Winter Wonderland Auctions Some Trees;

Third Annual Presentation Still Running

By Shannon Hicks

Continuing on the success of two previous Winter Wonderland of Trees silent auction and exhibition events, The Homesteads at Newtown concluded the silent auction of many of this year’s trees on December 16. Proceeds from the event will benefit Danbury Hospital.

About 30 trees are still available for viewing and purchasing. The Homesteads will have these trees on view until January 6. The public is welcome to stop in at the community’s main building, at 166 Mt Pleasant Road, daily between 10 am to 5 pm.

More than 55 trees were decorated this year. The trees are identical when the groups or individuals who will decorate them pick them up — they are undecorated three-foot-tall artificial Christmas trees — yet each returns with its own theme and distinct personality in time for the opening of each year’s exhibition.

This year’s forest of beautifully decorated tabletop trees opened on December 5. The public was welcome to join residents of The Homesteads in viewing the trees and placing bids on their favorites. Bidding closed on the first round of trees on December 16 with a daylong arts and crafts sale and the announcement of winning bids coming just past 8 pm Thursday.

The Fine Arts and Crafts Sale presented vendors with handcrafted jewelry and clothing, weavings, and decorative objects by artists hailing from Connecticut, New York, and Israel.

Among the participants was Canine Advocates of Newtown, Inc, a nonprofit group of dedicated volunteers who provide daily walks and socialization for the dogs at Newtown Dog Pound. CA pays for the dogs’ shots and the complete costs of spaying and neutering before adoption. The group’s goal is to help all dogs find loving homes.

(Information about the group and dogs available for adoption is available at www.CanineAdvocates.org.)

Leading up to the 8 o’clock hour, residents and public visitors mingled in the hallways of the main building making their final decisions and bids on their favorite trees. This year’s event featured a Boston Red Sox tree, complete with a miniature Citgo sign as the tree topper; a number of trees with specific color schemes; and even a Santa Claus tree.

Dodgingtown Garage had a popular tree again this year, covering its offering with Matchbox cars.

In addition to the groups and businesses that decorated trees this year, a few individual members of the public (like Sandi Smith, at left, with her tree) and residents of The Homesteads took on the challenge of decorating a tree for the fundraiser.

Decorators came in all ages, too, from the aforementioned Homesteads residents to students of Wesley Learning Center in Sandy Hook (above).

In addition to the second batch of decorated trees, The Homesteads is also presenting an exhibition of works by members of The Heritage Village Brush and Pencil Club until the end of the year. The show offers watercolors, oils, acrylics, pen and inks, and pastels by members of the artists’ group based in Southbury.

For more information call The Homesteads at 426-8118.