczkalski (03:07):
That's right.
Fuzz Martin (03:08):
Joe, you had mentioned before about, you, it briefly touched
on, how the, or who decorates thetrees, but can you talk about really the
process of how the trees are decorated,created, decorated, designed, how,
how does that process go about and
Joe Poczkalski (03:23):
really, like, what, how A ton goes into it.
This is a massive, massivedisplay we're talking about.
The decorating startspretty much right now.
I think, within the next week or so,we'll be inviting, people who sponsor
trees to come by and start decorating.
We call them deck decoratingparties and they're a lot of fun.
Oh, cool.
Sometimes we serve wine, butwe have snacks and coffee
and people, really have fun.
(03:43):
They bring decor in.
We have the tree set up forthem or the wreath available.
And they can come in and start, andwe give them whatever tools they need.
We sometimes give out hammers andwire cutters and all sorts of crazy
stuff, so we really encourage that.
But, that part of it begins earlyNovember and will go pretty much up
until the night before the event.
Fuzz Martin (04:03):
So, how does this event, and we've talked about some of your fun
events in the past here on the show,but how does this event, the Festival
of Trees, benefit You know, the animalsand the programming that you have
at Washington County Humane Society.
Can you share a bit about howthe funds that you raise here at
Festival of Trees helps make adifference at the Humane Society?
Jessica Pillsbury (04:25):
Absolutely.
So we very much rely on our fundraisers.
to, fund what we do at the shelter.
So you're really making a differenceby just attending our events.
A lot of the medical needs thatwe have for the animals, that's
what most of our money goes to.
That's basically the, the biggest part.
Yeah.
Joe Poczkalski (04:43):
The impact, um, the money raised, is, was really impressive.
We're closing in on a milliondollars raised at this particular
fundraiser at the 25th, 25thanniversary, which is really exciting.
So yeah, it's huge impact medically.
And just helps us introducenew programs, strengthen our
current ones, that sort of thing.
Fuzz Martin (05:00):
It's been going on since 1999.
And that was the year that we all partied.
That's right.
I, um, let's see, I was21 years old, uh, in 1999.
Fun.
So, I don't remember it completely.
Um, because I was working that yearbecause there was a big snow storm.
Studying too.
But, are there any special storiesfrom Festival of Trees that stand out
(05:23):
to you in your years that you've workedfor Washington County Humane Society?
Any?
Uh, moments that captured the joyor any stories that people talk
about, maybe that have been therefor a while, at the Humane Society.
Joe Poczkalski (05:35):
I'm going on about four years, at the shelter of my employment.
So, there's a long history beforeme, but, we almost had a fire.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
A year and a half ago.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
We had a stanchion cord thatwas a really old one, probably
from the 1999 Festival of Trees.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
Bundled into some cotton, and oneof the guests saw the plume of smoke
rise, so, you know, it was a smallisolated thing, never turned into a
(05:58):
fire, but one of those heart poundersthat I remember, not a fun memory,
but, um, So if you could donate
Fuzz Martin (06:05):
extension
Joe Poczkalski (06:06):
cords, if you're listening.
We'll take them.
We use a lot of extension cords.
We should actually do acount on how many we use.
It's, we have two giant totesfull of small extension cords.
So,
Fuzz Martin (06:16):
a fun
Joe Poczkalski (06:18):
statistic.
Fuzz Martin (06:19):
How many trees typically get decorated during this event?
Jessica Pillsbury (06:22):
I would say last year we had 64.
And I think if you includethe trees, holiday decor, and
wreaths, we had about 115.
Fuzz Martin (06:29):
Wow.
Okay.
Displays in total.
Yeah.
Oh, very good.
How could people from the communityparticipate in the festival?
Are there opportunitiesfor people to volunteer?
Uh, donate, this episode, we're recordingit a little bit earlier in November
than the people who are hearing it.
It's coming out in, laterNovember, but, are there
opportunities to sponsor trees yet?
Those kind of things?
Jessica Pillsbury (06:50):
So, sponsor trees, we usually have to know
about a month ahead of time.
Okay.
But for the future, for next year,we're always looking for tree
sponsors and holiday decor sponsors.
