Central Frontenac's Festival of Trees

Dec 16, 2010

Photos Left: Ms Jones' grade 6/7 class of Hinchinbrooke PS enjoy the Festival of Trees at Oso Hall

It began over a decade ago as a millennium project in 2000 and as the sole fundraising event for Villages Beautiful, an organization whose goal is to beautify six area villages including Parham, Tichborne, Sharbot Lake, Arden, Crow Lake and Mountain Grove. The event has since grown into likely the best-attended holiday event of the season in the area. This year was no exception and Central Frontenac's Festival of Trees, which took place at Oso Hall from Dec. 9-11, was another overwhelming success. It attracted hundreds of visitors to Oso hall to view the entries, enjoy live entertainment, and participate in the raffling off of the entries, which took place at the close of the festival on Saturday.

Generous visitors also made cash and food donations to the Northern Frontenac Community Services food bank. Chair of Villages Beautiful, Pearl Robinson, was astounded by the number of donations and the creative entries, and was pleased with the turnout.

The festival invites local businesses, organizations and individuals to submit entries into a number of different categories. Awards are given and raffle tickets are sold to visitors who bid on the submissions. New entertainers this year included Adrian O’Connell, the Piccadilly Pickers, Shari Talon, and Ann Banks and Redneck Boulevard.

Students from six local area schools were also bused in to enjoy the event and this year all participated in a scavenger hunt, which kept students occupied and interested in all of the submissions.

The free event is enjoyed by the entire community and is made possible by the hard work of the Villages Beautiful Committee plus a committed group of volunteers who put in many hours of work and time in allowing the event to run smoothly.

Pearl Robinson wishes to thank the Villages Beautiful Committee, all the local businesses and individuals who submitted entries and all the volunteers.

Congratulations to all who contributed and following is a list of the winning entries who placed first second and third in the seven categories.

Who took those prizes home? Submitted by the festival committee

Large Trees – The Royal Bank won 1st prize for its tree entry, Christmas in Canada, and it went home with Cheryl Parks; 2nd prize entry by Lake District Realty, Joy to the World, to Cheryl Massey; 3rd donated by North Frontenac Telephone Company, The Jewels of India, to Nancy Gaylord. North Frontenac Little Theatre’s tree, the Japanese Peace & Hope Tree to Colby Eman, and Northern Frontenac Community Services’ tree, Christmas in China, to Tangie Howes.

Small Trees - First Prize winner, entered by the Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, Christmas in Bethlehem, went to Ryleigh Rioux; 2nd prize entry by the Friday Night Ladies, Children Around the World, to Niki Putnam; 3rd prize entry by Stephen Duggan’s Law Office, A Scandinavian Christmas, to Peter Hallam; Sharbot Lake and District Lions’ Lions’ Gift of Sight Around the World, to Claire Macfarlane; the Arden Seniors’ Paradise Tree, (Holland), to Linda Wise; the Frontenac Masonic Lodge tree, Sharing the World at Christmas, to Keeley Cox; the Fit Plus tree, Wildlife Christmas, to Sarah Hale; and the Treasure Trunk’s Arctic Memories to Joyce VanAlstine.

Gingerbread Creations - First prize entry donated by Northern Connections Adult Learning Centre, Around the World in Eighty Sleighs, went home with Marshall Kiss. 2nd prize entry by The Rising Bun, Festival Wreath of Ginger, to Sue Leslie; 3rd prize by Ilona Cox, Christmas in Germany, to Abbie Kirkham; and Hilary Howes’ Jewelled Ginger Tree to S.Trower.

Wall Hangings - First prize entry, donated by Ann Howitt, Christmas in the Forest, went to Pearl Robinson; 2nd prize by Judy Versavel, The Arden Bakery, to Bill Bowick; 3rd prize by Arden Batik, Christmas Eve in Canada, to Brian West; and Sharbot Lake Country Inn donation, Water Painting – “Carousel”, to Chris Bertrim.

Wreaths - First prize entry by Clip-It Hair Salon, Peace on Earth, to Lisa Hanson; 2nd prize by Claire Macfarlane, Sew Happy to be Christmas, to Beth Munro; and 3rd by Arden TOPS, Birds of Paradise, to Pearl Killingbeck.

Anything Goes - First prize won by Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society, The Christmas Train, went home with Britany Lewis; and 2nd prize by Parham General Store, Old Fashioned Xmas Kitchen, to Amanda Crawford.

Baskets - First prize entry by the Lakeside Readers, Reading Around the World, to Norm Landry; 2nd prize by Parham Happy Travellers, Happy Holidays, to Art Cowdy; 3rd prize by Starbucks, Christmas at Starbucks, to Angie Sergeant; Yuletide Cheer by the Royal Canadian Legion to Bill Guigue; Heavenly Chocolate by Scott’s Landscaping Supplies to Connie Coyle; and Just for Her by Jockey – Person to Person to Mary Lu Slavin.

The Christmas Dinner was won by Keith Steele. The People’s Choice Award, indicating the most popular entry, was The Christmas Train, donated by the Central Frontenac Railway Society.