Festival of Trees opens holiday season

The Festival of Trees, the Springfield Garden Club's fundraising holiday gala, will be held this Friday, November 21.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20141118/NEWS02/711189894

Nearly 30 members decorate Christmas trees and string garlands and lights at the Great Hall in Springfield for the annual Springfield Garden Club Festival of Trees “Deck the Hall” celebration. Photo: Photo by Len EmeryPublished November 18, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Springfield’s Festival of Trees opens holiday season By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Garden Club has gone even greener than it was. On Monday, about three dozen members of the club were busy transforming the Great Hall at One Hundred River Street into a Christmas wonderland as part of the club’s fundraising event, Festival of Trees, which will be held starting at 6 p.m. Friday. This year, the club has replaced its traditional white fairy lights with new LED lights for its trees and yards and yards of garland. “We’re going green,” Jean Swanson said. “This is a huge investment for us, but we feel it is worth it and they should last us for 10 years,” said Jocelyn Zezza, president of the club. It’s the 22nd year of Festival of Trees, which raises the money for the club’s year-long activities, whether it is the $4,000 in scholarships it gives to local high school graduates, or the beautification efforts in Springfield, Chester and Weathersfield. Zezza and club co-president Theresa Burton estimated there were 200 strands of new LED florist-quality lights being used in the Great Hall. It is the second year the club has staged its holiday festival in the art gallery, which is in the old Fellows Gear Shaper building. “We always add something new,” said Burton, who added that a lot of thought goes into planning the decorations. The Great Hall was the largest area the club ever had to decorate. Previous locations have included the Hartness House Inn, the Fullerton Inn, the Masonic Temple and Crown Point Country Club. The first year, the festival was held at the Miller Art Center, she said. Zezza declined to say how much money the club has spent on the lights, or how much money the club raises during the gala. But club members said it was the only fundraising event the club holds all year long. People who will attend the Friday evening gala are served hors d’oeuvres and wine or local cider and can bid on 22 different silent-auction items, which include art work from area artists, ski lift tickets at Okemo Mountain, six hours of gardening expertise from Alan Woodbury, rounds of golf at Crown Point Country Club or an aquamarine and diamond pendant from VonBargen Jewelers. “We really want to thank our donors,” said Lee Soucy, who was busy measuring off tickets for the silent auction and raffle gift baskets. Soucy said each gift basket contained items worth $120 to $140. The baskets include specialty Vermont foods, gift certificates and other items. The silent auction items were worth at least $150, and many quite a bit higher, Soucy said. On Monday, inside the Great Hall, members of the club, most wearing their yellow club T-shirts proclaiming them to be “down and dirty,” were busy assembling trees, hoisting garlands or making the special baskets that are filled with donated items from Springfield area businesses. The club also sells fall and winter table decorations and greenery, as well as tabletop trees. Members of the club will meet Wednesday to make the arrangements, Zezza said. “The best thing is seeing people’s faces as they come in,” club member Sandy MacGillivray said. The Festival of Trees will take place starting at 6 p.m. Friday at the Great Hall.