PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Like many local businesses, the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library is celebrating the holiday season with a bright, colorful Christmas tree standing in their front entrance, though not a typical tree with green branches and glass ornaments.
For six years the library has assembled its annual book tree to the delight of patrons of all ages. The “tree,” which is 10- to 12-feet tall, features around 2,000 books from the library as well as law books donated by Bemis and Rossignol, LLC. The library invites community members to serve as tree builders and this year local Cub Scouts from Pack 171 and Boy Scouts from Troop 171 spent eight hours stacking row upon row of books to the top.
Library director Sonja Eyler said the book tree has become a much-anticipated event for visitors, with many people asking in November when the tree would be built. Some families, she noted, have even requested to take their Christmas card photos in front of the tree.
“The love of books is at the heart of what we do at the library, so we thought that the tree would be a way to combine our mission with the spirit of the holiday season,” Eyler said. “It’s another way for us to bring the community together.”
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- This year, local Cub Scouts from Pack 171 and Boy Scouts from Troop 171 in the Presque Isle area spent eight hours stacking books to create the Mark and Emily Turner Memorial Library’s book tree. Pictured from left to right are Boy Scouts Stephen Summerson and Trey Newcomb; Tiger Cub Scout Elijah Ouellette; Boy Scouts Caleb Green, Carter Daggett and Orion Ouellette; and Renee Ouellette, advancement chairman for Cub Scout Pack 171. (Courtesy of Renee Ouellette)
