Festival of Trees inspires generations of NJ residents: 'Beautiful thing to do'

MORRISTOWN, N.J. (PIX11) – Families were keeping spirits high while staying dry at the Somerset County Park Commission's 45th Festival of Trees on Wednesday.

Ann Post used to bring her daughter, Sarah Krug, when she was a kid. Now, Krug brings her kids. This year, the kids are casting their ballots for their favorite of 50 trees.

"It's really neat to share something from our childhood. We'd get to see the trees and they get to see the trees, and they're voting this year," said Krug.

And up I-287 in Morristown, the laughs continued with Carolyn Russo and her friends as they finished an ornament scavenger hunt at the Frelinghuysen Mansion.

"It's absolutely in beautiful condition," said Russo.

The house's origins begin with the Frelinghuysens, a family with ties to President Chester A. Arthur’s administration and the old Ballantine Brewing Company in Newark. It was bequeathed to Morris County as an arboretum, and this is its second annual Festival of Trees – each with a unique theme.

It's where centuries of history meet a new tradition. It's also a rare opportunity to meander inside the home, which remains closed to the public for most of the year. 

"The beauty of the trees, the groups that made the trees, the themes of the trees, and the scavenger hunt, it sounded like a beautiful thing to do," said Russo.

For more information on the remaining schedule of the Somerset County Festival of Trees, click here. To learn more about the Frelinghuysen Mansion's Festival of Trees, click here.