2014 Rochester Woodcarvers Tree
For the 2014 Hiawatha Homes Festival of Trees, the Rochester Woodcarvers Club created another “one-of-a-kind” heirloom project. The “First Christmas” is a hand carved nativity set. Each figure was carved by a club member using flat plane carving techniques and a piece of basswood. The hand crafted stable provides a traditional location for the nativity figures. In the photos, Joseph is 7 1/2″ high and the tallest king is 9″ high.
The tree topper is an illuminated rhea eggshell about 5 1/4″ tall with a Christmas star carved into the eggshell to make the design.
We had over 130 hand crafted ornaments to decorate the tree. A number of the ornaments were donated by the Zumbro Valley Woodturners.
The 2014 Hiawatha Homes “Festival of Trees” was held November 25 – 30, 2014 at the Mayo Civic Center – Exhibit Hall in Rochester, MN.
Hiawatha Homes Foundation sponsors this event to benefit Hiawatha Homes, Inc. whose mission is to provide residential, in-home, and community-based choices for people with disabilities. The success of each year’s Festival of Trees makes a significant difference in the lives of people with disabilities.
Hiawatha Homes accepted our donation and offered it as a raffle item.
The raffle ticket drawing for the lucky winner was held on Sunday, November 30, 2014 at 2:00pm – and lucky Twin City resident Shannon won!
After a full year of work preparing the Rochester Woodcarvers project, a dedicated and active team sold “pre-event” raffle tickets and then a group of “Tree Advocates” assisted the Festival of Trees volunteers to sell a total of 886 raffle tickets to very kind and generous people.
Those tickets sold generated
$4,430.00
for Hiawatha Homes.
A huge thanks to all the Rochester Woodcarvers who participated in preparing this year’s project, sold tickets, and represented the club at the Festival of Trees. The Zumbro Valley Woodturners contributed many of the ornaments used this year and the Rochester Woodcarvers thank them for their tremendous support!
Here is a collection of photos of “The First Christmas” and tree on display during the 2014 Festival of Trees:
- NEW – 2014 Festival of Trees – setting up the tree at the event – November 24, 2014 – click here
- NEW – 2014 Festival of Trees – the Nativity and tree on display – November 25, 2014 – click here
- NEW – 2014 Festival of Trees – raffle drawing and delivery – November 30, 2014 – click here
Shannon shows us the tree and nativity set at his home in the Twin Cities.
and in ADDITION!
In addition to the “The First Christmas” raffle, a prior Rochester Woodcarvers project, “Santa’s Workshop” (photo below), was donated back to Hiawatha Homes by its owner and Hiawatha Homes chose to make it available during the Festival of Trees as a “secret bid” item. Bidders would note their name and the amount they would be willing to pay for the workshop on a secret bid entry and the winner would notified and pick up Santa’s Workshop at the end of the event. The ornaments from the “Santa’s Workshop” were offered as a silent auction item and at the end of the Festival, a new owner would take them home!
That secret bid for Santa’s Workshop generated
$2,000.00
for Hiawatha Homes.
That silent auction bid for the Santa’s Workshop Ornaments generated
$400.00
for Hiawatha Homes.
Click here to see 2008 Santa’s Workshop – and take a nice trip down memory lane for our earlier projects!