You also can be an event sponsor,and then we also are looking
for just volunteers in general.
So, volunteers, that could be you'rehelping in the cafe during the event
itself, selling raffle tickets, or youcould be helping set up the month prior.
(07:11):
We have tons of different set up dayswhere you can help fluff trees and put
trees together for those decorators.
Fuzz Martin (07:17):
Okay, are these, are these Fake trees, or are they?
They are fake trees, yes.
So, okay, so when you said fluff trees,I'm like, oh, they're not, nobody's
out there fluffing a blue spruce.
That's right.
All right.
So, aside from the trees and, andthe wreaths and such, are there other
activities or events going on duringFestival of Trees that people can
participate in, and look forward to?
Jessica Pillsbury (07:38):
Yeah, well, I think the biggest thing is the raffle.
So, why people come is to havethe fun experience there, right?
But then on top of that, they can also buyraffle tickets and potentially win a tree.
So the plus side to that is thatyour tree is already decorated,
ready to go before Christmas.
So that's pretty exciting.
And then you have a themedtree for your house.
Yeah.
But other than that, we have livemusic, we have a cafe, bakery,
(08:01):
and then the animals are there.
We're actually going to be conductingplay groups during the mornings this
year, where you can watch the dogs playin groups, in our courtyard, which is
visible throughout the entire shelter.
Fuzz Martin (08:12):
That's wonderful.
It's a reason to go all by itself.
Yeah, I would agree.
Remember why you're helping.
Yes, exactly.
Okay, so again, it, it startedhowever many years ago, in 1999.
It should be very easy for me tocalculate that, 35, 35 years ago.
Twenty five.
Twenty five.
Twenty five.
Twenty five years ago, right?
Twenty five.
Twenty five years ago.
Yep.
(08:33):
Epic, where we're sitting here, isthirty five years, because it was
started in nineteen eighty nine.
So, I should have, Ishould have just known.
But I am in marketing and not in finance.
Um, I'll second that.
Yeah, same, same.
So, okay.
So, it's been around for a while.
How has it evolved from, back whenit first started, or even, let's
say, You know, a decade ago till now.
Joe Poczkalski (08:56):
The shelter renovation had a lot to do with that.
We had a 7 million reimaginationat the shelter that ended
just a couple years ago.
So that was a major stepup for all of our events.
We have a beautiful training center.
The Sylvia Letts TrainingCenter, we call it.
And it's just so much more inviting now.
Our old shelter, which, We had, the RickyRoom, we called it, which is where most
(09:19):
of our at shelter events were set up,and, it's, you know, we looked at those
pictures from 99, it's, it's a differentplace completely, so having the physical
space to, to set up and have it be morepresentable, more inviting for people,
more accessible, , is definitely a legup, but in terms of popularity, the event
is, is growing exponentially each year.
We're closing in on a milliondollars, like I mentioned.
(09:40):
Mm-Hmm.
. And that just means more peopleare attending, enjoying and,
and, spending more time.
So, sure.
In that way it's, it's grown so much.
We, we do so much more,to showcase our animals.
Like Jess mentioned the playgroups, which is really cool.
Fuzz Martin (09:51):
Yep.
Joe Poczkalski (09:52):
Um, so yeah, more things to do.
More, more time spent.
Great.
In
Fuzz Martin (09:56):
1999's defense, we all didn't have cell phones with
cameras in our pockets then.
I think we had cell phones.
I don't think they fit in ourpockets, but we had cell phones.
Right.
In your cars, right?
Yes, exactly.
Big ol Magnum antenna.
How do events, well, first of all, how,how is the community response to an event?
(10:17):
Like, obviously you've raised, uh,to, to date a million dollars or more.
But how is the community response to this?
Joe Poczkalski (10:24):
It's, it's massive.
It's one of our better attended events.
That and our rummage sale are ourtwo most attended, and we welcome
honestly thousands of people.
So it's People spread the word, makeit a tradition, which is what we
hope, that people come back everyyear, and we see that, we see repeat
people and new people every year.
