Southern Adventist University joins other organizations and businesses, spreading cheer as
sponsors of the inaugural Festive Forest with 50 live, lit trees in downtown Chattanooga’s Miller
Park. In collaboration with city officials and the Better Business Bureau, EPB’s decades-long holiday tradition of decorating its storefront windows on MLK Boulevard has been expanded to the park’s creative display across the street.
“We are excited to bring a little of our campus to Miller Park for community members to enjoy
this Christmas season,” said Tom Verrill, senior vice president for Financial Administration at
Southern and BBB board member.
“We consider it a high honor to be embraced as part of the
Chattanooga area where so many of our alumni live, work and serve. Our tree in the Festive
Forest features one of Southern’s hidden treasures that is free and open to the public.”
The university’s sponsored evergreen is decorated with donated bike parts to feature the nearly
40 miles of trails on Bauxite Ridge and White Oak Mountain, spanning the east and west sides of
the rural Collegedale campus.
Southern also recognizes local alumni and business owners who helped support the university’s
Festive Forest tree. Blluum, an Ooltewah-based floral and event design company owned by
Southern alum and board member Christine Waldrop, decorated the tree with items provided, in
part, by East Ridge Bicycles, owned by Southern alum Garth Mansfield.
The Festive Forest opened on Nov. 22 and is free for visitors to view through Dec. 31, ideally after dusk when tree lights are most vivid.
Southern is housed on 1,300 acres with a trail system offering sections of varying difficulty and
suitable paths for everything from a meandering walk to a muscle-toning endurance workout on
foot or cycle. The pine and hardwood forests also boast a paradise for nature enthusiasts with
wildflowers, birds and a creek habitat.
To view maps and find additional information, visit southern.edu/trails.