A lot has changed at Riverview Hospital since the first Treefest celebration in 1994: Patient numbers have dwindled and the hospital has been shuttered while the grand collection of trees has reached higher and the invasive plants spread wider.
Some of those magnificent trees were lost to violent windstorms, heavy snow and some to just plain old age, while many more survived but with a few limbs clipped.
"We've always been amazed that after every storm, it's never as bad as we think it's going to be," said Donna Crosby of the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society (RHCS). "It's because the trees have been able to grow uninhibited."
Riverview's famous trees will be celebrated for the 19th year at the annual Treefest event, happening Saturday, Sept. 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Originally dubbed the Festival of Trees, part of ongoing Arbor Week events, the late October gathering was organized by several municipal parks boards, the BC Nursery Trades Association and RHCS. There were lectures about trees, slide shows and bonsai demonstrations, but the big draw was a tree sale outside the Crease building.
Crosby said the event was intended to move around to various cities, celebrating trees around the Lower Mainland, but it never left the Riverview grounds and eventually the other participating municipalities dropped out. Over the years, the tree sale was also dropped, replaced by more entertainment, artists and the Blackberry Tea.
"In some ways, it's grown smaller," Crosby said.
Early on Treefest, was entirely outdoors, later expanding with artists showing their works inside the Henry Esson Young building.
This year, with the hospital's closure, Treefest is returning to its roots as an outdoor event. The Blackberry Tea is also on the move, shifting down to the Serenity Garden to keep everything in one location.
But as always, there will be guided tree tours of the more than 1,900 trees on the site (on the hour, starting at 11 a.m.); a shuttle bus to Finnie's Garden (12:15 and 2 p.m.); history-themed bus tours (12:30 and 2:15 p.m.); a heritage building walk with Vancouver Heritage Society's Don Luxton (1 p.m.); and the children's tree walk at 12:30 p.m. The Blackberry Tea runs from 12:30 to 4 p.m. and highlights the delicious fruit picked on site by volunteers.
Tea organizer Donna Gavin said this year there will also be more treats for young Treefest visitors, including cupcakes and ice cream.
"We recognize that we're getting more families... so we're trying to cater to them," Gavin said.
Gavin and fellow Treefest volunteer Carole Edwards hope to see big crowds for this year's celebration, particularly now that Riverview's future is in limbo.
"People are sometimes afraid to come on the site because of the 'mental institute' label," Edwards said. "But once they do, they're surprised at how beautiful it is."
For more information about Treefest or for a map of the grounds, visit www.rhcs.org.
