LEYDEN — As if it had been planned around the first snowstorm of the season, a wreath-making workshop Sunday afternoon gave some locals a jump start on their seasonal decorations.
The workshop was a fundraiser for the Leyden United Methodist Church. It has been held every year since 2014, and is organized by sisters Kim Jordan, Emily Herron-Clark and Kayla Bernard, who are members of the church.
The main component of the wreaths are evergreen branches. They used white pine branches, which have long, thin needles, and hemlock branches, which have shorter, stouter needles. The sisters collected all the branches in the last week and a half, Jordan said.
“It’s how we pay it forward,” Jordan said. “It’s a labor of love.”
On Sunday, the branches were arranged in piles on long tables in Leyden Town Hall. For $20, attendees got a space at the table to work, metal wiring to frame their wreaths and as many evergreen branches as they needed. Some brought extra decorations, like ribbons.
Making a wreath is a bit of a time investment. For someone who has done it many times before, Jordan said, it may be as fast as half an hour. For others, it may take an hour or two.
“It’s your own work, your own pace,” Jordan said.
Angela Dubie and her son Nolan, who live in Greenfield, said they come to the workshop every year to support the church.
“It’s a lot of work but it’s fun. It’s not strenuous. It’s relaxing,” Dubie said. “I usually rush because we have to go home and watch the Patriots. But not today.”
Jessica Beck, who lives in Hatfield, was helping her daughter, Paisley, who was too small to do all the work herself.
“I’m letting her pick (the branches). I’m just the attacher,” Jessica Beck said.
The wreaths should last into January if they are kept outside, Jordan said. (Unlike a Christmas tree, they can’t be watered, so the leaves will fall off in a warm house.)
The wreath-making fundraiser has grown significantly since it started in 2014. In its first year, there were about 10 participants, said Herron-Clark. Last year, there were about 50. About the same number attended Sunday.
Although many attendees are from Leyden and neighboring towns, the workshop also draws people with friends or family members in Leyden. Lou Wittmer, who lives in Brattleboro, Vt., said she was visiting friends who live in this area. Jessica Beck, who lives in Hatfield, was visiting her mother-in-law, Brenda Beck, who lives in Leyden.
“It’s growing every year,” said Brenda Beck. “It’s really taken off.”
The wreath-making workshop is one of a handful of yearly fundraisers the church has. The church also holds at least two suppers each year, Herron-Clark said. Its biggest fundraiser of the year is its food tent at the Franklin County Fair.
“We’ve been struggling for years to stay afloat,” Herron-Clark said. “So this is important.”
Reach Max Marcus at mmarcus@recorder.com or 413-772-0261 ext. 261.