Fuzz Martin (10:43):
Sure, and then obviously, since they come, that helps spread
awareness about animal, or about theshelter, and then I hope then that
means you're spreading awareness aboutanimal welfare and the work that you
guys do throughout the year, right?
Jessica Pillsbury (10:56):
I think that's my, like, favorite part is that we invite
so many people in that would nothave came to the shelter originally.
And then they're able tosee our great facility and
participate in this awesome event.
And then they learn theother services we provide.
So, a lot of times people think ofa shelter if they're, if they're
wanting to adopt, but there'sother services that we provide.
We have, an outdoor catclinic, dog training classes.
(11:18):
And we also are there for the communitywhen they need to surrender their animal
because of difficult things in their life.
Sure.
Fuzz Martin (11:24):
You could say that might be Community Impact, right?
Jessica Pillsbury (11:26):
Yes, it is.
Fuzz Martin (11:27):
And that might be what your role as Community
Impact Specialist is then, right?
We have
Joe Poczkalski (11:32):
clarification now.
Fuzz Martin (11:34):
There we go.
See, I didn't ask you what you do,you got to tell us through a story.
Um, so, do you have any goals orspecific needs that you're hoping to
reach during this year's festival?
Jessica Pillsbury (11:46):
I guess just to, you know, raise a little bit more
money than last year, for the animalsand then to invite, more people in
the community that have not been tothe shelter into our shelter to show
them, you know, what we do for thecommunity and how we can help them.
Fuzz Martin (12:00):
Speaking of the animals, are there any, like little influencer animals
or ambassadors that you'd have, this year?
Any, any animals thatstand out in particular?
Jessica Pillsbury (12:10):
So we are lucky to say no.
Okay.
In the past, we've hadanimals for over a year.
Sure.
I can think of, I, off the top ofmy head, a handful of different dogs
that were there for over a year.
Mm-Hmm.
. But this year all of'em have been adopted.
Good.
I mean, our cats are getting homesright away, which is awesome.
Yeah.
Mm-Hmm.
. But we will have plenty ofanimals that are around available
for adoption during this event.
Fuzz Martin (12:31):
Great.
I, I realized as I, as I was, as Iwrote that question, I was like, well.
Yeah, that might be a fun question.
And then I thought, well, you don'twant the animals to stay there.
They want to go home with families, right?
It's, it's bittersweet, like,
Joe Poczkalski (12:45):
yeah.
It's great to give them theattention because they need it.
You know, there are long staysand we need them into homes.
Jessica Pillsbury (12:51):
In 2022, we had a dog named Millie.
She was a white pit bull and shewas there for exactly a year.
Okay.
And when I would go to the petstore or even to Starbucks, I'd
be wearing a Washington CountyHumane Society shirt or hat.
Fuzz.
cc And people would literallyask me, how is Millie doing?
She was literally the spokesperson for theshelter for that whole year she was there.
We're lucky that we don't haveany spokes animals right now.
(13:14):
Um, but yeah, we'vedefinitely, they've been there.
Fuzz Martin (13:16):
Yes, so, but go and find the right animal for your home and family.
How has support for, uh, fromthe Festival of Trees allowed?
been one of the Washington CountyHumane Society to expand or
enhance services over the years.
Joe Poczkalski (13:32):
Well, just mentioned we rely very heavily on our
fundraising events, which is very true.
A large percentage of how we operatedepends on how successful our events are.
So this one's critical.
Our highest grossing one, typically,throughout our, our fundraising season.
So, that will determine, whichseason, which services we can
enhance, which ones, if we wantto start new ones, improvements
(13:54):
to the building, things like that.
How much we can spend onadvertising our services.
So it's, we're verydependent on its success.
Fuzz Martin (14:02):
Somebody can't make it to the festival this year, are there other
ways that they can support the HumaneSociety, or what are some of the other
ways they can support during the holidays?
Joe Poczkalski (14:11):
They can, donate during this giving season, which
is, which is very important.
We have, an appeal coming out, injust a, just a couple weeks here,
so, helping in that regard.
Donating, volunteering, at other eventsor around festival trees is also really
important too, but, Giving this time ofyear is vital to our success as well.
Fuzz Martin (14:28):
Excellent.
What do you personally love most?
