2023 Festival of Trees

Dec 20, 2023

Villages Beautiful was founded very soon after the Township of Central Frontenac was created in 1998. Recognising that the township was made up of villages dotting the rural landscape, the group was made up of representatives from Arden, Mountain Grove, Sharbot Lake, and Parham/Tichborne, and Crow Lake. It has been devoted to beautifying all of the villages ever since.

In 2002, the first Villages of Beautiful Festival of Trees took place. It quickly established itself as a magnet for the local communities and a major, in fact the major, fundraiser each year for Villages Beautiful.

Over the past few yeas, partly due to COVID and partly due to volunteer fatigue, the festival has slipped a little bit in terms of the number of entries. The energy level at the festival itself has remained high, but there were worries among some long-term volunteers that a new generation was not going to step forward to keep the festival going in the medium to long term.

This year a number of new volunteers stepped forward, the local business community was re-energised and participated in greater numbers than in the recent past.

By the time the kickoff luncheon took place prior to the opening of the festival on Friday, December 1, it was clear that the energy level was up.

There was a full house at the Crossing Pub for the festival kickoff, enjoying a buffet lunch, the introduction of the festival judges, and fill-in MC Brian Robertson (the lunch organiser, Ken Fisher had come down with COVID) announced all the category winners to much applause.

After the lunch the crowd headed over to the Oso Hall to enjoy all the trees, baskets, wreaths, wall hangings and anything goes entries, and to buy and place tickets in the boxes next to the entries, hoping to win something, anything.

As is our custom at the Frontenac News, the award winners and all other entries are listed below, with the name of the lucky person who ended up taking them home.

Festival of Trees 2024, is set to kick off on Friday, December 6, 2024.

Christmas in the Villages. . . was the theme for this year’s Festival of Trees. All entries showed creativity and great talent. Winners were two-fold: those who entered an item, and those who took it home!

Large Trees:

Cardinal Cafe - Living in a Winter Wonderland, 1st Place tie. Winner: Brigitta Harris

RFCS Youth Program - Santa's Visit to Our Villages, 1st Place tie. Winner: Sarah Carpenter

Friday Night Ladies - Christmas in the Villages and Critters come out to play, 2nd Place. Winner: Nancy McDonald

CREC Parent Council - 3rd Place

Community Living - Everywhere There is a Frosty. Winner: Wendy Crain

The Township of CF, Santa's Trip Down Memory Lane. Winner: Rachel Gray

Medium Trees

CF Railway Heritage Society - Going Down Home on a Country Christmas, 1st Place. Winner: Paddy O'Connor

Lake District Reality - Then and Now, 2nd Place. Winner: Bill Bowick

Windrush, The Maples Cottages and Rockhill B&B, Sharbot Lake Winter Getaway, 3rd Place. Winner: Payton Chard

Sharbot Lake Marina - In Our Festive Era. Winner: Sarah McCullough

Sharbot Lake Wellness Centre. Winner: Brigitta Harris

Robinson's Excavating - Let it Snow! Winner: Janet Gutowski

Mini Trees

Royal Bank - Christmas at Home, 1st Place. Winner: Greg Hoadley

Parham UC Sunday School - Ring Out the Good News, 2nd Place. Winner: Sharon Meeks

Anything Goes

Opening Minds Innovation - Ready Santa, 1st Place. Winner: N. McDonald

Anne Howes/Mary Ferguson - A Christmas Peacock in the Village, 2nd Place. Winner: Crystal Joy

Linda Harding-DeVries - Welcome Home for Christmas, 3rd Place. Winner: Marlene Wheeler

Coldwell Banker. Winner: Debbie McPherson

Treasure Trunk - No matter how different who may appear, he will always be welcomed with holiday cheer. Winner: Nicole Cole

Nancy Harding - Let it Snow! Winner: M. Byron

George Allen: Winner: Jane

Baskets

Kennebec & District Historical Society - A Christmas Family Evening, 1st Place. Winner: Tim White

Sharbot Lake Lions, 2nd Place. Winner: Dakota Whan

Robinson's Asset Management - Snow Day in the Village, 3rd Place. Winner: Ruby Bentley

Lakeside Readers - Our Readers, Our Communities, Our Choices. Winner: Laura Murray

Friends of Arden - Christmas in Arden. Winner: Jim Sauve

PharmaSave - Christmas in July in our Village. Winner: Janet Gutowski

Sharbot Lake Retirement Residence - Christmas Treats. Winner: Florence Fortier

Kick and Push Brewing Co. - K&P's 12 Days of Christmas. Winner: Ellen Irwin

Seed to Sausage - Savour Christmas Treats. Winner: Julie Emon

Sharbot Lake Legion. Winner: Laura Murray

Sharbot Lake Dental Clinic - Keep Smiling. Winner: Pam

North Frontenac Telephone Company - Family Fun Night. Winner: Shirley Burke

North Frontenac Little Theatre - On With the Show. Winner: Lorna Sergeant

Robinson's Asset Management - The Night before Christmas. Winner: Trish

The Local Brewery - Christmas Eve with the Locals. Winner: Amanda Bentley

Four Core Yoga. Winner: Jen Levitt

Wreaths

Janet's Clip-it - Tranquil Villiage, 1st Place. Winner: Shirley Burke

Wanda Harrison - Kennebec Farm in the 1940's, 2nd Place. Winner: Beth

Martha McLeod - Main Street, 3rd Place. Winner: Fern Crawford

Wall Hangings

Arden Batik - Village Christmas Tree, 1st Place. Winner: Sarah Carpenter

Carol Raymo - Merry Christmas from Sharbot Lake, 2nd Place. Winner: Joyce Conboy

The Wee Glass Shop - Starry Night in the Village, 3rd Place. Winner: Gord Sirrs

Gift Certificates

Tidy Tracks Cleaning Service. Winner: Kim Morrow

Cranberry Day Spa. Winner: Marg Montagano

Sharbot Lake Automotive: Winner: Ann Gratton

Bob's PetroCan. Winner: Vivian Lower

Ram's Esso. Winner: Sarah Carpenter.

The People’s Choice Award was "Family Fun Night", by North Frontenac Telephone Company. Dorothy Allan won the Christmas Turkey Dinner Basket. Each year Villages Beautiful recognizes a person or persons who have contributed their time and effort to the festival over the years. This year that recognition was sharbed by Doris Campsell and Patsy Lowery, longtime festival volunteers and mentors. Many others must be recognized too: there are those who, instead of making an entry, contribute “in kind”, either financially or through services needed by the festival. Villages Beautiful thanks the following: Sentinel Insurance, Seeds and Co., Mike Dean's, Home Hardware, 1010 Lawn and Garden Centre, Pharmasave, Kick and Push Brewing Company, Anne Howes, Diane Lake, Jefff Siamon, Art Holloway, Karen McGregor and Donna’s Sign Shoppe.

Thank you to all the volunteers that made this year another success.