BELFAST — With the Christmas season upon us, many families have already erected the coniferous tree of their selection, but for those who haven’t, there is still time to enter into raffles for one (or more) of the 42 trees decorated for Project Graduation’s Festival of Trees.

The annual event, which began in 2016, takes place in United Farmer’s Market on Spring Street and features a menagerie of trees decorated and donated by local businesses and community members. Funds raised through the event, which is $3 per adult for entry and 50 cents per raffle ticket, go towards Belfast Area High School’s (BAHS) Project Graduation. Entrance tickets for children over two years are $2, while children under two get in for free.

Project Graduation started in Maine in the 1980s and works to provide an adult-supervised, drug and alcohol-free event for graduating seniors in hopes of keeping them away from potentially dangerous student-run options. Activities vary widely and generally last overnight. Funds for each year’s event are raised by parents and other volunteers and the students’ respective graduating class.  

With events often lasting through the night, they are frequently held at hotels or community centers and provide a safe place for seniors to celebrate their recently acquired diplomas.

The Festival of Trees is a BAHS event and brings together dozens of trees, many packed to the gills with all types of winter merriment. 

There are plenty of trees geared toward children, including one focused on all things Barbie, another focused on toy cars and trucks, and yet another decked out with the poo emoji.

For adults, there are also plenty of options, including a tree plastered in lottery tickets, another featuring a number of alcohol nips, and another made entirely of tires that were painted green for good measure.

A silent auction with a variety of goods is also taking place in the same area the trees are being displayed.

There was a steady stream of people circulating around the room, all carefully choosing which tree to cast their ticket for. The event ran until 8 p.m. Saturday and will reopen from 8 a.m. through 4 p.m. Sunday.

Winners will be drawn after the festival ends and winners will be notified by phone. The results will also reportedly be posted on Facebook.

United Farmers Market is located at 18 Spring Street in downtown Belfast.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com