20th annual Festival of Trees in Saco just around the corner

Watching the meticulous and talented designers make Festival of Trees in Saco a reality is like watching Christmas being unwrapped – one ornament, silk flower and string of lights at a time.

Saco Museum staff, board members and tree sponsors have been preparing for weeks for the 20th annual event that showcases an indoor forest of decorated trees, preview events, Tea with Mrs. Claus and the ever-popular raffle for prizes donated by local businesses and individuals.

The signature fundraiser begins Saturday, Nov. 23 with a preview tea at 1:30 p.m., followed by the preview gala at 6:30 p.m. (For details, see https://dyerlibrarysacomuseum.org/festival-of-trees .)

 

Designing women

Theresa Ruel, who also decorates Victoria Mansion in Portland for the holidays, grew up in Biddeford and her kids went to Thornton Academy, so the Festival of Trees is near and dear to her heart. She and Amy DesRoberts are co-chairs of the design committee; it’s her ninth year as a designer for Festival of Trees.

“I’m from Biddeford-Saco; this is home,” said Ruel as she took a break from dressing the mannequins at the museum on a recent fall afternoon.

 “I had always wanted to do a tree,” she said, and related how she convinced her then-employer to sponsor a tree. That first year Ruel tied for third place, and she was hooked.

 

Theresa Ruel and Christina Ellis are co-chairs of the Festival of Trees design committee.

Nine years ago, Ruel began dressing “The Girls,” as she refers to the festively decorated dress forms. She, DesRoberts and fellow designer Christina Ellis spend hours on the attire, rejecting some embellishments and adding others. It’s a slow, thoughtful process.

 Ruel credits a former designer who did “amazing” work – think angels and a peacock – on the dress forms and Sandy Riley for teaching her how to decorate trees.

In addition to cloth, flowers, jewelry and other decor, Ruel uses natural materials when she can on the dress forms; four of the six are circa 1910-20. One year her husband cut logs for a male mannequin’s legs. Another time a dress form sported a birchbark bodice. She’s also fashioned a bodice from moss.

“I already know what I’m going to do next year,” Ruel said happily as she surveyed her work.

In the beginning

“I’ve loved doing this,” said Saco resident Anne Dobson as she decorated her tree.

Dobson is one of the few people who were involved when Festival of Trees began. The Saco resident said a college friend called her with the idea, which was then presented to Don Sharland, then-director of Dyer Library-Saco Museum, and Kathy Breyley, former president of the board of trustees.

Original members of the Festival of Trees committee included Breyley, Carolyn Ferraro, Carol Doyle and Jean Horton, according to Dobson, plus other volunteers.

The first year, 25, 7-foot trees were ordered in addition to a dozen 4-foot trees, kids’ trees and 25-30 wreaths.

“It was hysterical because we’d order Yankee Pine and we’d get something else like Long Barrier,” Dobson recalled. “One time they brought skinny trees.”

There is an annual theme, but the committee doesn’t hold the sponsors and their decorators to it.

“I still remember my first tree,” Dobson said. “It was named ‘Let It Snow’ and I still have pieces of it.”

Jobs were divided into design, fundraising (getting sponsors) and “general running of things.”

“It’s so important to me to get community involved,” Dobson said. “It’s much more now.”

“It brings people in (to the museum) and makes them understand the value to the community.”

Community impact

While data on the number of annual visitors is not available, Carolyn Roy, collections and archives manager, said “it seems like attendance has grown in the (11 years) I’ve been here. It’s our biggest day for overall attendance.”

She credits that in part to developing a good relationship with Saco Main Street, which added a trolley stop at the museum during Saco’s Holiday Festival on Dec. 14.

Roy said the event has evolved with different styles and trends in decorating.

“We try to change it up a little every year … ,” she said. “We do what we can with the number of trees to get out.”

Museum staff “welcome involvement from those interested in decorating a tree and being involved in the event,” said Roy, adding there are new designers and sponsors this year.

Sophie Smith, executive director of Dyer Library and Saco Museum, is experiencing her first Festival of Trees after being hired in March.

“It’s incredible to see how it all comes together,” Smith said. “There are so many people involved. Certainly museum staff, but also so many volunteers donate so many hours.”

“The impact is year-round with long-fingered value added to the community,” Smith said.

New this year is an after-hours for members of the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce, an event Smith called “a special chance to connect … we’re trying to really support the local business community.”

Ann Fisher is employed by the Dyer Library- Saco Museum. She is a freelance journalist based in Saco and can be reached at 432-7483.