THOMASTON — The the Thomaston Baptist Church will present The Living Christmas Tree. Dec. 7, 8 and 9. This is the 17 year the Living Tree has performed at the church.

“It is sponsored by the Thomaston Baptist Church and there are about 40 people involved in the entire production,” said Rebecca Leonard, choir director, who is in her sixth year with the Living Christmas Tree. “We start rehearsing the first week in September and we practice about an hour a week in the beginning. That gives people not a late night, but it gets us going.”

Leonard said Jeff Morris designed and set up the tree.

“It takes about three hours to set up and then Roberta Carmichael is in charge of the decorations,” she said. “Both are members of the church. We set it up the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we decorate it the same day. It’s a project and then it all comes down next week.”

Leonard said the program encompasses the story of Christ’s birth.

“It’s all told in narration, a cantata, so that makes it a religious presentation,” she said. “It’s about 40 minutes long and it has about 12 songs. I shoot for 40 to 45 minutes because that’s long enough to stand in the tree.”

Leonard said some of the participants are former students from when she taught at Georges Valley High School.

“I’m still teaching so I have some students here that I had last year in eighth and ninth grade chorus,” she said. “Some of the choir are teachers. I have an administrator here, church members, my daughter is here — just a great group of people from across the board. Thomaston, South Thomaston, Spruce Head, Waldoboro, Owls Head, Rockland, Camden, it’s really from the whole area and we run the whole age gamut.”

The Living Christmas Tree will sing Saturday at 6 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m.; and Monday at 7 p.m. Admission is free.

Reach Chris Wolf at news@penabaypilot.com.