There were tall trees and tiny trees, slim ones and round ones, trees made of wood and even an upside-down tree, all bedecked with lights and decorations. And all those trees raised a new record of $190,000 for Aroostook County children’s dental care.
The ninth St. Apollonia Dental Clinic Festival of Trees drew crowds to the Northern Maine Community College gym earlier this month to enjoy the views and try to win their favorite trees and assorted gifts.
The annual event — which only missed one year during the pandemic — has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit the St. Apollonia Dental Clinic in Presque Isle. The clinic serves uninsured or underinsured children and festival funds go directly toward operating expenses.
The first festival in 2014 raised $10,000, and each year the numbers of trees and donations have multiplied. Last year’s proceeds achieved a record $150,000, but organizers are over the moon because this year’s event surpassed that by $40,000.
“It was a major record-breaking year again,” said Norma Desjardins, dentist and clinic director. “We’re very excited and we’re already thinking ahead to next year, which will be our 10th.”
Close to 400,000 raffle tickets were sold, Desjardins said. The group was happy to be back at the community college and traffic flowed well, thanks to a new design on the gym floor that had people snaking through several rows of trees.
With seasonal music playing and a holiday scene on a huge television, the atmosphere was festive. Families gathered and people of all ages smiled as they browsed 75 trees on display from Nov. 30 through Dec. 3.
Long lines of festival goers waited in line to buy tickets, and volunteers sold more on the display floor in case anyone ran out.
Besides the festive feel, there are touching moments, too, Desjardins said. One of those occurred on the first night, which is reserved for tree sponsors and their families and friends.
Several sponsors were recognized with ribbons for five years of tree contributions, including the Paige Aerin Lento family of Easton. Peter and Kristina Lento and daughter Chloe have sponsored a tree for several years in memory of their daughter and sister, Paige, who died in 2016 at age 11.
“We were able to recognize Paige and what they’ve done to keep her memory alive and keep her spirit alive,” Desjardins said. “To see others enjoying the tree is nice. Her mom said she can’t think of a better way to honor Paige.”
It was the biggest crowd yet at a sponsors’ night, she said. It’s a nice chance for those who donated trees to meet each other and to see how their trees have benefited the festival over the years.
Other sponsors receiving five-year ribbons were Aroostook Beverage Company, The Aroostook Cluster of United Methodist Churches, FA Peabody Company, Fields Realty LLC, Hannaford Supermarkets, Huber Engineered Woods LLC, NorState Federal Credit Union and Stiles Premier Finishes.
The event would not be possible without the large contingent of volunteers, Desjardins said. As the festival has grown, so has the team who works to make it happen. One couple told her they look forward to it every year and wouldn’t miss it.
“It’s a big production to organize and run a festival like this,” she said. “Volunteers kept bringing up that this seemed to be the smoothest year yet.”
The Festival of Trees may be over for this year, but Desjardins and organizers are already gearing up for the 10th anniversary in 2024. They’d like to reach $200,000 in donations and will plan several fun and different things, she said.
