Hoard Museum tree-decorating contest voting starts Tuesday

Voting takes place this Tuesday through Saturday in the Hoard Historical Museum’s Christmas tree-decoration contest, according to information recently released by the museum. 

Outdoor trees have been decorated by the Cream of the Crop 4-H Club, Duck Creek 4-H Club, Fort Atkinson’s First United Methodist Church youth groups, Heart of the City, the Sears-Fink family and the Unity Project of Fort Atkinson.

All feature wildlife-friendly decorations that are biodegradable or recyclable, such as dried fruit, birdseed, pinecones, salt-dough ornaments and recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic and glass, according to the release. 

“We are excited to share these trees with the community. As usual, we are astounded by our community’s creativity. It will be a challenge to pick the best tree or the most wildlife-friendly one,” Merrilee Lee, director of the Hoard Historical Museum in Fort Atkinson, was quoted as saying in the release.  

The trees are displayed outside the museum along the  front parking lot and South Fourth Street East sidewalks. Trees are courtesy of Rabl’s Christmas Trees, located at 208 Madison Ave. in the Frostie Freeze lot in Fort Atkinson.

“We are very grateful for the Rabl family’s support of our event. The trees they provided were grown on their family’s Christmas tree farm. It’s farms such as the Rabls’ that make Wisconsin the fifth-largest grower of Christmas trees in the country,” Lee continued. 

There are two contests for the trees, and the public is welcome to vote in both.

One contest is for popular choice, or the public’s favorite tree, and the other is for the most bird- and wildlife-friendly tree. 

Prizes will be awarded to the top winner in each category. 

The contests run from Tuesday, Dec. 7 to Saturday, Dec. 11. Voters are asked to stop in the museum during open hours and fill out a paper ballot for each contest. There is a limit to one ballot per contest per day.

Museum hours are Tuesdays through Saturdays:
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Hoard Historical Museum and National Dairy Shrine Museum are located at 401 Whitewater Ave., Fort Atkinson. For more information, call 920-563-7769 or visit www.hoardmuseum.org.

Heart of the City member Mike Helmick takes a break from decorating the organization’s tree with wildlife- and bird-friendly ornamentation. The tree is among several competing in a decorating contest sponsored by the Hoard Historical Museum. Contributed photo. 

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