WESTBROOK – Westbrook’s holiday events are still going strong, with the Festival of Trees open until Saturday, and the winner of a downtown window-decorating contest announced next week.

At the Festival of Trees on Tuesday, in the ground floor of the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, preschool students from Woodfords Family Services filed in to take a look at Paul Corbett’s model train display.

Corbett said that while the weather provided a slight hiccup on Monday (the festival didn’t open due to weather concerns), a large number of people have been through the festival since it began last weekend.

Between two floors at the church, there are 50 trees displayed, each representing a donation to a local charity. Upstairs on Tuesday, a few guests were viewing the trees, despite the continued bad weather.

Coming up this week is a public community dinner at noon on Thursday, and the annual Tips for Charity luncheon, which runs from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday.

Meanwhile, throughout the last few weeks, a holiday-themed art project has taken over the downtown, as 22 downtown businesses are competing in a window-decorating contest. Organized by the Downtown Westbrook Coalition, the event seems to have succeeded in getting local participation and community interest in the downtown.

According to coalition coordinator Abigail Cioffi, voting will begin once all windows are complete, which may be Thursday or Friday. Cioffi will announce the start of voting on the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/downtownwestbrookcoalition.

There will be an album on the page that will have a picture for each business, and voting will be counted by “likes” on each picture. For any questions, email Cioffi at acioffi@westbrook.me.us.

The winner of the contest will be announced during the coalition’s follow-up event, “Business in the ‘Brook,” which will take place at Mister Bagel on Thursday, Dec. 18 from 5-7 p.m. There will be free snacks, entertainment, and a cash bar.

– Andrew Rice

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A CLOSER LOOK

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The remaining schedule and viewing times for the Festival of Trees at Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church on Main Street in Westbrook are:

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 10-noon; 2-4 p.m.; 6-8 p.m. LOGOS presentation: “Cloth for the Cradle,” 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 11, 2-4 p.m.; 6-8 p.m. Public community dinner, noon.

Friday, Dec. 12, 10-noon; 2-4 p.m.; 6-8 p.m. Tips for Charity lunch, featuring Doc Stockwell on the piano, 11:30 a.m-1 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13, 10-noon. Mystery Gift Tree, 10 a.m.-noon.

For Paul Corbett’s model train schedule and more information, see www.westbrookfestivaloftrees.com.

Preschool students from Woodfords Family Services in Westbrook check out a batch of decorated trees at the annual Festival of Trees event Tuesday. The festival runs until this Saturday, Dec. 13.  Decorated trees in a line at the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church.