People check out the trees on display Saturday during Johnson Hall’s seventh annual Festival of Trees in downtown Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

GARDINER — Addie Stewart drove all the way from the University of Maine to attend Johnson Hall’s seventh annual Festival of Trees on Saturday.

Stewart made her way through the five floors of holiday trees decorated by a different local business, with each tree carrying a different theme, and prizes.

“I put a raffle ticket in this one for my boyfriend, or my dad, if I win,” Stewart said, pointing toward the tree decorated with tools.

In the three years she has attended the event with her family, she hasn’t won, but hopes this year is the year one of her family members gets a tree. In total, she and her mother, Sarah Grant, bought $40 worth of raffle tickets for 40 chances.

The event is now a family tradition, they said.

“We really want the Hannaford tree!” Grant said.

People are invited to purchase raffle tickets to win a holiday tree which are decorated and donated by local businesses. Each tree had a candy cane pole in front of it for people to cast their raffle tickets, which retail at $10 for 10 raffle tickets.

The Festival of Trees kicked off Thursday, but already has had a huge turnout, said Maureen Reed, the development director for Johnson Hall.

The holiday celebration weekend in Gardiner is planned to run through Sunday. The art walk and tree lighting ceremony took place Friday. The Festival of Lights parade was scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Ornaments sparkle as lights glow Saturday during Johnson Hall’s seventh annual Festival of Trees in downtown Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“Today, right from the get-go, we had people here,” Reed said. “We have 40 trees, it’s more than we have ever had.”

The event has performers on each level of the building and Santa for photo opportunities. The money raised from the raffle tickets and 50/50 raffle goes to Johnson Hall, Reed said, which recently started to show local movies.

“(The event) supports all of the programs and in turn supports the community through bringing art and music,” Reed said.

Most people put their raffle tickets on trees that either had items they would like, but can’t afford, like an Xbox, or things they needed, like the Hannaford tree. The Hannaford tree, a popular tree on Saturday, was valued at $1,000 and had enough food for several barbecues, inflatable kayaks, and a cooler to go with the summer theme.

Local business Merit Pools & Spas had a Grinch-themed tree valued at $1,336; Gerard’s Pizza had a pizza-themed tree worth $365; and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kennebec Valley had a green, pickleball themed-tree with pickle ornaments and pickleball-related prizes valued at $924.

Toys were on 8-year-old Elianna Lessard’s mind as she put her raffle tickets at any tree that had Barbies.

Her grandmother, Katie Lessard, put her 50 raffle tickets toward cooking items.

“I like (trees) that have gift cards and different homemade things, local things,” said Katie Lessard.

Elianna Lessard drops her last raffle ticket Saturday, hoping to win one of the trees during Johnson Hall’s seventh annual Festival of Trees in downtown Gardiner. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Allyson and Cody King, a couple from Gardiner, went for the Hannaford, Emery’s Meat & Produce and McGee Construction trees.

Their first time at the event, they bought $20 worth of raffle tickets to try for trees with items they either need, or would like to buy and aren’t in their budget, like the Blackstone Portable Grill from McGee Construction that retails for over $200. They chose practical items over activity items.

“We put our tickets in Hannaford tree,” Cody King said. “Feeding three kids is not cheap nowadays.”

“And, it has some fun summer items for the kids,” Allyson King added.

The event ends at 4 p.m. Sunday and winners’ names are expected to be pulled between 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. that night.