It’s that time of year again — the Poplar Bluff Museum will host the annual Christmas Tree Forest, beginning with their Christmas Open House from 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Students, families and the public are invited to view the elaborate handmade decorations and vote for their favorite tree.
The Christmas Tree Forest event started in 1998. Each year a theme is chosen and through school art classes, the students create the tree decorations relating to the theme.
This year’s theme is “The Magic of Christmas.” Prizes are awarded for Best Ornaments, Best Tree Topper, Best Under-The-Tree-Display and The People’s Choice Award. With the exception of The People’s Choice Awards, there will be two age categories: Elementary (K-6) and Secondary (7-12).
The People’s Choice Award voting will end at 3:45 p.m. and the winner will be announced at 4 p.m. Punch and cookies will be served and admission is always free.
Participating schools are Poplar Bluff Kindergarten Center, O’Neal Elementary School, Oak Grove Elementary School, Eugene Field Elementary School, Lake Road Elementary School, Poplar Bluff High School, Mark Twain High School, Twin Rivers Middle School and Westwood Baptist Academy.
Sponsoring the trees are State Farm — Eddy Justice, Gilberto & Hillis Dentistry, Commerce Bank, 4N Motorsports, Pizza Inn, Larry Hillis Dodge and Create Wellness Chiropractic, as well as memorial sponsorships for Kirby Johnson and John Holland.
The Poplar Bluff Museum is located at 1010 N. Main St. in the Old Mark Twain School. It is a history museum for Poplar Bluff and Butler County featuring exhibits relating to sports, the military, schools, conservation, first responders, scouts, postal history and other aspects of the community.