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Tales from the Tread: 23rd Annual Festival of Trees

Candice Bannister For Steamboat Today
What: Tread of Pioneers Museum’s Festival of Trees When: Nov. 11-20, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily Where: Tread of Pioneers Museum, 800 Oak St., Steamboat Springs

Just as the cooler weather seems to pull everyone indoors, come out for the Tread of Pioneers Museum’s 23rd Annual Festival of Trees pre-holiday tradition. The festival runs November 11-20 from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. daily at the museum. Yampa Valley Bank and Steamboat Ace Hardware are once again showing their continued dedication to our heritage and the museum by generously underwriting all costs for this fundraising event. With our sponsors’ support, the Festival is once again free to all Routt County residents.

Four-year-old Leah Bannister checks out the decorations on one of the many trees inside the Tread of Pioneers Museum while her mom, Candice Bannister, executive director at the museum, takes care of last-minute details for the 2015 Festival of Trees.

This family-focused, pre-holiday event transforms the museum into a sparkling forest of holiday trees uniquely decorated by creative local organizations such as Yampatika, Routt County Council on Aging, Soda Creek Elementary’s second grade, local Girl Scout troops, the Ladies Recreation Club, and more. The Festival is the museum’s primary fundraising event and proceeds support museum preservation and educational activities.

This year, 24 sponsoring businesses and 24 decorator groups will come together to make this event possible. These 48 groups, along with the museum’s volunteer corps, make this a true community event.



The Festival is a great opportunity for families to take their holiday photos among the trees for Christmas cards. While you’re here, don’t forget to vote for your favorite tree in the tree decorating competition to be entered to win a variety of exciting prizes. Kids can win prizes if they find the three “golden keys” hidden in the trees and are sure to have fun in our new hands-on pioneer kids’ interactive exhibit.

All local families are invited to Pioneer Christmas Story-time for Kids on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Pioneer and Victorian holiday traditions and local stories will be shared by museum staff in period costume in the Victorian parlor.



All senior citizens are invited for cookies, cider, and live music provided by the Emerald Mountain School musicians at the Senior Tea on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. While you are here for any of the events, you can also get your holiday shopping done early in the one-of-a-kind Museum Store, where you’ll find locally-made products, local historical photographs, books, and toys that will delight everyone on your holiday shopping list.

After the trees are delivered to their sponsors’ chosen locations on Nov. 21, the public can continue to see the trees all around town throughout the holiday season.

Candice Bannister is the executive director for Tread of Pioneers Museum. Find more information at treadofpioneers.org.


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