Student choir entertains at Holly Days
By Julia Cho Contributing Writer

The Lincoln Street and Peaslee School Chorus, with Director Katerina Caron, warm up before their performance at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston.

Region - Throughout December, Tower Hill Botanic Garden is celebrating the season with Holly Days, a series of events featuring workshops, musical performances and other fun-filled activities. On Dec. 15, a chorus from two Northborough Elementary schools performed a selection of holiday songs to a standingroom only crowd in Tower Hill's theater.

The Lincoln Street and Peaselee Schools Chorus, under the direction of Ka- trina Caron, sang a variety of holiday songs. Caron teaches music at both Peaselee and Lincoln Street, as well as the Melican Middle School. The students have been practicing separately for a couple of weeks for this performance, but this was their first time performing together as a group.

"This is something that I've tried to do the past six years," Caron said. "It's a nice chance for them to meet each other before going to the middle school."

The group sang for a halfhour to an appreciative and enthusiastic audience.

In addition to the choral event, Holly Days also had a floral craft arrangement class that was free with admission. Ann Marie Pilch, youth education coordinator at Tower Hill, was in charge of the floral arranging.

"It's [the project is] a mini tabletop arrangement with greenery from the garden here," she explained.

Pilch and several volunteers cheerfully helped young and old with their arrangements, who were pleased with the results.

The Holly Days' theme this year is "Booked for the Holly Days," explained Michael Arnum, public relations director for Tower Hill.

"It's a literary theme," he said. "It comes from adult books, children's books, all kinds of books. We've featured characters in the displays. What's unique about our displays is they are all made from natural materials."

Arunum pointed out a Cat in the Hat ornament made out of pine cones and other decorations all made from various plant materials. The halls were decked with greenery and lights, and the orangerie was in full bloom, providing a warm, green contrast to the snowcovered fields outside.

Upcoming events over the school vacation week include a drop-in work shop where kids can create recycled nature journals, take nature walks through the surrounding woods, and watch science and animal shows. Some events are free with admission, others have a nominal fee.

For details, visit the Tower Hill Web site at www.towerhillbg. org.