I'll ask both of you about festival trees.
Jessica, we'll start with you.
Jessica Pillsbury (14:37):
I would say, watching families of all ages, there's grandma
and grandpa there, there's the kids,and they step foot into that room,
like I said, Winter Wonderland, andtheir faces just light up with a smile.
It's just a really fun, uniqueexperience that we're lucky to be
able to provide for the community.
Fuzz Martin (14:55):
Excellent.
Joe Poczkalski (14:55):
Joe?
I would say before I started at theshelter, I was kind of a Scrooge around
the holidays, and I still am in someregards, but it's really hard to deny
the beauty of stepping in that room.
It's such a shocking moment when yousee all the work, and you think of all
the work that goes into it, and allthe time and effort that was spent.
Great.
That's my favorite part.
Fuzz Martin (15:15):
Again, if somebody would like to attend, what are, what are
the dates for Festival of Trees?
Jessica Pillsbury (15:20):
It is December 7th and 8th, that is a Saturday and Sunday.
Fuzz Martin (15:23):
Okay.
Jessica Pillsbury (15:24):
On Saturday it's going to be from 10 to 7,
and on Sunday it is 10 to 4.
Fuzz Martin (15:29):
Okay.
How much does it cost to get in?
Joe Poczkalski (15:31):
That's 8 for adults and 6 for kids and seniors.
Jessica Pillsbury (15:35):
Okay.
Fuzz Martin (15:35):
And, if somebody would like to learn more, what's, what's the website
for the Washington County Humane Society?
Joe Poczkalski (15:40):
That's wchspets.
org.
Fuzz Martin (15:42):
All right.
Very good.
And, , again, really appreciate all youguys do for pets in our local communities.
And, we'll see you next time.
Love the support that the community givesto the Washington County Humane Society,
and it's always fun to have you guys in.
So, happy holidays to you both,and thank you both for coming in.
Thanks for having us.
Appreciate it.
(16:04):
Thank you again to Joe Poczkalskiand Jessica Pillsbury for joining me
on this week's episode of the 132ndepisode of Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
If you ever have an idea for aguest for this show, please do not
hesitate to get in touch with me.
You can email me fuzz at fuzzmartin.
com.
That is fuzz at fuzzmartin.
com.
(16:24):
You can suggest a guest at fuzzmartin.
com slash guest.
That is fuzzmartin.
com slash guest.
Or you can text me 262 299 FUZZ.
That's 262 299 3899.
And I hope you have themost enjoyable Thanksgiving.
I'm thankful for you as a listener.
And I'm thankful for all the greatpeople, events, and organizations that
(16:46):
we have right here in Washington County.
And with that, I will talkto you next week, right here
on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
Well, good day, friend.
Thank you so much for tuning into Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
I hope you are having the best week.
Some of you might be driving toThanksgiving to see your family.
Some of you might be Doingsome early Christmas shopping.
And some of you might be horribledeer hunters that listen to
(00:29):
podcasts in your tree stand.
I see you.
Yeah, but I appreciate you.
And I'm sure the deer appreciateyou listening to me instead
of their little hooves.
Walking through the brush.
My name is Fuzz Martin, and this is ashow about positive things happening in
and around Washington County, Wisconsin.
And this week we're talking aboutthe upcoming Festival of Trees at
(00:51):
the Washington County Humane Society.
And I'm joined by Joe Poczkalski andJessica Pillsbury, and we're going to
learn all about the event, the trees, theanimals, and how you can enjoy it all.
And with that, here are 15 minuteson the Washington County Humane
Society's Festival of Trees.
With Joe Poczkalski and Jessica Pillsbury,right here on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
(01:24):
Joe, Jessica, thank you somuch for coming in today.
Can you please start by tellingus a bit about Festival of Trees?
How did it get started?
What makes it unique?
What's cool about Festival of Trees?
Joe Poczkalski (01:36):
Yeah, this is our 25th anniversary one, and we're very
excited to celebrate that milestone.
Myself and the director, Kay, atthe Humane Society, we're looking
back at some old photos from thevery first Festival of Trees, 1999.
Wow.
Really cool to see where itstarted and where it began.
