Photo: Brooke McCarthy / WBZ NewsRadio
LYNN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A holiday tradition is open this week as a means to spread seasonal cheer and give Lynn Vocational and Technical High School students a financial boost.
The eighth annual Festival of Trees kicked off on Sunday with public viewings of the ornamentals on display for the rest of the week at the Lynn Tech Annex. The festival boasts trees donated by dozens of organizations and residents from around the community, with all proceeds going towards scholarships and fitness equipment costs of Lynn Tech students.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy spoke with Diana Badger of the Lynn Tech Alumni Association, who said the trees decked out down the halls were up for grabs.
"We raffle off the trees and a hundred percent of the money goes to the Lynn Tech seniors— towards college or tools of the trade. It's turned from a 'Lynn Tech Festival of Trees' to a 'City of Lynn,' the host city comes, the community just loves it," Badger said.
Lynn Tech alumni Olivia Whitcomb graduated in 2019 and said she volunteers to give back to the program she herself was a beneficiary of. Whitcomb received a scholarship and now attends University of Massachusetts Lowell to study Plastic Engineering.
"I used it on books freshman year, a little bit on housing, a little bit on food. I come back every year and I don't plan to stop any time soon. I'm very grateful for it," Whitcomb said.
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Around 80 trees and wreaths are inside the Annex building this year, running between Sunday and Saturday, November 19. Tickets for admission cost $5 each, with displays open in the afternoons and evenings this week. For the raffle, attendees can buy 20 tickets for $5.
According to event organizers, Buddy the Elf will be at Lynn Tech on Saturday, and even Santa himself will make an appearance on Friday.
WBZ's Brooke McCarthy (@BrookeWBZ) reports.
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