PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – St. Apollonia Dental Clinic welcomed thousands of community members to its annual Festival of Trees this weekend.
It was a milestone year for the festival, which launched in 2014. Back then, the festival raised $9,800 with 24 sponsored trees but has grown significantly since that first year, raising $190,000 in 2023 and typically featuring over 70 trees.
As of Monday afternoon, this year’s fundraising total came in at $172,555, the second highest total since the festival’s beginnings. In all, 345,000 tickets were sold, said Sherry Chamberland, festival committee chairperson.
Proceeds from the festival support low-cost dental services at St. Apollonia for uninsured or underinsured children. The clinic opened in 2012 and the tree festival has become its largest fundraiser, only being canceled once in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Festival organizers were already suspecting that they might get close to the 2023 fundraising total Saturday evening.
“We’ve sold an estimated 60,000 tickets,” Chamberland said around 6 p.m. Saturday. “The crowds have been good. We’ve had a steady stream.”
Throughout the weekend, people gathered at Northern Maine Community College’s gymnasium to buy tickets and choose from 72 trees sponsored by area businesses, organizations and families.
People dropped tickets into buckets next to the trees and gifts they wanted to win. They had a wide variety from which to choose, from the more traditionally decorated trees to purple and blue trees for children and even a Beetlejuice-themed tree.
In the past decade, Chamberland estimates that over 500 people have won trees, which, as of Saturday night, did not include those who won this year’s tree drawing.
But regardless of the outcome, the festival of trees has become a fun holiday gathering for many families.
“We come every year for the last four years,” said Dana Plourde, whose children Callie, 4, and Owen, 1 ½ years, were excited to see all the Christmas lights. “It’s definitely a tradition.”
All children attending the festival received free water bottles with the phrase “Rethink Your Drink,” encouraging them to drink more water instead of sugary beverages.
St. Apollonia recognized eight tree sponsors who have been with the festival since its first year: The County Federal Credit Union, Machias Savings Bank, Katahdin Trust Company, NorStar Title Company/Currier, Trask & Dunleavy, MMG, Team Superfrog, St. Apollonia and Wilder’s Jewelry. They also recognized five-year sponsors.
“Most of the credit [for the festival] goes to our sponsors for donating spectacular trees,” Chamberland said. “We’ve been at this long enough that almost everyone knows someone who has won a tree.”