Our previous director, MarnieBrown, came up with the idea in
(01:56):
the late 90s, and it was a hit.
It took off, and the first festivalreally set the groundwork for, you
know, Successful at fundraisers then on.
So really unique in the fact that, allof our decor is decorated locally by
businesses and individuals, families,in whatever fashion they want.
We really don't put a lot of guardrails.
So, um, we have a lot of people whoare really pro tip on their, their
creative capacity, which is exciting.
(02:16):
We get some really cool,unique ideas that come through.
So I don't see a whole lot ofthat in the area, which, which I
think makes it really unique andmakes it really one to stop at.
Fuzz Martin (02:25):
So, for people who have not attended Festival of Trees
before, can you walk us throughwhat a guest at Festival of Trees
could expect, at this year's event?
What are some of the highlightsthey can look forward to?
Jessica Pillsbury (02:35):
Absolutely.
So I like to describe it aswalking into a winter wonderland.
You really can't describe it topeople until they have been there
and to get the whole picture.
But you walk into a room full ofChristmas lights and decorated trees.
The trees all have a theme, there'swreaths, there's holiday decor,
and then we have live music, acafe, a bakery, and then we also
(02:58):
have adaptable animals for viewing.
Great.
Excellent.
Yeah.
Fuzz Martin (03:01):
Oh, always bringing it back to the pets is, the best part about
the Washington County Humane Society.
Joe Poczkalski (03:07):
That's right.
Fuzz Martin (03:08):
Joe, you had mentioned before about, you, it briefly touched
on, how the, or who decorates thetrees, but can you talk about really the
process of how the trees are decorated,created, decorated, designed, how,
how does that process go about and
Joe Poczkalski (03:23):
really, like, what, how A ton goes into it.
This is a massive, massivedisplay we're talking about.
The decorating startspretty much right now.
I think, within the next week or so,we'll be inviting, people who sponsor
trees to come by and start decorating.
We call them deck decoratingparties and they're a lot of fun.
Oh, cool.
Sometimes we serve wine, butwe have snacks and coffee
and people, really have fun.
(03:43):
They bring decor in.
We have the tree set up forthem or the wreath available.
And they can come in and start, andwe give them whatever tools they need.
We sometimes give out hammers andwire cutters and all sorts of crazy
stuff, so we really encourage that.
But, that part of it begins earlyNovember and will go pretty much up
until the night before the event.
Fuzz Martin (04:03):
So, how does this event, and we've talked about some of your fun
events in the past here on the show,but how does this event, the Festival
of Trees, benefit You know, the animalsand the programming that you have
at Washington County Humane Society.
Can you share a bit about howthe funds that you raise here at
Festival of Trees helps make adifference at the Humane Society?
Jessica Pillsbury (04:25):
Absolutely.
So we very much rely on our fundraisers.
to, fund what we do at the shelter.
So you're really making a differenceby just attending our events.
A lot of the medical needs thatwe have for the animals, that's
what most of our money goes to.
That's basically the, the biggest part.
Yeah.
Joe Poczkalski (04:43):
The impact, um, the money raised, is, was really impressive.
We're closing in on a milliondollars raised at this particular
fundraiser at the 25th, 25thanniversary, which is really exciting.
So yeah, it's huge impact medically.
And just helps us introducenew programs, strengthen our
current ones, that sort of thing.
Fuzz Martin (05:00):
It's been going on since 1999.
And that was the year that we all partied.
That's right.
I, um, let's see, I was21 years old, uh, in 1999.
Fun.
So, I don't remember it completely.
Um, because I was working that yearbecause there was a big snow storm.
Studying too.
But, are there any special storiesfrom Festival of Trees that stand out
(05:23):
to you in your years that you've workedfor Washington County Humane Society?
Any?
Uh, moments that captured the joyor any stories that people talk
about, maybe that have been therefor a while, at the Humane Society.
Joe Poczkalski (05:35):
I'm going on about four years, at the shelter of my employment.
So, there's a long history beforeme, but, we almost had a fire.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
A year and a half ago.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
We had a stanchion cord thatwas a really old one, probably
from the 1999 Festival of Trees.
