LAWRENCE — A knot of residents clustered around a Christmas tree Saturday to hang ornaments, from big balls to cardboard cutouts, in an effort to build a feeling of community.

This is the first time in eight years the town has organized a tree decoration. Two businesses banded together, with the help of local volunteers to do it right, complete with hay rides and carol-singing. Tigger, Santa and the Grinch also made appearances to entertain the children and entice passersby to stop.

"I had a harebrained idea," said Carrie J. Seguin, the event's primary organizer. "We decided on it for something to do and bring the town together."

In 2000, residents organized a similar event, but one with a much more somber purpose. It was to commemorate the deaths of five people in a trailer fire a week before Christmas.

This year's event was focused on bringing people out to Lawrence to help businesses and usher in the Christmas season, rather than commemorating the tragedy of nearly a decade ago.

"The Saturday after Thanksgiving, a lot of families are together with nothing to do, so hey — come down to North Lawrence and have dinner," Ms. Seguin said. Ms. Seguin owns Cuts & A Bit More, the salon in town and sponsor of the event along with the Pit Stop Diner. The tree was placed in an empty lot next to the diner.

Residents also donated money for the town's giving tree to help needy families.

About 20 people came out to hang ornaments on the 12-foot-tall tree. Wayne E. Crump, whose wife, three children and nephew died in the fire in 2000, was there with his second wife and son to hang the star on top. It took a ladder in the bed of a pickup truck for him to reach it.

Most people came out to start celebrating the season and brought their children.

"It's going to be Flynn's first Christmas," the boy's grandmother, Cindy E. Niles, said. "This is going to be his area (when he goes to school). His parents both went to Potsdam."