CANTON — Forty-three decorated Christmas wreaths were donated Saturday to the Canton Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary for its second annual Festival of Wreaths.
The wreaths will be raffled off through Sunday, Dec. 7, to raise money for the auxiliary to help with local disasters and to support the Fire Department, auxiliary President Katie Gallant said Saturday.
“We use this to benefit the community,” auxiliary member Linda Gammon said.
Many of the wreaths were made with balsam fir boughs that gave the inside of the fire station the heady, aromatic ambiance of a Christmas tree farm.
The auxiliary will be selling raffle tickets that buyers can place in small white bags under or beside each wreath. The bags are labeled with each wreath’s name.
The festival will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30; Saturday, Dec. 6; and Sunday, Dec. 7. At 4 p.m. on the last day, tickets for the wreaths will be drawn.
Gallant said the auxiliary raffled off about 36 wreaths last year and raised $1,000 prior to expenses.
Auburn police officer Laurie Woodhead brought her 7-year-old daughter, Lauretta Woodhead, to the festival late Saturday afternoon, purchasing several tickets. She and her daughter checked out every wreath, each placing a ticket in the bags of the wreaths they liked.
“We won a really cool one last year that had a bunch of tools on it,” Laurie Woodhead said.
The festival is fashioned after the Festival of Trees that many Maine towns and organizations hold in December, Gammon said.
Most wreaths matched a theme, including one that was nothing but packages of Matchbox cars assembled in the shape of a wreath. One had chocolate bars tied all over it; another was adorned with small picture frames and one sported a fishing rod and reel and several items of fishing gear.
Gammon and her daughter made 12 wreaths from boughs donated by their neighbor and had them available for people and groups to decorate. It went over so well, Gammon said, that they hope to make 50 next year.
“We get wreaths donated even from out of town and the different ideas are wonderful,” Gammon said.
Tickets cost $1 each or six tickets for $5.
“We did very well today,” she said.
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- One of 43 wreaths decorated and donated Saturday for the second annual Festival of Wreaths sported cute squirrels and animal cutouts. The Canton Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary raffles off the wreaths as a fundraiser to help with local disasters and to meet Fire Department needs not covered by the municipal budget.
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- Seven-year-old Lauretta Woodhead of Canton places a raffle ticket in the bag for the Snow Toys Christmas wreath Saturday during the Festival of Wreaths held as a fundraiser for the Canton Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary.
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- A Christmas wreath of Matchbox cars was donated Saturday to the Canton Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary for its second annual Festival of Wreaths at the fire station.
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- This Christmas wreath decorated with a fishing pole and fishing gear is one of 43 wreaths that were donated on Saturday for the Canton Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary’s second annual Festival of Wreaths.
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