Springfield Garden Club's 'Festival of Trees'

The 18th Annual 'Festival of Trees' hosted by the Springfield Garden Club at the Fullerton Inn in Chester on November 19. was a gala event and enjoyed by the large number of people attending.

http://compasspaper.com/springfield-garden-clubs-festival-of-trees-was-a-gala-event-p2123-111.htm   Springfield Garden Club's 'Festival of Trees' Was a Gala Event            Ben Bolaski, Springfield Garden Club scholarship recipient, second from right, between his parents Jean and Joe Bolaski of Springfield, attended and visited with SGC members at the recent Festival of Trees, held in part to raise money to provide scholarship help to local students. SGC Scholarship Committee members, from left, are Marita Johnson and Margery Collins.            The 18th Annual 'Festival of Trees' hosted by the Springfield Garden Club at the Fullerton Inn in Chester on November 19. was a gala event and enjoyed by the large number of people attending.            The area's communities turned out to support this fundraiser that supports the work of the Garden Club with their many beautification projects in Chester, Weathersfield and Springfield. The garden club members put a tremendous amount of effort into decorating for the event and creating items for sale and arranging for wonderful donations from local individuals and businesses for their silent auction and raffle.            The club appreciates and thanks all of those attending and those who donated items and helped to make it such a successful event. The club also thanks Innkeepers Nancy and Bret Rugg for their help in hosting this event at the Fullerton Inn.            One of the big programs funded by this event is the support that the club is able to offer to local students who are studying in fields of horticulture, forestry, conservation, environmental studies or related fields. One of this year's student scholarship recipients was able to come home from college to be present at the event and to meet and talk with the club members who support his studies. Attending was Ben Bolaski, of Springfield, who is pursuing Environmental Studies at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire.            The other scholarship student supported this year is Jessica Boucher, of Springfield, who is in St. Petersburg, Florida at Eckerd College studying marine biology and conservation.            Both of these students have been given continued scholarship amounts after their initial awards for their freshman year at college. The club welcomes applications from students throughout the local area.