Published: November 13, 2008 09:41 pm      

Trees form centerpiece of festival

Festival ready for annual run

DANVILLE — Just as the name promises, visitors to Provena United Samaritans Medical Center Foundation’s Festival of Trees will be greeted by a veritable forest of evergreens dressed for Christmas.

“There will be close to 100 trees on display at this year’s festival,” Angie Lazzell, development specialist for the foundation, said. “We have more centerpieces that have been decorated and more baskets in the raffle house than in past years.

“People have been so generous,” Lazzell said.

Each tree is sponsored by a donor, which may be an individual or a business. Those sponsors often turn to experienced designers to decorate those trees. The decorations on the trees are as varied as the designers who create them.

Choo-choo

“The Polar Express” is the theme for a tree by the Hoopeston Boosters 4-H Club, led by Paige Brown. Train tickets are scattered throughout the boughs. Bells that resemble the book’s first gift of Christmas hang from many branches. A conductor’s hat and lantern nestle in the lower limbs and an oversized cup of hot chocolate, complete with tiny marshmallows, is wired onto a higher branch.

A miniature Santa serves as the tree topper. His pocket is torn in homage to the boy’s pocket in the book. A sign on the tree reads “Believe,” the theme of both the book and the festival.

“The kids made the decorations at meetings and took some home to work on,” designer Kathy Peeler said as she and Sarah Kasallis put the finishing touches on the tree Thursday. “They were here working last night, too. We’re finishing it up for them while they’re in school.”

Yum, yum

Peppermints, another Christmas tradition, were the theme of a tree donated by Dr. Jo-Mel and Dorothy Labayog. Plastic and glass variations of the candy, from oversized candy canes to large individual mints, covered another 7-foot tree. The crisp Christmas colors of red, green and white looked especially appealing in this tasty form.

Debbie Wiley, manager of the Provena USMC gift shop, served as the tree’s designer. She referred to her assistants as “other gift shop ladies, who all volunteered to help get this tree done.”

Wiley said the group’s goal was to leave no branch undecorated. A snowman in a red and white striped cap and scarf joined other whimsical snowmen and red and green metallic bows to fill the tree.

Ho, ho

Another designer put the finishing touches on a tree whose branches were almost completely covered up.

The tree had its limbs held together by wire and encased in a bigger-than-usual Santa suit. A metal Santa face, once part of a wreath hanger, completed the image.

“I’ve always wanted to do one that was just Santa,” Tina Peace said. She’s designed trees for the past 12-years — this most recent creation was for Earl Gaudio and Sons, Inc.

“I made the suit out of a bed sheet,” Peace said. “I hand sewed parts to get it to fit the tree.

“I design three or four trees a year,” she said. “I find it so relaxing.”

The warm lights that glowed from inside the suit carried out the theme “Believe in Santa” that Peace wanted to convey.

Some of the trees on exhibit at the festival will be donated for a raffle.

IF YOU GO

Provena United Samaritans Medical Center Foundation presents “Believe,” the Festival of Trees 2008, at the David S. Palmer Arena. Hours are: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.to 9 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors (age 55 and older) and $2 for children (ages 3-12). Children 2 and under are admitted at no charge.