Oh, wow.
Okay.
Bundled into some cotton, and oneof the guests saw the plume of smoke
rise, so, you know, it was a smallisolated thing, never turned into a
(05:58):
fire, but one of those heart poundersthat I remember, not a fun memory,
but, um, So if you could donate
Fuzz Martin (06:05):
extension
Joe Poczkalski (06:06):
cords, if you're listening.
We'll take them.
We use a lot of extension cords.
We should actually do acount on how many we use.
It's, we have two giant totesfull of small extension cords.
So,
Fuzz Martin (06:16):
a fun
Joe Poczkalski (06:18):
statistic.
Fuzz Martin (06:19):
How many trees typically get decorated during this event?
Jessica Pillsbury (06:22):
I would say last year we had 64.
And I think if you includethe trees, holiday decor, and
wreaths, we had about 115.
Fuzz Martin (06:29):
Wow.
Okay.
Displays in total.
Yeah.
Oh, very good.
How could people from the communityparticipate in the festival?
Are there opportunitiesfor people to volunteer?
Uh, donate, this episode, we're recordingit a little bit earlier in November
than the people who are hearing it.
It's coming out in, laterNovember, but, are there
opportunities to sponsor trees yet?
Those kind of things?
Jessica Pillsbury (06:50):
So, sponsor trees, we usually have to know
about a month ahead of time.
Okay.
But for the future, for next year,we're always looking for tree
sponsors and holiday decor sponsors.
You also can be an event sponsor,and then we also are looking
for just volunteers in general.
So, volunteers, that could be you'rehelping in the cafe during the event
itself, selling raffle tickets, or youcould be helping set up the month prior.
(07:11):
We have tons of different set up dayswhere you can help fluff trees and put
trees together for those decorators.
Fuzz Martin (07:17):
Okay, are these, are these Fake trees, or are they?
They are fake trees, yes.
So, okay, so when you said fluff trees,I'm like, oh, they're not, nobody's
out there fluffing a blue spruce.
That's right.
All right.
So, aside from the trees and, andthe wreaths and such, are there other
activities or events going on duringFestival of Trees that people can
participate in, and look forward to?
Jessica Pillsbury (07:38):
Yeah, well, I think the biggest thing is the raffle.
So, why people come is to havethe fun experience there, right?
But then on top of that, they can also buyraffle tickets and potentially win a tree.
So the plus side to that is thatyour tree is already decorated,
ready to go before Christmas.
So that's pretty exciting.
And then you have a themedtree for your house.
Yeah.
But other than that, we have livemusic, we have a cafe, bakery,
(08:01):
and then the animals are there.
We're actually going to be conductingplay groups during the mornings this
year, where you can watch the dogs playin groups, in our courtyard, which is
visible throughout the entire shelter.
Fuzz Martin (08:12):
That's wonderful.
It's a reason to go all by itself.
Yeah, I would agree.
Remember why you're helping.
Yes, exactly.
Okay, so again, it, it startedhowever many years ago, in 1999.
It should be very easy for me tocalculate that, 35, 35 years ago.
Twenty five.
Twenty five.
Twenty five.
Twenty five years ago, right?
Twenty five.
Twenty five years ago.
Yep.
(08:33):
Epic, where we're sitting here, isthirty five years, because it was
started in nineteen eighty nine.
So, I should have, Ishould have just known.
But I am in marketing and not in finance.
Um, I'll second that.
Yeah, same, same.
So, okay.
So, it's been around for a while.
How has it evolved from, back whenit first started, or even, let's
say, You know, a decade ago till now.
Joe Poczkalski (08:56):
The shelter renovation had a lot to do with that.
We had a 7 million reimaginationat the shelter that ended
just a couple years ago.
So that was a major stepup for all of our events.
We have a beautiful training center.
The Sylvia Letts TrainingCenter, we call it.
And it's just so much more inviting now.
Our old shelter, which, We had, the RickyRoom, we called it, which is where most
(09:19):
of our at shelter events were set up,and, it's, you know, we looked at those
pictures from 99, it's, it's a differentplace completely, so having the physical
space to, to set up and have it be morepresentable, more inviting for people,
more accessible, , is definitely a legup, but in terms of popularity, the event
is, is growing exponentially each year.
