2025 Festival of Trees Winners
Let it Shimmer and Shine. . . was the theme for this year’, 25th annual Festival of Trees.
The anniversary was celebrated at an opening night gala, catered by Tim and Penny Cota of Cota Catering, and featuring Kick and Push Brewery and local wineries. The Gala celebrated some of the long time volunteers who have been responsible for the festival’s success over so many years.
The festival was founded by the Villages Beautiful Group, which was established in 1999 by people from all of the villages that make up Central Frontenac. Villages Beautiful was, and still is, devoted to making the villages more welcoming for residents and visitors by adding flowers and benches and other features in public spaces.
The festival was founded by the group, under the organising chairperson, the late Rosemary Bowick. At the time of the first Festival of Trees, Rosemary said she estimated it would be an effective fundraiser for about 5 years and then it would be time for a different event to take over. She was wrong about the timeline as the 25th anniversary festival amply demonstrated. As part of the Gala, Rosemary’s husband and community organiser partner Bill Bowick was honoured for his decades long contribution to the festival and Villages Beautiful
All entries to this year’s show. showed creativity and great talent. The winners are listed below, as are the names of the people whose ticket was pulled for each one, and were lucky enough to take it home.
Large Trees:
RFCS Youth Program & Maltby Centre - A Country Disco Christmas - 2nd Place - Winner: Lori Howes
Awakenings Lakeside Wellness Studio - Winner: Coleen Steele
Sherri Scott - Buck & Bling - 25 is Glistening - 1st Place - Winner: Heather Brown
Mike Dean Local Grocer - 3rd Place - Winner: Margaret Montagano
Mini Trees
Sharbot Lake Pharmacy - Sharbot Lake Pharma-Tree - Winner: Wendy Drew
RG Logging - Loggin' Around the Christmas Tree - 2nd Place - Winner: Jane
Mary Helen - Celebrating One Day at a Time - 3rd Place - Winner: Ryan Conboy
Parham Sunday School - Our Shining Star - Winner: Susan Wing
Ann Walsh - 25 Sparkling Years of Memories - 1st Place - Winner: Shirley Burke
Anything Goes
Linda Harding-DeVries - Let Christmas Sparkle - Winner: Laurie Columbus
Nancy Harding - Let it Snow - Winner: Karen McGregor
Pickleball Sharbot Lake - Deer Family - Winner: Colleen Steele
Coldwell Banker/Long & McQuade - Silver Bells - Winner: Helene R.
Treasure Trunk - Sparkle the Bear(s) - 3rd Place - Winner: Leslie Whiteman
Wendy Hartwick - 1st Place - Winner: Pam Ferguson
Conboy Maple Syrup - Shimmering Maple - Winner: Janet Barr
The Tree Amigos - A Tree-mendous Celebration - 2nd Place - Winner: Cathy Elmore
Janet Gutowski - Winner: Tom
Seeds Accounting - Winner: Amy Lake
Remax: Sharbot Lake - Winner: Bob Jones
Baskets
NF Little Theatre - Shimmer and Shine Like the Stars - Winner: Tania Veley
Angela Deline - The Sleigh of Sweetness - 2nd Place - Winner: Shriley Burke
Fen Valley Farm & Birch Whispers Studio - Farm Fresh & Shimmering Bright - Winner: Savanah Cronk
GREC Student Council - A Cozy Night In - Winner: Paige
Cota's Catering - Winner: Max Conboy
Sharbot Lake Retirement Residence - Winner: Martina Field
Skyes the Limit Fitness - Winner: Niki Putnam
NF Telephone Company - Choose Your Own Holiday Adventure - Winner: Zach Teal
R&M Contracting - Winner: Betty Walsh
CF Township - Winner: Diane Ptok
Railway Heritage Society - All Aboard your Local Railway Express - 1st Place - Winner: Joyce Jones
Lakeside Readers - A tisket, a-tasket, A Bright Shiny Basket - 3rd Place - Winner: Bob Young
Friends of Arden - Winner: Margaret Montagano
Sharbot Lake Lions - Paige
Sharbot Lake Dental Clinic - Winner: Mike
Royal Canadian Legion - Everything that Glitters is not Gold - Winner: Sheila
Tania Veley - Midnight Movie Mishchief Basket - Winner: Kerri Courtney
The Cardinal Cafe & Shoppe - Refuel Essentials after Shining so Bright - Winner: Nora Przewoznik
Kick and Push Brewing Company - Winner: Carrie Mallett
Hartington Farm Equipment - Winner: Tanya Hawley
LD Powersports - Winner: Brett
Community Living - Carly
Wreaths & Wall Hangings
Arden Batik - The Christmas Star Shines on Us All - 1st Place - Winner: C.J.
The Wee Glass Shop - Holiday Shimmer - 2nd Place - Winner: Pauline Miller
Janet's Clip-it - 3rd Place - Winner: Sandra
SL Medical Centre - Winner: Wrights
Carol Raymo - Winner: Karen B.
Gift Certificates
Darin Carswell - Winners: Linda Harding DeVries and Nicole Cole
Veley's Heating and Cooling - Winner: Donna Longmire
Sharbot Lake Farmers Market - Winners: Jan Levitte, Susan Wing, Chubber Wilson and Derrick
Sharbot Lake Chiropractic & Wellness - Winner: Susan Sirrs
Turkey Dinner Draw
Laurie Columbus
The People’s Choice Award was: "Choose Your Own Holiday Adventure" - by NF Telephone Company. The Children's Choice Award was "Midnight Movie Mischief Basket" by Tania Veley, Veley's Custom Creations.
Many others must be recognized too: there are those who, instead of making an entry, contribute “in kind”, either financially or through services needed by the festival. Villages Beautiful thanks the following: Sentinel Insurance, Sydenham Veterinary Service, Cottages at Windrush, Township of Central Frontenac, Seeds Accounting, 1010 Lawn and Garden Centre, Veley's Heating and Cooling, Foodland Verona, Crain's Construction, Service Master Kingston, Jones Construction, Revell Ford, Anne Howes, Dianne Lake, Art Holloway, Jeff Siamon, Nick Conboy, Cheryl Johnson, Kick and Push Brewery, and Donna’s Sign Shoppe.
Thank you to all the volunteers that made this year another success. Next year's Festival of Trees Theme will be: "All Aboard for Christmas"
