The Blue & White

By: Allison Lâm

    Methuen’s 26th annual Festival of Trees took place from November 22nd through December 7th, at 13 Branch Street in Methuen. 

The festival was filled with many beautiful Christmas trees, decorated by different companies, families, schools, and organizations in and around Methuen. Trees, from big to small, were all available for any Methuen citizens to win through a raffle. 

Each year, the Festival of Trees is run and gets help from many volunteers all around Methuen, such as MHS’ own National Honor Society. Raffles for Christmas trees are not the only thing at the event. The festival has different gift shops, with more Christmas gifts for people to buy for their friends and family. Additionally, the festival provides a cafe for anyone attending the event to sit down and enjoy foods like pizza and chips, cookies, cheesecake and more for dessert. The festival also provides small events during opening hours, such as a scavenger hunt for kids, and a visit from Santa Claus. 

Looking past the beautiful trees, the glittering lights, and the fun games and events the festival offers, it is the proceeds from the raffle tickets, games, cafe food and more that really matter, as they provide funding to help preserve historic monuments and buildings. These monuments make Methuen, and other communities of the Merrimack Valley, unique in their own way. Places like the ‘Winnikenni Castle’ in Haverhill and the ‘Salem Train Depot’, and buildings such as the ‘Salisbury Parsonage’ and the ‘Rolling Ridge’ in Andover, are maintained as historic places in the Merrimack Valley, due to the money raised from the festival each year. 

So, the Festival of Trees is not only an event that is fun for family and friends, but is also an opportunity to help aid the historical monuments and buildings all around the Merrimack Valley. If you missed out on the festival this year, consider joining next year to take part in preserving history!