We're closing in on a milliondollars, like I mentioned.
(09:40):
Mm-Hmm.
. And that just means more peopleare attending, enjoying and,
and, spending more time.
So, sure.
In that way it's, it's grown so much.
We, we do so much more,to showcase our animals.
Like Jess mentioned the playgroups, which is really cool.
Fuzz Martin (09:51):
Yep.
Joe Poczkalski (09:52):
Um, so yeah, more things to do.
More, more time spent.
Great.
In
Fuzz Martin (09:56):
1999's defense, we all didn't have cell phones with
cameras in our pockets then.
I think we had cell phones.
I don't think they fit in ourpockets, but we had cell phones.
Right.
In your cars, right?
Yes, exactly.
Big ol Magnum antenna.
How do events, well, first of all, how,how is the community response to an event?
(10:17):
Like, obviously you've raised, uh,to, to date a million dollars or more.
But how is the community response to this?
Joe Poczkalski (10:24):
It's, it's massive.
It's one of our better attended events.
That and our rummage sale are ourtwo most attended, and we welcome
honestly thousands of people.
So it's People spread the word, makeit a tradition, which is what we
hope, that people come back everyyear, and we see that, we see repeat
people and new people every year.
Fuzz Martin (10:43):
Sure, and then obviously, since they come, that helps spread
awareness about animal, or about theshelter, and then I hope then that
means you're spreading awareness aboutanimal welfare and the work that you
guys do throughout the year, right?
Jessica Pillsbury (10:56):
I think that's my, like, favorite part is that we invite
so many people in that would nothave came to the shelter originally.
And then they're able tosee our great facility and
participate in this awesome event.
And then they learn theother services we provide.
So, a lot of times people think ofa shelter if they're, if they're
wanting to adopt, but there'sother services that we provide.
We have, an outdoor catclinic, dog training classes.
(11:18):
And we also are there for the communitywhen they need to surrender their animal
because of difficult things in their life.
Sure.
Fuzz Martin (11:24):
You could say that might be Community Impact, right?
Jessica Pillsbury (11:26):
Yes, it is.
Fuzz Martin (11:27):
And that might be what your role as Community
Impact Specialist is then, right?
We have
Joe Poczkalski (11:32):
clarification now.
Fuzz Martin (11:34):
There we go.
See, I didn't ask you what you do,you got to tell us through a story.
Um, so, do you have any goals orspecific needs that you're hoping to
reach during this year's festival?
Jessica Pillsbury (11:46):
I guess just to, you know, raise a little bit more
money than last year, for the animalsand then to invite, more people in
the community that have not been tothe shelter into our shelter to show
them, you know, what we do for thecommunity and how we can help them.
Fuzz Martin (12:00):
Speaking of the animals, are there any, like little influencer animals
or ambassadors that you'd have, this year?
Any, any animals thatstand out in particular?
Jessica Pillsbury (12:10):
So we are lucky to say no.
Okay.
In the past, we've hadanimals for over a year.
Sure.
I can think of, I, off the top ofmy head, a handful of different dogs
that were there for over a year.
Mm-Hmm.
. But this year all of'em have been adopted.
Good.
I mean, our cats are getting homesright away, which is awesome.
Yeah.
Mm-Hmm.
. But we will have plenty ofanimals that are around available
for adoption during this event.
Fuzz Martin (12:31):
Great.
I, I realized as I, as I was, as Iwrote that question, I was like, well.
Yeah, that might be a fun question.
And then I thought, well, you don'twant the animals to stay there.
They want to go home with families, right?
It's, it's bittersweet, like,
Joe Poczkalski (12:45):
yeah.
It's great to give them theattention because they need it.
You know, there are long staysand we need them into homes.
Jessica Pillsbury (12:51):
In 2022, we had a dog named Millie.
She was a white pit bull and shewas there for exactly a year.
Okay.
And when I would go to the petstore or even to Starbucks, I'd
be wearing a Washington CountyHumane Society shirt or hat.
Fuzz.
cc And people would literallyask me, how is Millie doing?
