Environmental Education Center Sends Call for Tree Decorators for 47th Annual Holiday Festival of Trees

BASKING RIDGE, NJ – The Somerset County Park Commission calls on all crafters, artists, and decorators to celebrate the holiday season at the 47th annual Festival of Trees hosted at the Environmental Education Center (EEC) in Basking Ridge. Throughout December, exhibitors can showcase their tree-decorating artistry in a multi-theme, multi-room collection of holiday trees.The Festival of Trees is the EEC’s annual opportunity for visitors to welcome winter and get into the holiday spirit. More than 40 trees featuring themes chosen by the decorators fill the EEC’s large open rooms as local musicians play visitors through the exhibition. 

The Festival of Trees is also an official location for Toys for Tots, the annual collection of holiday presents for children in need.The EEC is accepting no more than 50 applications on a first-come, first-served basis. The applications are open to individuals, organizations, and businesses and those slots will fill up quickly so decorators are encouraged to apply as soon as they can. 

The deadline for submitting an application is Nov. 19, by 12 p.m.Festival of Trees Dates, Time, and Location
The display is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Dec. 28, but is closed on Dec. 24 and 25 in observance of the holiday. The EEC is located at 190 Lord Stirling Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.Applications
Applications are available on our website and should be submitted by email at cwood@scparks.org.For more information about the Festival of Trees, contact the Environmental education Center at 908-722-1200, or email at cwood@scparks.org.Hearing and Speech Impairment
Individuals with hearing and speech impairment can call the Relay Service at 711.The Somerset County Park Commission
The Somerset County Park Commission stewards nearly 15,000 acres of county-owned open space, which is visited by two million park users each year. Five golf courses have three driving ranges, a pitch and putt course, and a recreational putting course. Other attractions include a riding stable, an environmental education center, two tennis facilities, an outdoor pool, paddle boating, a rock and rare plant garden, an award-winning rose garden, an arboretum, and a sensory and fragrance garden. Six county parks also offer amenities, such as athletic fields, picnic facilities, bike paths, fishing, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, and hiking.About the Environmental Education Center (EEC)
The EEC at Lord Stirling Park offers approximately nine miles of hiking trails, programs led by Naturalists, school field trips, fun festivals, nature-themed exhibits, facility and classroom rentals, a resource library, science and conservation research, and more. The EEC strives to improve environmental literacy in Somerset County and beyond.

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