Second annual Festival of Trees begins Christmas season

The Second Annual Christmas Festival of Trees will be held at Fellowship Hall, Windham Hill United Church of Christ, 140 Windham Center Road in Windham from Friday, November 30 to Sunday, December 2. This much anticipated event for the community of Windham is a showcase for local merchants and organizations as well as a fundraiser for Windham Hill United Church of Christ, the founding church of Windham and a historic landmark for the town.

The festival hours on November 30 are 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The hours on December 1 are 10 a.m. to until 8 p.m. and Sunday, December 2 from noon until 4 p.m. The grand drawing of winners will be at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Winners do not have to be present at the time of the drawing as calls will be made to the winners unable to attend.

Fellowship Hall will be decorated for the holiday season and refreshments will be available. There will be 20 decorated Christmas trees with lights, each one donated by one of our local businesses or individuals. The donor will decorate the tree and then put gifts on and around the tree, many from their store or organization. Winners will receive the tree itself, with its lights and ornaments, all the gifts on and under the tree.

Last year the winners took home everything from toys and gift items to kitchen supplies and jewelry. There was great excitement at the grand grawing. This year there will be several new trees added along with popular donors from last year.

Admission to the Festival of Trees is free, everyone is welcome to visit to see these beautiful trees and the products from our local restaurants, gifts stores, specialty companies, automotive businesses and construction companies. There will be tickets on sale for 50c each or 10 for $5.

A bucket will be in front of each display. One ticket will be drawn for each tree at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The winners will need to claim their tree and gifts by 5 p.m.on Tuesday, December 4.

Robert Turner, chair of the Festival of Trees says “Raffle tickets will be available for sale so that the viewers may enter their tickets in the hopes of winning a beautiful tree. Each tree's winner gets to take it home, fully decorated and all ready for the holidays.”

This event is a fund-raising activity of Windham Hill United Church of Christ to benefit their mission program: local, national and international missions including: Heifer International, the Root Cellar, Windham Food Pantry, Church World Service, SERRV, and many other organizations. Funds will also benefit continued maintenance and programming for this church which hosts Food and Fellowship’s Monday Meals, Boy Scout Troop 51, TOPS, Windham Lion’s Club, and other civic events. Windham Hill United Church of Christ is an open and affirming church, welcoming all who would come. The church was founded in 1743 and has been central to the life of Windham throughout Windham’s history as a town.