Festival of Trees 2017
Our most successful Festival of Trees ever! This year we saw over 2100 visitors and grossed over $30,000 – an all new record! All profits from this fundraising event will go towards 2018 teacher grants benefiting Reading Public Schools.
A special thank you to: our event sponsor, the Reading Rotary Club; our crystal sponsors: Bertucci’s in Reading, Pamplemousse, and the Janowski Family; and our snowflake sponsors: O’Connor Studios and RSM US LLP.
In addition, much appreciation to Sartell Electric for lighting; Bertucci’s in Reading for the pizza and dinner fare; the Woburn Showcase Cinema and Reading IMAX for donating popcorn; the Reading Rotary Club for donating candy and cotton candy, and staffing the food booth; Professors Market for the delicious desserts; Reading Stop & Shop for donating cookie frosting; Jackie and Mario Antimone for donating paper goods; Lauren Bennett for our festive posters and logos; Reading Cooperative Bank for the water; Reading Facilities Department, Parker Middle School and the Custodial crew for the space, electrical technology and support; Daniel Tompkins for making the risers; Kenzie Neary for the photography; Alice Grimes and Lu Yao Friedmann for help with preparation and organizing our high school volunteers; all our wonderful volunteers–students and adults alike; and of course, our beloved Silent Auction & Tree donors (see a complete listing at the end of this post).
This year we focused on local entertainment, and had a fabulous array of adult and youth musicians, singers and story-tellers. A heartfelt thanks to our adult performers: Reading Community Concert Band, the Colonial Chorus Players, Voices of Hope choral group, and singer Taylor Hilliard; and for the wonderful performances from our inspiring youth: CBTWEEN, The Means of Production, RMHS Select Chorus, RMHS Jazz Band, Coolidge Bell Choir, and Violins by Vivienne Langlois and Graham Hardin. Last but not least, thank you to Creative Arts for the popular card-making activity, and leading the sing-a-long; as well as to our favorite storyteller, Eileen Litterio.
We could not have done it without you and all the support from this community!
Winning Trees:
Most Spectacular & Favorite Tree
Killam 5th Grade Artists: “Chihuly Inspired Christmas”
Most Unusual Tree
Dumas Family: “Holiday Ladder Garden”
Most Creative
Peirce Family: “Think Tiffany”
Best Youth Sport Tree
06 North Suburban Wings: “Happy ‘Hockey’ Days”
Best Tree Topper
Killam Elementary School: “A Coco Christmas”
Best Under Tree Display
Spataro Family: “Christmas Joy”
Highlights:
Gold’s Gym: “Goldie”
Bonazoli Family: “Warmest Wishes”
The Gould Family: “Candy Christmas”
Parker 8th Grade Kindness ABC: “Heart of Gold”
Coolidge Middle School: “Mindcraft”
Reading Education Foundation: “Elfin’ Around”
Tin Bucket: “Ever ‘tree’ Tree”
Rocket Independent Video Club: “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”
Reading Public Library: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry”
SEPAC: “We’re important pieces of the puzzle”
Yatsuhashi Family: “How the Grinch Stole Christmas Tree”
Story Telling
Set up
Killam 5th Grade Tree at night
CBTWEEN
FOT at night
Wreath Display
Voices of Hope
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