NTPC participated in the Hay River Festival of Trees at Princess Alexandra School on November 26, 2016. This annual event is a fundraiser for schools in Hay River, and also offers a fun start to the holiday season. This year's NTPC entry featured a fully LED-illuminated tree, partially powered and controlled by the generator bike! The generator bike is only set up to output power through the USB charging desk, so using it to "run" the tree required a little bit of engineering magic in addition to the regular Christmas spirit, but the results were impressive.
Thanks to Hai Long Jiang, Bill Hayne, Morris Callahan, Eileen Hendry, and Pam Coulter for helping to build the display, and to Christine Herrington, Heather Tybring, Josh Clark, and David Dewar for helping with set-up, operating the tree during the event, and cleaning up after it was over. The "pedal-powered" tree was a hit with kids and adults alike at the Festival of Trees, and looked great in the atrium at Head Office during the Christmas season.