She was literally the spokesperson for theshelter for that whole year she was there.
We're lucky that we don't haveany spokes animals right now.
(13:14):
Um, but yeah, we'vedefinitely, they've been there.
Fuzz Martin (13:16):
Yes, so, but go and find the right animal for your home and family.
How has support for, uh, fromthe Festival of Trees allowed?
been one of the Washington CountyHumane Society to expand or
enhance services over the years.
Joe Poczkalski (13:32):
Well, just mentioned we rely very heavily on our
fundraising events, which is very true.
A large percentage of how we operatedepends on how successful our events are.
So this one's critical.
Our highest grossing one, typically,throughout our, our fundraising season.
So, that will determine, whichseason, which services we can
enhance, which ones, if we wantto start new ones, improvements
(13:54):
to the building, things like that.
How much we can spend onadvertising our services.
So it's, we're verydependent on its success.
Fuzz Martin (14:02):
Somebody can't make it to the festival this year, are there other
ways that they can support the HumaneSociety, or what are some of the other
ways they can support during the holidays?
Joe Poczkalski (14:11):
They can, donate during this giving season, which
is, which is very important.
We have, an appeal coming out, injust a, just a couple weeks here,
so, helping in that regard.
Donating, volunteering, at other eventsor around festival trees is also really
important too, but, Giving this time ofyear is vital to our success as well.
Fuzz Martin (14:28):
Excellent.
What do you personally love most?
I'll ask both of you about festival trees.
Jessica, we'll start with you.
Jessica Pillsbury (14:37):
I would say, watching families of all ages, there's grandma
and grandpa there, there's the kids,and they step foot into that room,
like I said, Winter Wonderland, andtheir faces just light up with a smile.
It's just a really fun, uniqueexperience that we're lucky to be
able to provide for the community.
Fuzz Martin (14:55):
Excellent.
Joe Poczkalski (14:55):
Joe?
I would say before I started at theshelter, I was kind of a Scrooge around
the holidays, and I still am in someregards, but it's really hard to deny
the beauty of stepping in that room.
It's such a shocking moment when yousee all the work, and you think of all
the work that goes into it, and allthe time and effort that was spent.
Great.
That's my favorite part.
Fuzz Martin (15:15):
Again, if somebody would like to attend, what are, what are
the dates for Festival of Trees?
Jessica Pillsbury (15:20):
It is December 7th and 8th, that is a Saturday and Sunday.
Fuzz Martin (15:23):
Okay.
Jessica Pillsbury (15:24):
On Saturday it's going to be from 10 to 7,
and on Sunday it is 10 to 4.
Fuzz Martin (15:29):
Okay.
How much does it cost to get in?
Joe Poczkalski (15:31):
That's 8 for adults and 6 for kids and seniors.
Jessica Pillsbury (15:35):
Okay.
Fuzz Martin (15:35):
And, if somebody would like to learn more, what's, what's the website
for the Washington County Humane Society?
Joe Poczkalski (15:40):
That's wchspets.
org.
Fuzz Martin (15:42):
All right.
Very good.
And, , again, really appreciate all youguys do for pets in our local communities.
And, we'll see you next time.
Love the support that the community givesto the Washington County Humane Society,
and it's always fun to have you guys in.
So, happy holidays to you both,and thank you both for coming in.
Thanks for having us.
Appreciate it.
(16:04):
Thank you again to Joe Poczkalskiand Jessica Pillsbury for joining me
on this week's episode of the 132ndepisode of Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
If you ever have an idea for aguest for this show, please do not
hesitate to get in touch with me.
You can email me fuzz at fuzzmartin.
com.
That is fuzz at fuzzmartin.
com.
(16:24):
You can suggest a guest at fuzzmartin.
com slash guest.
That is fuzzmartin.
com slash guest.
Or you can text me 262 299 FUZZ.
That's 262 299 3899.
And I hope you have themost enjoyable Thanksgiving.
I'm thankful for you as a listener.
And I'm thankful for all the greatpeople, events, and organizations that
(16:46):
we have right here in Washington County.
And with that, I will talkto you next week, right here
on Fifteen Minutes with Fuzz.
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