This upcoming holiday season make plans to support the inaugural “Sea Festival of Trees” set to benefit local charitable organizations Anna Jaques Hospital and the Salisbury Beach Partnership.
The Sea Festival of Trees at Blue Ocean Music Hall on Salisbury Beach will be held from Friday, November 29 to Sunday, December 1, 2013.
New to the seacoast, the event will feature a sparkling display of trees and wreaths, a giant gingerbread house display for viewing by the general public in the breathtaking oceanfront setting of Blue Ocean Music Hall. The Music Hall will come alive all weekend with live entertainment by regional performers and an abundance of holiday cheer and special events.
From November 23 through December 7, now in its 20th year, runs the long standing Merrimack Valley Festival of Trees.
This event which has been held annually in Methuen is the largest such Festival of Trees in New England and one of the largest in the country. Over 27,000 people from over 388 cities and towns in Massachusetts have visited the annual event. Attendees include representation from all the New England States, as well as points as distant as Texas, California and even friends from Europe.
Trees from the Festival of Trees have graced the cover of the Boston Globe Magazine; have been featured in Northshore Magazine, Merrimack Valley Magazine,The Boston Globe and many additional newspapers and other media outlets throughout the state. In addition, the Festival has been featured on the Boston’s Channel 5 Chronicle show as well as New England Cable News (NECN).
The event began in 1994, when volunteers raising funds for the restoration of the Tenney Castle Gate House conceived of the idea of holding a Christmas fundraiser featuring fully decorated Christmas trees. They decided to raffle off a small number of holiday trees to help pay for the expensive restoration and preservation costs associated with the project.
The volunteers who were part of the Tenney Gate House Restoration Committee were successful in saving the Gate House from destruction. The tree festival they started in 1994 showcased 17 trees and raised a modest $3,100.00. The Merrimack Valley Festival of Trees is now at capacity displaying 240 trees and wreaths in 2012. The success of The Festival of Trees originally raised the necessary funding for the restoration of the historic Gate House and today provides grants to various preservation projects throughout the Merrimack Valley.
Take part by sponsoring a tree if you are a local business, volunteering at the event if you would like to support the great causes or attending with your family or friends. This will be an uplifting and festive holiday celebration for all ages.
*****Note: The first Sea festival was a great success with crowds surpassing expectations this year
See Sea Festival of Trees website