The Gatepost - FSC's Weekly Independent Student Newspaper

By Sarah Freedman

Staff Writer

For any Framingham State student thinking about their plans on New

Year’s Day, the Concord Museum will offer a display in the spirit of

goodwill.

From Nov. 23 to Jan. 1, the Concord Museum will present a display of over

40 trees decorated with themes taken from children’s literature. The

exhibit is a seven-year tradition at the museum.

Entitled “Family Trees: Generations of Storytelling,” the exhibit will feature

trees that are decorated by groups or individuals. One of these groups

includes the quartet of FSC Curriculum librarians Mary Pat Craig,

Katherine Dargan, and Anne Levine, and FSC student Shawna Graham.

In their second year of participating in the exhibit, the group chose the

children’s book “If You Take a Mouse to the Movies” for their theme.

Written by Laura Numeroff, the book chronicles the exploits of a young

boy who takes a mouse to the movies. At the movies, the mouse eats

popcorn, which leads to a holiday tree decorated with glitter, popcorn

strings, and paper.

Using the three decorations chosen by the mouse, in addition to pom

poms, cross-stitch, and stickers, they recreated the flopped-over tree

decorated by the mouse in the book. According to Anne Levine, they tried

to make their tree true to the one in the book.

One of the most impressive features of the trees will be the cross-stitch

pillows, made by Levine, at the base of the tree that depicted the boy and

the mouse on each. All proceeds from the display will be given to the

Concord Museum, and to more than 600 school and public programs

within the museum, with an audience ranging from pre-school to college.

Levine said, “It’s always a good feeling to help a worthy cause. It’s a

good feeling to see families viewing these [trees] together.”

On Dec. 8 from 1:30 to 4:30, the museum will also sponsor a “Family

Trees Authors & Illustrators Day” that features writers and illustrators from

the selected children’s books such as Holly Hobbie, Margaret B. Graham,

Norton Juster, and Christopher Bing.

Admission ranges from 5 to 12 dollars, and FSC students that show their

IDs will receive a discounted admission price.

For more information, contact the Concord Museum by calling (978)

369-9763 or visiting their website at www.concordmuseum.org.