Morris museum’s Festival of Trees auction to brighten homes

The 29th annual Festival of Trees returns to share the sparkle and warmth of the season at the Museum of the Grundy County Historical Society in Morris , with volunteers creating decorated trees, wreaths and centerpieces for an online auction.

"This is our main fundraiser," said Executive Director Mary Collins about the brimming lineup of holiday events, describing the auction creations as sturdy, gorgeous and incredible.

On display are about 100 items that comprise the auction, plus 20 to 30 raffle offerings. The auction site is set to go live the first week of November at bidluckyauctions.com .

Festival of Trees culminates with the auction ending Saturday, Nov. 30, during Morris' Home for the Holidays festival. The online auction will begin to close at 5 p.m. Nov. 30, with a soft close for last-minute chances to bid. Winners can pick up their one-of-a-kind creations from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1.

Also open now at the museum is the Christmas Boutique, offering holiday decorations, pillows and a broad array of ribbons, Collins said. The Morris Watercolor Guild donated ornaments that are hand-painted, and museum member Bev Vanderveen has added jewelry to the mix.

Also part of the lineup is a bake sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22 and 23, featuring Christmas pies and other treats homemade by museum members.

"We've got a lot of different Christmas cookies [each year]; everything's delicious and looks beautiful," Collins said. "It's a good [opportunity] if you need baked goods for Thanksgiving ... so you don't have to do the cooking yourself."

Leading the auction committee volunteers responsible for the holiday creativity is Sue Cunnea of Morris, who has helmed the project for 27 years. The group dives into the spirit of the season in mid-August.

"This year, we're doing a Taylor Swift tree," Cunnea said, adding that a take on the "Friends" television show's Friendsgiving tree is the first thing visitors will see when they walk into the museum. "At the top of the tree is a turkey that lights up. [It's designed by] two ladies on the committee. Where they find this stuff is totally amazing to me."

Also supporting the project are community organizations, individuals and businesses that provide auction and raffle items, including Apple Butter & Shugie's; Morris Area Garden Club; Grundy County Special Education REACH Program; The Thoughtful Spot; Prairie Partners; Tami Ferguson; and Gary Rockis.

A beautiful handmade quilt was done by Connie Buberle and donated by The Lending Closet, Cunnea said, noting the GFWC-IL Morris Woman's Club has added a couple of trees.

Offered will be many artificial trees ranging from 2 to 4.5 feet tall, as well as some 6- and 7-footers. Appearing each year are two favorites designed by Sandi Dransfeldt of Morris.

"One is a golf tree in a golf bag," Cunnea said. "The other is a wine tree decorated with corks and grapes. Those have been so popular. She does it differently each year. People look for it."

The other committee members are Jan Hibler, JoEllyn Johnson, Karen Zelko and Theresa Lamb, a member of the committee since the very beginning.

Holiday centerpieces for the table are offered in different styles – some incorporating glass bowls and others more rustic.

"One that stands out is a long centerpiece done in ... all shades of pinks," Cunnea said. "It's gorgeous. It's so unusual ... and pretty."

Several wreaths are perfect for enjoying into winter, from snowmen motifs to a three-piece design celebrating the winter landscape with two artificial potted trees and a matching, lighted wreath decorated with a cardinal theme.

Spring Hill Nursery has donated a live, potted tree, which has been decorated and is intended to be planted later.

For the auction, Gigi's Clothing Boutique in Morris donated a basket that is actually a purse filled with items pertaining to apparel and jewelry, Cunnea said, adding that Reeves & Baskerville Funeral Homes in Coal City, Gardner, Morris and Wilmington donated a large "absolutely gorgeous lantern" that now is nestled in a wreath.

A barn burner at last year's auction was the first-ever offering of a decorated antique barn door, and Cunnea hopes to spark a similar bidding war for this season's door measuring roughly 42-by-42 inches. She said this smaller barn door decorated with a grapevine wreath would be ideal on a porch.

"We pretty much took over the whole museum [to display the items]," said Cunnea, noting it is a fun way to encourage people to tour the space.

One of the larger raffle prizes is a $500 gift card to Southwest Airlines, donated by Century 21 Coleman-Hornsby in Morris, paired with a travel bag filled with travel items from the airline and donated by Patrick Ford and Shari Buis of MDW Technical Operations.

Raffle and 50/50 tickets are sold at the museum at 510 W. Illinois Ave. in Morris, with the drawings set for Nov. 30 and taking place on Facebook Live. Regular museum hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The museum will participate in the Home for the Holidays lighted parade at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, and will stay open until around 6 p.m. for spectators to drop in. A decorated Gator utility vehicle will be the museum's entry in the parade.