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Letter to the editor

Holiday temptations

By EILEEN SCHULTE, Times Staff Writer
Published November 22, 2007

As festivalgoers file through the Harborview Center to view the Festival of Trees, elves pitch in on the offering from Northwood Floral Market Associates. The display theme is "Hurry Up. ... It's Almost Christmas!" The festival continues today through the weekend.
	[Joseph Garnett, Jr. | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Joseph Garnett, Jr. | Times] Volunteer Danielle Pasqualone fastens ornaments on a tree. [Joseph Garnett, Jr. | Times] Wilda Pease, left, and Bettie Paulk, both of Largo, peruse items for sale behind a gingerbread house, "Our House on the Island," donated by Publix.

CLEARWATER

Oh, that sweet, delicious aroma.

No mistaking it. It was definitely gingerbread.

And not just a little gingerbread dude, but a whole gingerbread McMansion.

Sue Arsenault, 49, followed her nose to exhibit G9 for closer inspection.

"It smells fantastic," said Arsenault, of St. Petersburg. "If I could eat it, I would buy it."

But alas, the gingerbread house is not for sale, and its frame is made of plywood, so tongue splinters could have been a real problem.

Still, the 4-foot-tall creation, covered with edible white icing, chocolate cookies, Hershey bars, candy canes and other goodies, looked good enough to eat. Created by the Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa, it was called "The Night Before Christmas" and was as big as a Great Dane's doghouse.

And it was just one of 17 gingerbread houses at the 23rd annual UPARC Foundation Festival of Trees at Harborview Center.

As of Wednesday, no bites were reported out of any of the tasty houses.

But what people really came to see, of course, are the trees. This year, there are about 130 of them. So far, 43 have been sold, with all proceeds benefiting the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens.

They cost from about $75 to $2,500.

There are hot pink Christmas trees, trees covered with fluffy feathers and a tree with blue lights covered with photos of boats at sea.

"It's phenomenal this year," said Brent Troth, director of development for UPARC Foundation. "We have a record number of trees. And it's growing, and that is the plan."

One tree celebrates liquid holiday cheer. Tree No. 741, created by the Dunedin Brewery and offered for sale for $450, has bottles of Peach Ale, Lowland Wheat Ale and Beach Tale Brown Ale hanging from its branches. The bottles, however, were empty.

No word if it was Santa or his elves who guzzled the contents.

Eileen Schulte can be reached at schulte@sptimes.com or 727 445-4153.

IF YOU GO:

Tree viewing

The 23rd annual UPARC Foundation Festival of Trees continues from 2 to 8 p.m. today , 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday (with breakfast with Santa from 9 to 10:30 a.m. for $10), and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Harborview Center at Cleveland Street and Osceola Avenue. The festival features about 130 decorated trees in a variety of themes, plus music, shopping, raffles and a gingerbread village. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for those 62 and older, $4 for children 3 to 16 and free for children 2 and younger. Proceeds benefit the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens. For information, visit www.treefest.com.

[Last modified November 21, 2007, 21:21:18]