Published: 11/29/2020 2:10:10 PM
SHELBURNE FALLS — The Bridge of Flowers has been closed all this year because of the pandemic, but the bridge’s oversight committee hopes that it will still brighten up Shelburne Falls this winter, with help from local elementary schoolers.
The holiday tree that is brought to the bridge for the winter was decorated this Sunday by fourth-graders at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School. They made their own ornaments with ingredients that can be eaten by birds.
“They’re like bird feeders,” said fourth-grader Kaylin Sevoian. “They are just pinecones with seeds on them and peanut butter.”
Other ornaments were made with cookie cutters and held together with gelatin, in cookie cutter shapes like candy canes or animals. Once the molds were in place, the ornaments were stored in the fridge for a few hours so they would harden and hold their shape, Sevoian said.
Parents and siblings in other grades were allowed to help, and came to the bridge on Sunday to help decorate the tree.
“I think that the families are really happy to do this,” said Laurel Rollins, who is on the Bridge of Flowers Committee, “because everything has been online.”
In recent years, the winter shopping festival Moonlight Magic has drawn large crowds to Shelburne Falls, starting the holiday shopping season and supporting local businesses.
But this year, Moonlight Magic has been canceled. In its absence, the Bridge of Flowers Committee hopes to be able to generate some interest in local retailers, without drawing large crowds, said committee member Carol Angus.
Making things more difficult, the Bridge of Flowers did not open this year, due to concern over the coronavirus pandemic. It would normally be closed in the winter, anyway, but it may still be an attraction this year, Angus said. The bridge has been strung with new lights, she said, and the birds that will likely come for the edible ornaments should also make it more lively.
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.