The Panther Press <![CDATA[The Panther Press]]> en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:46:08 GMT 15 <![CDATA[Students Enjoy Festival Of Trees]]> By Molly Rowell


At the River Center, trees even come shaped like a snowman.

  This year’s Quad City Arts Festival of Trees’ theme, “Sparkle,” was sure to get you in the Christmas spirit. While you wandered through the trees you couldn’t help but feel the Christmas magic in the air. From the sound of carols being sung to the smiles on kids’ faces, you knew that the holidays were quickly approaching. Everywhere you looked you saw more Christmas decorations. From trees to gingerbread houses, there was something there for everyone! Especially since each and every thing was unique in its own way. The trees were each decked out in their own style. Christmas mantles and doors were elegantly decorated, while there were hand-made stockings and ornaments that were light-hearted and fun. The Elvis Presley tree added a fun twist on Christmas for the music lovers. The children seemed to love the Christmas cottages that were just their size. If you entered the town of gingerbread houses you didn’t know what you might see. There were hotels, churches, and even Santa’s barnyard - all made of sweet treats! Up at the North Pole, the little ones could hop on Santa’s lap and tell him everything they wanted for Christmas while their moms snapped a quick picture. And after that they could go check out the enormous model train track. The kids loved it because they got to be the engineer! What could be better than driving the train?!  Just when thought they had seen it all, they saw that the sweet shop was filled with tasty cookies that they just had to have! If you were in the mood for an art show, they had that too! There were different pieces of art from all of the surrounding area schools, including our own UT. Each was done by a talented young artist. While you were wandering around you couldn’t help but to hear and see the different acts that filled the stage for everyone to enjoy. There were choirs and pageants and much more, all bringing some form of Christmas joy and entertainment to all who cared to see. The Festival of Trees started on November 21 and ran through the 30. Everyone who went certainly left there in the Christmas spirit.   ]]> Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:15:59 GMT