Photo: Carl Stevens
LYNN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Lynn Vocational Technical Institute’s annual Festival of Trees kicked off on Sunday, with plenty of donated trees lining the school’s main hallway.
The yearly tradition asks the community to donate trees decorated with gifts, and each tree has its own theme. The trees are raffled off and proceeds go to the Alumni Scholarship Fund, which supports students at Lynn Tech.
“My husband’s a carpenter and he went through the carpentry program here at Lynn Tech, so we kind of have a theme with tools every year on our tree,” said Diane Bryson.
The Bryson family tree features gift card ornaments for places like Lowe’s and power tools placed underneath the tree.
State Rep. Dan Cahill and his son. Photo: Carl Stevens
The annual festival, run by the Lynn Tech Alumni Association, has many people coming back every year to donate, often to memorialize loved ones.
“My husband’s parents passed away and they’re Lynn residents, so we all pool our money and we go in and donate a tree every year," Bryson said.
Judy Jamieson and her sister participate every year to honor their mother.
“It’s about remembering my mom, she loved the holidays so much and she loved decorating for the holidays, and that was a big part of her life,” Jamieson said.
This year marks the 10th annual event, and public viewing is available all week. Winners will be announced Sunday.
Jamieson also enjoys giving back to the community, like many others donating the trees.
“They haven’t had all the benefits and everything that I’ve been fortunate enough to have, and if doing this can help them, I’m more than happy to do it,” Jamieson said.
WBZ’s Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports.
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