History center’s Festival of Trees grows this year

BROWNSTOWN — A couple have polar bears. One contains peacock feathers.

Zoo animals are on and around another one. Ty Beanie Babies adorn one. Snoopy is the theme of another. There are horses, birds, reindeer, owls, cardinals and Noah’s Ark animals on others.

Some have white lights, one has all blue lights and several have multi-colored lights.

On the Jackson County History Center campus in Brownstown, the livery barn has been transformed into a beautiful Christmas tree display for the third annual Festival of Trees.

This year’s theme is “My Favorite Animal,” and the 21 trees offer plenty of variety for the viewer.

“It’s just like a dreamland. It really is. It’s just amazing what people brought,” history center volunteer Dorothy Richards said.

“Every time, I get chills,” fellow volunteer Margo Brewer said of seeing the display.

The Festival of Trees opened this past weekend and will be available for the public to view again the next two weekends from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Recently added to the schedule, the display will be available to view from 3:30 to 8 p.m. today.

The 50-plus trees also may be viewed at 6 p.m. Tuesday during the Christmas in the Village event, which also will feature carols in the livery barn.

Plus, it will be open at 5 p.m. Dec. 16 during Brownstown Ewing Main Street’s Hometown Christmas celebration.

Groups may schedule other times to see the trees by calling Margo Brewer at 812-358-2924 or Gloria Cross at 812-358-4005.

Admission is free, and visitors are encouraged to cast a vote for their favorite tree out of the 21 eligible to win the people’s choice award. A donation jar is inside the building for those wishing to support the history center, which is a nonprofit organization.

The number of trees up for votes is up from 10 last year, Brewer said. The total number of trees in the building — from small to large — is a record, too.

“We contacted people we know that are creative and artistic,” Brewer said. “There were two or three of them that are up that were seeing it last year and they said, ‘Oh,’ and I said, ‘Well, do you want to do one?’ and they were like, ‘Yeah.’”

This year, several school and community groups decorated trees, and there also were a couple of nursing homes, a couple of businesses and several individuals who got involved.

From young kids to teens to adults to senior citizens, a variety of ages contributed.

“I just think it has brought us to the attention of the community,” Brewer said.

“People don’t even know we’re here, and it is an advertisement for the history center,” Richards said. “It’s a good thing for the community. A lot of people came that wouldn’t ordinarily come.”

During the opening weekend, Brewer said it was slow but steady with people walking through the livery barn.

On Monday, three Brownstown Elementary School first grade classes walked from the school to the history center to check out the trees.

“They were so excited,” Brewer said after the young students visited.

One of the teachers even said she would send a note home with the students in hopes their families will want to come back and see the trees.

Fletcher Henry and Zoey Roll were among the first-graders in Anna Spencer’s class who saw the trees and dropped a ticket in the canister in front of their favorite tree.

Henry liked the one featuring zoo animals that was decorated by the Brownstown Central High School MOMH class.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” he said.

Roll was fascinated by a tree with reindeer and Santa Claus going up around it on train tracks.

“I think they are all beautiful, but if I’ve got to pick one of them, this one looks pretty,” she said.

Along with the trees, there are display cases down the middle of the livery barn with various figurines. Plus, there’s a farm display near the entrance provided by Leonard Schroer, and the stage on the east end of the building is decorated with a fireplace and Christmas trees.

For the stage, Jeff Ray put the trees up and strung lights around them, while Judy Stockoff added ornaments to the trees and also decorated some other trees and wreaths in the building.

“It’s just a group effort,” Brewer said of the history center volunteers making the Festival of Trees happen. “It’s no one person did it all.”

Next year, Brewer said the theme will be snowmen, and they can make room for even more trees.