On May 9th the Grand Ballroom of the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston was abuzz with inspiration and energy for the 30th Annual Tsongas Awards Dinner. The Methuen Festival of Trees, Inc. was honored to receive a Paul and Niki Tsongas Award presented by Preservation Massachusetts – a statewide non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage.
The award, which was first presented to Senator Paul Tsongas 30 years ago, is presented each year to recognize and celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of those individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic resources.
“I would like to congratulate Tom Lussier and the Methuen Festival of Trees for all the great historic preservation work that they have accomplished and all they continue to do in Methuen and beyond, said James W. Igoe, President of Preservation Massachusetts. “As they celebrate 25 years of remarkable success, including an annual scholarship program that may benefit students wishing to study historic preservation, we at Preservation Massachusetts are honored to recognize the Festival of Trees with our 2018 Paul & Niki Tsongas Award. We look forward to developing a strong and successful partnership with the Festival as they continue to preserve and promote their history and community,” he added.
“Our Board was honored to receive this prestigious award on behalf of all the donors, volunteers, and Preservation Partners that have worked together for so many years to make the Methuen Festival of Trees such a tremendous success,” said Festival President Tom Lussier. “It was a very exciting and inspirational evening for all of us. We’re all very grateful to Preservation Massachusetts for this recognition,” he added.
The Festival was established in 1994 to help fund the restoration of Methuen’s historic Tenney Gate House. Since that original project, the Festival has funded hundreds of historic restoration and preservation projects with over 50 partners in 22 communities in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. This year, as the Festival presents its 25th Annual Festival of Trees, the Board expects to surpass $2 million in restoration and preservation funding.
