These trees are decorated with everything from toys to T. rex and they can be yours
Sheldon Arkin has decorated trees for 31 of the 32 years Tacoma’s Festival of Trees has existed.
It might be understandable then, if he wanted to do something a little non-traditional for this year’s annual fund raiser for Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. It’s taking place this weekend at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center.
Arkin has made a dinosaur-themed Christmas tree called, “For the Love of T. Rex.”
Turns out it’s not the first dino-themed tree he’s made for the festival.
“Children just love them,” he said.
Arkin retired in February as MultiCare’s horticulturist and head groundskeeper. He estimates he’s raised more than $1 million over the years.
His dino tree display is lush with plants that would look at home in the Cretaceous period. It has a steam-spewing volcano and hundreds of tyrannosaurus rex models and toys. One animatronic T. rex emerges from an egg on top of the tree.
The tree also gives a nod to a real T. rex discovered in Montana by a MultiCare physician, Jason Love, who moonlights as an amateur paleontologist.
Along with friend Luke Tufts, Love found the T. Rex during a fossil hunt in 2015. The dinosaur is being prepared at Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and will be put on display in 2019.
“This tree is to introduce that dinosaur to the world,” said co-designer Pam Brown. “We feel like Mary Bridge could be really proud of Dr. Love and Tufts-Love-Rex.”
Dinos aside, the 31 trees for this year’s festival run the gamut from nautical to gnome.
“We always have a Seahawks-themed tree,” said Chelsea Boseley, event chairwoman.
The festival has raised $32 million during its history. It brought in $2 million in 2017.
Proceeds come from a tree auction, entry fees, donations, sponsors and other sources, Boseley said.
Money from this year’s festival will go in part to Parenting Partnership, a program that helps families bond with their infants after they have been released from Mary Bridge’s neonatal intensive care unit.
“It can be difficult for some parents to establish strong relationships with their infants,” said Alicia Chapman, executive director of the Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation. “(A strong bond) can be absolutely critical for their future.”
While some of the trees are clearly designed to appeal to adults, others are meant for children.
“All About Christmas” is a literary-themed tree loaded with bright colors and shapes. Books and toys come with it.
One of the tree’s designers, Carie Bourgaize, said she used 500 gold ornaments and seven alphabet sets of varying styles to adorn the tree.
“I have 30 toy block sets I created the garland out of,” she said. “There’s probably more decorations up there than tree.”
Mary Bridge Children’s Festival of Trees
When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday (Nov. 30) and Saturday.
Where: Greater Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Commerce St., Tacoma.
Admission: $6 adults, $2 children 5-12, free for children under 5.
Information: multicare.org/festival/
