This has been a secret we’ve been keeping under our hat for about three months, until the announcement Aug. 9. Our Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber is partnering with Spectrum Generations (Meals on Wheels) and All Saints Parish on the inaugural Midcoast Tree Festival! We will be holding the event at St. John’s Community Center (43 Pleasant St., Brunswick) and the event will run Nov. 22-24, Nov. 29-Dec. 1- with the drawing for the trees on Dec. 1.
For those that don’t know how tree festivals work, they can run one of two ways. The first way is to have businesses and organizations set up beautiful trees, and people pay an entry fee to see the trees and get into the holiday spirit. That is not what the Midcoast Tree Festival is.
The Midcoast Tree Festival is a tree-themed raffle where businesses and organization buy tree spaces, decorate trees and provide gifts as well. People buy tickets for 50 cents apiece and put their tickets in the drawings for the trees they want. It’s an incredible way for businesses to help spread the cheer for the holiday season, and it will end with over 50 families winning numerous gifts. It’s a win-win for everyone, or as we like to say, a Win-Tree Wonderland!
That just barely scratches the surface of what this event will entail. There is a huge education piece we need to execute so that everyone is aware of what the event is and how they can participate (and make no mistake there are several really fun ways you can be a part of this). Because of that, we will be rolling out information on this event, literally, on a weekly basis from now until the event is here. We have tree guidelines, wreath guidelines, volunteer roles, sponsorship opportunities, entertainment schedules, and so much more to tell you about.
So, what do you need to know this week about the Midcoast Tree Festival? Well, the first bit of news should probably be finding out where you can get the regular updates and information. We have a dedicated Facebook page that will be active year-round and will be the best place for the public to get the information they need. You can find it now by going to Facebook and searching for the event by name (Midcoast Tree Festival) and then “like” the page to follow us as we post new information.
On the Facebook page you will see our incredible logo created by Sarah Brown of Spectrum Generations. The design is the event name with a star-topped tree made by a tapered gold ribbon. The gold tree is encircled by a navy blue and white fisherman’s rope with anchor. It is beautiful. Also on the page you will see the video announcement from last Friday with a few more details.
So what’s next? Two things really. First and foremost is to the spread the word- so please tell all of your friends we’ll be having a tree festival in Brunswick on the weekend before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend. Secondly, we need to get businesses and organizations to sign up for trees and wreaths.
We’re looking for businesses and organizations who want give, through a tree space.
We’re still finalizing the layout, as this is a new space for this type of event, and we need to be sure we have enough room for walkways and such. It appears we’ll have room for 52-64 trees depending on the final design layout. These spaces will be awarded to businesses on a first come, first serve basis starting on September 3. We chose September 3 because with so many business leaders taking vacation in August, it didn’t seem fair to launch this when some businesses weren’t even around to pay attention to it. The September 3rd registration will be an online registration and we will cut off registrations once we get the maximum number of tree spaces.
There is no cost for the business to get a tree space, but there is an expectation that the business will comply with the tree guidelines as presented. The guidelines will include a minimum value for gifts, space specifications, and will encourage creative displays. Each tree will have hundreds of dollars of value and tickets for the trees will be 50 cents apiece. That’s great for everyone involved.
Also, we will be registering non-profit organizations to sign up to create decorative wreaths that will be used as door prize drawings. To enter the event there is a $2 charge (free for children under 12) and each entry fee gets a free door prize ticket. The wreaths will be in the lobby by the entrance for people to choose their favorite.
To be specific on the tickets and how it works, each ticket is 50 cents apiece, and each wreath displayed and tree location setup has an individual bucket. So your tickets don’t go into a ‘general bucket’ but rather you get to choose the trees and wreaths that you want a chance at winning. The buckets are collected nightly, or once full, and kept in a secure location and clearly marked by tree and wreath number in anticipation for the final draw.
There is so much more to get to. Like the children’s crafts area and the stage which we will use for entertainment like choral groups and Mr. & Mrs. Claus. We’ll have holiday concessions, and even an opening night ribbon cutting. Also, we want to have a special time for our senior living communities to come experience the event. We’ll have daily 50/50 draws and so much more.
Of course all of this requires any community volunteers to help sell tickets and greet our guests and many businesses to get in the holiday spirit with us. That’s where you come in. Help us spread the word or let your boss know you’d like to get involved. It will be an incredible event!
Cory King is the executive director of the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber.