Third-annual Sherman County SwagFest deemed 'a huge success'

Sherman County's third-annual SwagFest drew more than a hundred attendees over the course of three days.

Visitors from near and far came together Thanksgiving weekend to create their own wreath or holiday swag at the Sherman County Garden Club's annual three-day event, hosted at the Wasco School Events Center.

Garden Club volunteers spent several days gathering greenery and evergreen trimmings including fir, pine, cedar, juniper, holly, even sagebrush. Volunteers also donated large spools of wire-edged ribbon and spent time teaching friends and neighbors how to make oversized bows to adorn the finished wreaths.

Sponsored in part by a grant from Sherman County Cultural Coalition and funds from Sherman County Prevention, the event was also funded by donations from community members. The donations will go toward helping to fund next year's event.

SwagFest was made possible largely thanks to the use of Sherman FFA's decades-old wreath clamp table, which was refurbished last year by Garden Club volunteer Preston Bartlett.

It features a new sturdy metal base, refinished wood table top and improved foot pedal contraption, which is used to clamp the wire wreath frames around bundles of greenery. This allowed wreaths to be assembled in just a few minutes, by people of all ages, even by folks who'd never made one before.

Once finished, wreaths were then taken over to the long tables where attendees adorned them with holiday balls, baubles and bows. By the end of the weekend, more than a hundred wreaths and dozens of swag pieces were completed and sent home with their creators.

Longtime Garden Club leader Ree Ella von Borstel said her favorite part was seeing folks of all ages coming together to create their wreaths.

"The annual SwagFest was a huge success in so many ways," von Borstel said. "You walk into the room and the smells of greenery, and sounds of Christmas music and laughter, pull you in. We had all ages from 5 to 85. Dads, moms, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and grandparents were all helping and making swags and wreaths together."

She said there were many families that came for the first time and others that had attended previous years.

"One family said this is going to become their new Christmas tradition," she added.

Her husband Carsten von Borstel was among the volunteers who spent several days cutting and hauling greenery to use in the wreaths.

"When the volunteers are soaking their feet and getting pitch off their clothes, they smile knowing that this is what community is all about," she said.