Wanted: volunteers, talented people

To the Editor:

November 3-11 are the dates for John Paulding Historical Society’s upcoming Festival of Trees. The theme chosen this year is “A Story Book Christmas.”

Use your creativity to decorate a tree or room. Do you have a favorite holiday storybook? Maybe you have special memories about a Christmas tale read to you by your grandparents? Or perhaps you would like to share your vision of a perfect “storybook” Christmas in your imagination?

The Festival committee, chaired by Elizabeth Miller, is working on plans for this very popular annual event. About 1,500 people visited us last year. By far, it is the museum’s largest and most important fundraiser of the year. We always try to make it bigger and better than before.

Many have asked for more live entertainment during the Festival. We’re looking for soloists or groups who would be willing to share their musical talents with an appreciative audience.

Do you play piano, violin, guitar or other instrument? Are you a vocalist either as a soloist or part of a duo or choir? Do you have a band? Do you lead a youth group through 4-H, church, Scouts or at school? We would love to schedule you for half an hour or more. Several days and times are available. Please contact us for more information.

The museum wouldn’t exist without volunteers, and the Festival of Trees is no exception. Would you like to be a greeter, help serve a meal or help decorate the museum? Perhaps you would be interested in adopting an exhibit room to decorate, such as the Parlor, Kitchen or Music Room? What about sharing a special Christmas collection that you might have?

We also are looking for groups, individuals and businesses who want to decorate one of the dozens of Christmas Trees that fill our three buildings.

Consider donating items for our Silent Auction. We would greatly appreciate gift baskets, gift certificates, holiday decor, handcrafted items, antiques, event tickets, or a monetary donation to help defray expenses.

If you’re interested in volunteering, decorating a tree, performing or sponsoring a meal, there are several ways to contact the committee. Phone Elizabeth at 419.551.1545, Eileen at 419.769.0643 or leave a message at 419.399.3667. Also, you can email us at jphs45879@yahoo.com, or stop by the museum on Tuesdays. We hope to hear from you. Each of you is important to the museum’s continuing success and its mission of “Preserving the Past for Future Generations.” We thank you for your ongoing generosity and support.

Melinda Krick, President
John Paulding Historical Society
Paulding, Ohio