There is something magical about Christmas trees. Perhaps it is their finery, festive and bright at the darkest time of the year.
Or possibly it’s something less tangible, a spirit of delight and ingenuity, glimpses at family traditions that pass silently from their designers to their viewers. And if you’ve ever stopped and given your attention to one, you’ll know that these same things can be said about many of the historic buildings in the Merrimack Valley.
Founded by former state legislator and Methuen mayor Sharon Pollard in 1994, the Methuen Festival of Trees (FoT) was created to save the Tenney Gate House, located next to Methuen’s city hall. The gate house, built in the 1830s, was once the entry to the summer estate of Charles H. Tenney, a wealthy 19th century industrialist and one of Methuen’s city fathers.
“We tried lots of small fundraisers,” Pollard says. “The festival was just one of them. The first year we raised $2,100 with 17 trees at the Nevins Library. In 2009 we had 214 trees and raised $285,000.”
These days, the two-week festival is held at 13 Branch St., a 15,000-square-foot office building owned by Brooks Properties. Visitors purchase tickets to view Christmas trees of all sizes and themes, donated and decorated by volunteers. The FoT offers a cafe and gift shop, and the trees are raffled off to eager ticket buyers in plenty of time for Christmas. The “Taste of the Festival,” a ticketed event, allows guests to sample the fare of several of the Valley’s best restaurants. All proceeds go to the historic preservation fund.
Photos by Dave D'Apice
Ann Guastaferro, president of the FoT’s board of directors, says, “The festival has become a wonderful, festive holiday tradition. Families come back year after year. People feel good about supporting us, and the trees are fantastic. People spend so much time creating them.”
Now in its 17th season, the FoT has been instrumental in saving many historic properties in and outside of Methuen, including the Searles estate, and miles of historic granite walls.
Methuen’s St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, constructed in 1904, was able to complete extensive preservation work in 2010 with a matching grant from FoT. “We are very grateful to the Festival of Trees,” says the Rev. Joseph Wilkes, pastor at St. Andrew’s. “This is a fine, old church—part of the city’s history.”
FoT Committee Member Patricia George, President of Festival of Trees Ann Guastaferro, Executive Producer of the Matty in the Morning Show on Kiss 108 Kendra Petrone.
According to Pollard, 500 volunteers are needed to run the festival, but the event also relies on other forms of assistance. Brooks Properties has been donating the use of 13 Branch St. for the past nine years. “We understand how important it is to have communities rich in their individual heritage,” says Eric Brooks. “My family and I look forward to the event every year.”
The Methuen Memorial Music Hall is another property that was recently restored with help from the FoT. The ornate, 101-year-old structure was in need of $40,000 in restorations. “If not for the Festival of Trees we would have had to scale back the project to the basics,” says Greg L’Heureux, chairman of the hall’s building and grounds committee. “Now the building is in the condition its designers meant it to be in.”
Perhaps one of the nicest FoT success stories is its current project: the restoration of the stained glass windows at Methuen’s Nevins Memorial Library. In 1994 the first festival was held in the building’s Great Hall, the same room that houses the windows. “All these years later, it’s nice to get it back here,” says Krista McLeod, the library’s director. “We helped them, and now they’ll help us keep the building beautiful for everyone.”
The Festival of Trees is usally held mid-November to early December. For information about the event, to volunteer or to apply for a historic preservation grant, visit www.methuenfestivaloftrees.com.
The Methuen Festival of Trees
There is something magical about Christmas trees. Perhaps it is their finery, festive and bright at the darkest time of the year.
Or possibly it’s something less tangible, a spirit of delight and ingenuity, glimpses at family traditions that pass silently from their designers to their viewers. And if you’ve ever stopped and given your attention to one, you’ll know that these same things can be said about many of the historic buildings in the Merrimack Valley.
Founded by former state legislator and Methuen mayor Sharon Pollard in 1994, the Methuen Festival of Trees (FoT) was created to save the Tenney Gate House, located next to Methuen’s city hall. The gate house, built in the 1830s, was once the entry to the summer estate of Charles H. Tenney, a wealthy 19th century industrialist and one of Methuen’s city fathers.
“We tried lots of small fundraisers,” Pollard says. “The festival was just one of them. The first year we raised $2,100 with 17 trees at the Nevins Library. In 2009 we had 214 trees and raised $285,000.”
These days, the two-week festival is held at 13 Branch St., a 15,000-square-foot office building owned by Brooks Properties. Visitors purchase tickets to view Christmas trees of all sizes and themes, donated and decorated by volunteers. The FoT offers a cafe and gift shop, and the trees are raffled off to eager ticket buyers in plenty of time for Christmas. The “Taste of the Festival,” a ticketed event, allows guests to sample the fare of several of the Valley’s best restaurants. All proceeds go to the historic preservation fund.
Photos by Dave D'Apice
Ann Guastaferro, president of the FoT’s board of directors, says, “The festival has become a wonderful, festive holiday tradition. Families come back year after year. People feel good about supporting us, and the trees are fantastic. People spend so much time creating them.”
Now in its 17th season, the FoT has been instrumental in saving many historic properties in and outside of Methuen, including the Searles estate, and miles of historic granite walls.
Methuen’s St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, constructed in 1904, was able to complete extensive preservation work in 2010 with a matching grant from FoT. “We are very grateful to the Festival of Trees,” says the Rev. Joseph Wilkes, pastor at St. Andrew’s. “This is a fine, old church—part of the city’s history.”
FoT Committee Member Patricia George, President of Festival of Trees Ann Guastaferro, Executive Producer of the Matty in the Morning Show on Kiss 108 Kendra Petrone.
According to Pollard, 500 volunteers are needed to run the festival, but the event also relies on other forms of assistance. Brooks Properties has been donating the use of 13 Branch St. for the past nine years. “We understand how important it is to have communities rich in their individual heritage,” says Eric Brooks. “My family and I look forward to the event every year.”
The Methuen Memorial Music Hall is another property that was recently restored with help from the FoT. The ornate, 101-year-old structure was in need of $40,000 in restorations. “If not for the Festival of Trees we would have had to scale back the project to the basics,” says Greg L’Heureux, chairman of the hall’s building and grounds committee. “Now the building is in the condition its designers meant it to be in.”
Perhaps one of the nicest FoT success stories is its current project: the restoration of the stained glass windows at Methuen’s Nevins Memorial Library. In 1994 the first festival was held in the building’s Great Hall, the same room that houses the windows. “All these years later, it’s nice to get it back here,” says Krista McLeod, the library’s director. “We helped them, and now they’ll help us keep the building beautiful for everyone.”
The Festival of Trees is usally held mid-November to early December. For information about the event, to volunteer or to apply for a historic preservation grant, visit www.methuenfestivaloftrees.com.