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Date: 11/29/2022
NORTHAMPTON – Northampton Volkswagen and the Northampton Rotary Club are hosting its inaugural “Festival of Trees” at 361 King St. from 12 to 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 to support children and seniors.
According to Kim Alli-Montague, the president of the Northampton Rotary Club, the event invites local businesses and community members to design and build their own tree using their imagination. Sample tree theme ideas could include construction, lottery, tropical, children’s games, Disney, sports, and more.
The trees, which must be under 5 feet, will then be on display and raffled off at the event on Dec. 10. The lucky winners of the raffle will be able to take the trees home.
People and businesses also have the option of sponsoring the tree, as well.
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Alli-Montague said that she is always brainstorming ways to increase the Rotary Club sponsorships and donations. “We’re doing a lot of good for the community, so we have to look at ways to support the different organizations we want to help in the community,” she said.
Mainly, the Rotary Club supports children and seniors by donating to a myriad of organizations and initiatives, like Grow Food Northampton, the International Youth Exchange Program and more.
For the festival event specifically, Alli-Montague said she teamed up with Carla Cosenzi, who owns Northampton Volkswagen TommyCar Auto Group. Cosenzi is the presenting sponsor for the event.
“Northampton Volkswagen is the ideal location because it provides accessibility,” said Alli-Montague. “[Cosenzi] will move all of the cars out, and [the lot] will become this enchanted forest.”
Aside from the tree raffle, Alli-Montague said that food trucks will be present, like Bub’s Barbecue, along with music, and beer and wine tasting. There will also be some other surprises along the way.
“It’s going to be a wonderful event where people can gather and get ready for whatever holiday they celebrate,” she added. “We’ve been to other tree festivals, and we found them to be really inspiring. It’s a nice thing to go and visit with your family.”
In general, Alli-Montague said there has been a growing interest and support in the Rotary Club mainly thanks to their perpetual programming, including their membership drive this month called “New Member November.”
“[The Festival of Trees] event is a fun one because it allows people to think outside of the box creatively,” said Alli-Montague. “It’s really neat to see what people do outside of the box, because this isn’t just a traditional artificial tree. People make trees out of cans and ladders…just really creative stuff.”
The deadline to submit a tree form entry is Dec. 1, and a name must be displayed under the tree. If people cannot register by then, they can contact Alli-Montague, and she can still help them set up before the Dec. 10 date.
To learn more about the logistics of the event, people can visit the Northampton Rotary Club web page: https://northamptonrotaryclub.org/Stories/festival-of-trees-december-10-2022.