Mass. Hospital School to kick off inaugural Winterfest
By Mary Ann PriceMore than 30 decorated trees will be displayed and raffled to lucky winners as part of the first Winterfest Celebration at the Massachusetts Hospital School, located at 3 Randolph Street in Canton. Winterfest begins Friday evening, November 30, and will conclude with a raffle drawing on Friday, December 7.
A student at Mass. Hospital School poses with Santa Claus during a party at MHS last year.
The upcoming holiday celebration combines fundraising and community outreach, according to Mass. Hospital School Foundation Director Kathleen Kalell. “We do an annual dinner in the spring,” she said. “We’ve been looking for a fall or winter celebration. We have kids here who love Christmas.”
Area businesses have decorated and/or donated trees, which will be displayed in Morrison Hall, the school’s original auditorium. “It’s a nice list of folks who have supported us,” Kalell said of the donors.
Some of the trees will be decorated with a theme, such as Disney, an all-white tree, It’s a Boy, and It’s a Girl. One of the trees, the MHS Giving Tree, has been decorated with gift cards and includes a certificate for a plane ride for four people over Cape Cod or another destination. The Festival of Trees will open with a cocktail party from 6-8 p.m. on November 30. All of the trees are artificial, except for those donated by Thomas Nursery and Pakeen Farm.
Santa will enjoy breakfast with children on Saturday, December 1, at 9 a.m. and will be available for photos that morning. Canton resident Janet Dawson’s mini horses will be on display along with information about them. Arts and crafts, a Christmas campfire, hayrides, a train exhibit, and snowy owls from the Blue Hills Trailside Museum will be part of the fun both Saturday and Sunday, December 1 and 2.
A Jingle Bell 5k Run will be held Sunday morning beginning at 10 a.m. A professional photographer will also take family portraits on Sunday. Horse-drawn carriages will traverse the paths of the campus as well.
Goods made by local crafters will be for sale along with scarves, hats and other stitched items made by MHS students from materials donated by Draper Mills.
The money that is raised from Winterfest will be used to fund sports at MHS, programs like the Nature Connection and World Power Soccer, and activities such as the senior class trip to Disney World.
Winterfest donors include Dunkin’ Donuts, Dave and Busters Restaurant, Reebok, Bank of Canton, National Charity League, Coldwell Banker, Thomas Nursery, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, J. Calnan Construction, the Community Club of Canton, Lainer Animal Hospital, the MHS Recreation Department, Janet Dawson, Jill Hayes, the MHS Occupational Therapy Department, Walgreen’s, and Peter Pineo.
Raffle tickets for the decorated trees are three for $5. Tickets for the MHS Giving Tree are $5 each. Tickets for the breakfast with Santa are $15 and reservations are required. Tickets for the activities on Saturday and Sunday are $10 each day per person and children under two are free. For more information on Winterfest, go to www.mhsf.us/events/winterfest.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=17494
Posted by Mary Ann Price
on Nov 21 2012. Filed under News.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
