WEST SPRINGFIELD — The Red Thread Network, an organization that supports arts and artists in town will have its Yuletree Jubilee beginning Friday, Nov. 29, to Sunday, Dec. 8, in the Community Room at the West Springfield Public Library, 200 Park St.
The Yuletree Jubilee is a tree festival open to the public with free admission. The hours of operation are Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Director Jane Barrientos said, “This is our eighth annual Yuletree Jubilee and we are pulling out all the stops to celebrate.”
She continued, “We were looking for a creative way to do a town wide fundraiser. The Yuletree Jubilee is our major fundraiser. We sponsor the children’s art classes that the Park & Recreation Department has for any school-age children in town. That includes paying the teachers, for the supplies and the rental for the room at the Unico building.”
This year, the Red Thread Network has 23 trees being donated and decorated by local businesses, nonprofits and the mayor’s family. Their trees are raffled off and the winner of the raffle gets the tree, the decorations and the gifts that come with it. Each sheet has 25 tickets for $10. This year for the first time, they will have door prizes each day and have little demonstration workshops. On Wednesday night, the Garden Club will demonstrate a small candle holder centerpiece with natural materials. And Tuesday night, Barrientos will make a small macrame ornament with a cinnamon stick to put on your tree.
“Our community is pretty close-knit,” Barrientos said. “Most people in West Springfield do try to attend all these events and the fun thing is to find out somebody that never had been to a tree festival before or it’s their first visit to West Springfield or they are bringing their families and they’re going back, so it’s fun to see the excitement and the interest that an event like this can generate.”
She went on to say, “This is a wonderful way to give back to the community and also to see all of these nonprofits participating in it. Those are the people in town that really adore their town and really work hard for the town. This is a nice way for us to make it possible for them to give back. “
For more information, go to redthreadnetworkforthearts.org. For questions, email janetrompe@comcast.net.
