Ashley Goucher, Emily Loring and Rebecca Schoen from the Mt. Blue Interact Club decorate their tree entry, “A White Christmas,” at last year’s Farmington Rotary’s Festival of Trees.

Trees decorated for Farmington fest

FARMINGTON – The ninth annual Farmington Rotary Club’s Festival of the Trees will be held Saturday, Dec. 2, upstairs at the Granary Restaurant, Pleasant Street, in conjunction with Chester Greenwood Day events celebrating the Farmington-born inventor of the earmuff.

The doors will open at 9 a.m. when the public can stop in to see the 13 10-foot-tall balsam fir trees and five tabletop-size trees, all decorated by area businesses, artists and craftspeople and donated by Conifers Unlimited in Farmington.

Other festivities will include the Franklin Chamber of Commerce parade at 11 a.m. followed by the raising the Chester Greenwood flag at the county courthouse and a chili-bake-off in Meetinghouse Park.

At 5 p.m. there will be a free reception with light refreshments and at 6 p.m., under the direction of auctioneer and former Rotary president Adrian Harris, trees, wreaths and tabletop trees will be auctioned to the highest bidders. Absentee bid sheets will be available during the day. Rotarians will deliver the trees to the winners at no cost.

A free raffle for a W.A. Mitchell chair will be held during the evening, with the festival invitations doubling as raffle tickets. Ticket holders must be present to win, and tickets are available from any Rotarian or through festival organizer, Caroline Eaton, at 778-2584.

During the day, guests can bid in a silent auction for gifts donated by Rotary members, including a decorated tabletop tree, tickets to the 2007 Kingfield Pops and a University of Maine hockey game. A giant stuffed bear will be raffled during the evening as well, with tickets $1.

“The Festival of Trees is a heartwarming community event that brings people together. The trees fill the room with the scent of pine and they are a wonder to look at. People put a lot of time into creating their designs, knowing that all the money raised will go to support dozens of community projects,” Eaton said.

Trees will be decorated by the Pierce House, Mt. Blue High School Rotary Interact Club, Franklin County Homemakers Extension, Industry Fire Department Auxiliary, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Mountain View Chocolates, Wiles Funeral Home, SAD 9 employees, Farmington Emblem Club, Franklin Memorial Hospital nurses, UpCountry Artists, Franklin Savings Bank, Camden National Bank, Tri-Valley United Way, FMH Oncology, Susie Sanders and Friends, and J.K. Bolduc Cabinetmaking, Frost Glassworks and Alder Run Wood Creations.