Festival Of Trees Breaks Attendance Record

TIMONIUM, Md. (WJZ) - People are clearly in the holiday spirit!

Mary Bubala reports WJZ is proud to announce that Kennedy Krieger's Festival of Trees, which raises money to help children with neurological disorders, broke an attendance record over the weekend.

An indoor carousel is just one of the hundreds of reasons, including a visit with Santa. There were at least 45,000 people that packed into the event.

It was a record for the charity event that WJZ is a proud to sponsor as part of our continuing community commitment.

Money raised at the Festival of Trees will help children like Ben Chason, who has autism and is enrolled in one of Kennedy Krieger's early diagnosis research programs.

"What Ben is getting from it, with the therapists he works with its just been amazing to watch him blossom," said one mother.

Visitors enjoyed more than 600 decorated trees, while helping others and that's what the holiday season is all about.

"It's unusual, it's entertaining and it's beautiful," Sherry Timmons said.

"It's all different kinds of trees, decorated all kinds of ways, smells like Christmas, sounds like Christmas," Pam Diggs said.

Last year, 40,000 people came out to see the Festival of Trees at the Timonium Fairgrounds. This year, that number was up by 5,000.