Preparations for Eastport Arts Center’s 13th Annual Festival of Trees are well underway, with 13 decorators and decorator teams signed up to participate, leaving just 12 slots available. Committed thus far are Peavey Memorial Library; Eastport Pickleball Club; St. Croix Garden Club; Georgie Kendall; Meg Colbert; David Oja; Alberta Hunter; Cathy Adelman; Susan Weaver and Kris Smith; Jessica Williams; Cynthia Morse (solo); Cynthia Morse and friends; and Melissa Newcomb.

Three of the Peavey Memorial Library tree team, Sue Riddle (in green), Mary Anderson (top row), and Dana Chevalier, are shown at work on their contribution for the 2021 Festival of Trees: ‘Fishy Tales’, which featured a luminous tree by Patricia Gardner, a book base by Dana Chevalier, fishy garland by Sue Riddle and a stacked fish tree-topper by Mary Anderson.

The event will be held on Saturday, December 10, and is an important fundraiser for the Center’s year-round programming, featuring lovingly decorated tabletop-size trees available for bid.
One returning decorator team, Dana Chevalier, Patricia Gardner, Mary Anderson and Sue Riddle, for Peavey Memorial Library, looked back over their years of participation in the festival, which began with contributions created by librarians Chevalier and Gardner. “One year we also had help from Megan Lindemanis (the Butterfly Tree),” noted Chevalier. “I think Mary started contributing right away after she began volunteering (not sure what year), and the same with Sue when she started volunteering at Peavey. We are super lucky to have a bunch of talented artists and crafty helpers on our team of staff and volunteers!”
“Always stimulating extremely competitive bidding is the eagerly anticipated Peavey Memorial Library tree,” noted event organizer Marged Higginson. “It helps raise the bar on the bidding for all of the trees. It is rewarding to the decorators to see their work appreciated in the joint effort to benefit programming at the Arts Center.”
Questions about the festival may be sent to margedhigginson11@gmail.com. Additional information about the event, and other programs of Eastport Arts Center, where creativity and community meet, may be found at eastportartscenter.org.

Those interested in an opportunity to gather with others to create ornaments will be excited to hear that EAC will host an Ornament-Making Workshop, 1:30-4:30 pm, on Sunday, November 6. Instructors Ann Cannizzaro and Fran McLean will guide attendees through the process of creating different types of sea-themed decorations, which could very well result in a well turned out holiday tree for the festival! The workshop is geared for ages 12 and up; younger children are welcome to participate with an adult helper. Please watch for more information about the workshop coming soon, or if you’re already determined to attend, please email alison@eastportartscenter.org to preregister, and hold your place!