The Festival of Trees and Trains

Our first collaboration in Ashland, KY was with the Paramount Arts Center, Festival of Trees & Trains.

Each year, the Festival of Trees and Trains is the talk of our town, and each year, my son Logan (age 3, ASD) is unable to attend due to the sensory input. Although Logan has a compression vest and noise reduction head phones, the environment is still too intense for him to attend.

I am a big believer in "If there are no resources, create them". So I decided to contact the Festival of Trees and Trains and make them an offer. If they were willing to host a Sensory Friendly Hour with the ASD and special needs community, I would advertise, invite the special needs community members I am connected with, and provide them with a full list of suggestions for sensory hour. They gladly accepted.

Flash forward to the day of the event, I am unable to attend due to another fundraiser event. My children and husband attended, and had the time of their lives. My son was actually able to enjoy the Festival of Trees and Trains.... which is incredible.

The volunteers who coordinated this event followed our suggestions, and the event was a success.

1. The event was before business hours so there was a smaller crowd and less wait.
2. There was no music overhead on the intercom.
3. The lights were kept on instead of dimmed (typically they are dimmed to make the lights POP! I wanted to accomplish the opposite).
4. The volunteers were wonderful greeting and assisting families.

I was thrilled at all the messages and posts I was seeing on Facebook congratulating the Paramount and praising the event. I messaged the coordinator and asked how it went- she was pleased and stated that Sensory Hour would become a YEARLY EVENT at The Festival of Trees and Trains.

This collaboration took minimal effort, I simply ASKED a business to host Sensory Hour, requested therapists input to create a Sensory Friendly setting, and then advertised to the community. In return, my son attended an event he otherwise would not have been able to.

If there aren't resources.... create them.

- Carly Carver -