Festival of Trees opens Sunday in Gadsden | Arts & Culture

Etowah County elementary school students are getting into the holiday spirit in a very glamorous way at the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts starting Sunday at the opening of the 21st annual Festival of Trees.

Each year elementary schools from all over the county are given a stipend to decorate a Christmas tree related to a specific theme. This year, schools celebrated Oscar winning film scores by decorating trees representing Hollywood pictures such as “Mary Poppins,”
“ ET,” “Oklahoma,” “Aladdin” and “Harry Potter.” Altogether, there are about 25 trees, including a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”-themed tree from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the event’s community sponsor.

Visitors are invited walk the red carpet and stroll through “Tinsel Town,” enjoying the beautifully decorated trees, while enjoying a performance by the Downtown Dance Conservatory, as well as a serenade by the Etowah County Youth Orchestra Strings Quartet.

Another Christmas spectacular not to be missed at the arts center is the world’s longest letter to Santa. The 4-mile long roll of paper donated by Santos Printing, so far, has a half mile’s worth of Christmas wishes.

Admission on Sunday is free.