The brainchild of The Waldo Theatre board member Barbara Boardman, the newly installed lobster trap tree shines in front of the Waldoboro landmark. (Photo courtesy The Waldo Theatre)
On Saturday, Nov. 29 Waldoboro fisherman Clint Collamore pulled up in front of The Waldo Theatre with more than a few dozen lobster traps on the back of his truck. Three hours later, Waldo board member Barbara Boardman installed the lights, unrolling wheels of them that were draped and threaded through the traps.
Volunteers (from left) Sierra Poland, Clint Collamore, and Buddy Murray pause in front of the lobster trap tree they built in front of The Waldo Theatre Saturday, Nov. 29. (Photo courtesy The Waldo Theatre)
The lobster trap tree is Boardman’s brainchild. She said she remembered how Waldoboro used to have a gigantic tree in the center of the village festooned with lights. “It was the place to gather around, either to sing carols, meet up with Santa Claus or simply to enjoy when driving by,” she said. “Since The Waldo Theatre has a nice yard along Main Street, I thought maybe we could create one.”
Boardman called Collamore, who agreed to help and recruited Appleton fisherman Buddy Murray and Murray’s wife Sierra Poland. Murray and Poland answered the call amid a house filled with family and a million holiday chores. Together the three volunteers built the lobster trap tree in less than three hours.
“We did it today because weather is coming in,” Collamore said. “I’ll come back another day to decorate it with lobster buoys.”
For Barbara Boardman, building the tree was a matter of civic pride: “I think it’s important to see lights in the village. They make us feel part of something.”
Boardman said the inside of the theater is full of sparkling holiday decorations, thanks to another volunteer, George Bates. Programming reflects the holiday spirit, too, with holiday themed movies like “The Holiday” at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, the crowd favorite “The Muppet Christmas Carol Sing-a-long” at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 14, and seasonal favorite, the Heather Pierson Trio performing a “Charlie Brown Christmas” concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19.
Tickets are now on sale at thewaldotheatre.org.
