It’s one of the biggest nights of the year for the West Columbia Beautification Foundation.

The F4h annual Tribute for Trees is Tuesday, Sept.18, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. It’s in the New Brookland Room of the West Columbia City Hall, 1200 N. 12th St.

A $200 donation includes a tree for West Columbia and admittance into the Tribute for Trees Gala. The evening features hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and entertainment by Bob Michalski, the Sax Man, with emcee Joe Pinner.

This year’s Tribute to Trees coincides with a milestone.

“It’s the 10-year anniversary of the West Columbia Beautification Foundation,” said Melissa Sprouse-Browne, WCBF chairwoman. “It’s great to be around for 10 years.”

West Columbia Mayor Bobby Horton said he’s proud of the WCBF’s longevity and he looks forward to the Tribute for Trees.

“It’s such a wonderful evening,” Horton said. “And the beautification foundation does such an excellent job of making West Columbia better.”

Last year, the West Columbia Beautification Foundation raised $25,550 at the Tribute for Trees. Sprouse-Browne said the events, since the first one, have met the fundraising goal, or exceeded it.

Sprouse-Browne is pleased with the progress.

“The Tribute for Trees means the world to me as a resident and the owner of multiple businesses in West Columbia,” she said. Tribute for Trees is a huge contribution to our budget.

The WCBF also receives funding from grants. But without the proceeds from the trees tribute, Sprouse-Browne said the WCBF would not be able to do nearly as much as it does.

In its decade of service, the West Columbia Beautification Foundation has been committed to redefining West Columbia as an impressive and attractive place to live, work, or visit by involving the entire community in positive beautification efforts.

The WCBF was formed in 2008, when local community leaders, elected officials, and city staff collaborated to establish it as a nonprofit organization designed to energize West Columbia by making it a more attractive.

One of the most-signifcant areas of beautifiction adressed by the WCBF is the Sunset Boulevard (US 378) area of the city. Thanks to funds raised by the last three Tribute to Trees events, magnolias have been planted on the roadside. Those trees are growing, and adding an aesthetic quality.

Sprouse-Browne said the attention of the WCBF is being redirected.

“We will move our focus more to the US 1 (Augusta Highway) corridor,” she said.