Festival of Baskets (And Money Trees)

St. JOHN VALLEY, Maine (WAGM) - Folks in the St. John Valley area are getting out to bid on baskets this week for the Festival of Baskets. The event is hosted by the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce. 31 individual baskets lined the tables for folks to bid on and win each one of them. From Gnomes to Money trees, each basket held some unique goodies.

Dona Saucier is the Interim Chamber Director for the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce

Saucier said, “It’s similar to the festival of trees. It’s just that if we had that many trees in here, we couldn’t move. It would be a forest!”

Folks browsed the tables with their tickets in hand. Each bidder had a favorite basket or baskets to bid on.

Bidder, Dan Thibodeau said, “The throw and the gnome over there because I collect gnomes.”

The basket entrees came from a variety of sources such as members of the St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce, community businesses, and individual crafters.

Saucier said, “Oh, there’s a lot of Favorites! I’m partial to --there were some monetary donations, and we have a very crafty director on our board who made some money trees so again I’m a crafter as well so to see those, they’re really cute. So if nothing else it’s cash.”

The money trees was a clear favorite for many folks. Bert Lachance was one of many folks bidding on the tree of money.

Lachance said, “For strategies I only put it in things that look good for me. Like that beautiful money tree --that’s beautiful-- it’s all made with money so that’s beautiful. And then I go all around, and I put things where the man would want the package. So the female stuff -- I don’t need soaps, I don’t need creams … I could give it to this beauty right here.”

There’s still plenty of time for folks to bid as the Festival of Baskets is going on Monday through Wednesday from 11 am to 6 pm. Friday from 11 am to 8 pm. And again, next Saturday

Saucier said, “We are going to be open next Saturday as well --for Small Business Saturday-- from 10 to 1 and then at 1 0′clock we will be doing the drawings.”

Saucier says they hope to host the drawings on a Facebook Live Stream. The St. John Valley Chamber of Commerce says folks can enjoy the live drawing from the comfort of their own homes.

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