People watch a bonfire fueled by discarded Christmas trees on the beach at Old Orchard Beach around sunset on Tuesday. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Scott Eccleston left a grooved trail in the sand as he dragged his old Christmas tree to a pile on Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday. Strips of tinsel still hung from its branches.

In a matter of hours, the tree — like dozens that filled the beach — would be transformed into a pile of ash left from the town’s New Year’s bonfire.

By sunset, the flames rose to more than 20 feet. A thick plume of smoke floated over the pier. The beach air filled with a mix of burning pine, ocean breeze and the scent of frying kettle corn.

As the trees burned, those gathered on the beach balanced anxieties over the future with dreams of a bright new year: sharing goals of personal and business growth, maintaining their health and comfort, and forging better relationships with their neighbors.

But earlier, as the crowds trickled onto the beach and the sun began to set, Eccleston, 68, said he planned to be at home for the annual spectacle. But he was glad his tree could contribute to the fun.

“I either have to take it to recycling or here. And I figure this is more fun,” he said. “I don’t live far from the beach, and I’ll hear it. And that just makes me smile.”

Eccleston, whose 69th birthday comes just after New Year’s Day, said he hopes “just to be here” throughout 2025, keeping up his health and his daily beach walks at low-tide.

“I was 21 yesterday, and I woke up today, and I’m 68,” Eccleston said. “At my age, you don’t relish another year.”

Isaiah and Renee Winslow watch a bonfire on the beach at Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Rik Glover, who has lived in Old Orchard Beach for around seven years, said he’s donated his tree to the pile each season since moving in.

Glover, 63, said he and his wife always look forward to the bonfire as a chance to see the entire community come together.

“It’s part of the gig (living in town). You drag your tree down here and participate,” he said. “What better way to get rid of your Christmas tree?”

He said events like the bonfire are a prime example of neighbors coming together without being sidelined by things like political debate. Asked what he hoped 2025 might bring, Glover responded without pause.

“More community. Less division,” he said.

Sharri MacDonald, president of OOB365, which organizes the bonfire, said it “is really supposed to be an event that brings people together.”

MacDonald, a fourth-generation resident, manned the cotton candy machine as the sun set Tuesday evening. She said she hopes 2025 will be a strong year for the beach town’s local businesses.

“I’m just hoping to see our town explode with growth,” MacDonald said. “(Tourists) enjoy our beach, but they should enjoy us all year round.”

Kim Lindsey of Massachusetts watches a bonfire on the sand at Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday with her dog Benji. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

Kim Lindsey, 60, set up a red camping chair a few yards from the soon-to-be-lit pile of trees, plopping her dog, Benji, onto her lap and sipping a cup of hot chocolate. The dog wore a red and white sweater.

Lindsey said 2024 was a busy year, during which she graduated with a degree in business administration.

“This is my year to relax,” she said with a laugh.

A resident of Oxford, Massachusetts, Lindsey said she rented a hotel room up the road and had “a bottle of champagne waiting in my room.” Though she spent New Year’s eve in Maine a few years ago, Tuesday marked her first time at the bonfire.

“I’m ready!” she said, gazing toward the trees. “I’m really looking forward to this, when the flames go up.”

Around her, children snacked on cotton candy wrapped around glowing sticks. Neighbors greeted one another. Families snapped portraits in front of the pile of trees.

After hours of anticipation, it was finally time to spark the trees around 4:30 p.m.

Scott Kern, who spent the afternoon hauling and stacking kindling, held a blow torch over his head.

“Who wants fire?” Kern yelled to the hundreds who stood in a circle around him. He touched the flame to one branch, which quickly turned orange.

People watch a bonfire spread through a pile of discarded Christmas trees at Old Orchard Beach on Tuesday. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald

It took nearly 10 minutes for the flames to travel from one side of the pile to the other.

“Who likes the fire?” Kern yelled as he tossed another tree onto the pile. The crowd cheered it’s approval.

Music blasted. But in the quiet spaces between beats, the crackling of the fire blended with a full ocean roar.

Isaiah, 20, and Renee Winslow, 21, stood and watched the flames. He put his arm around her shoulder and leaned in for a kiss, their faces aglow.

Isaiah Winslow said the couple lives just down the road from the pier, but they plan on moving south — maybe to York County, where his wife goes to college — in 2025. They’re still figuring out exactly where, he said.

“A lot of things are changing for us,” he said. “I’m really excited for this new development in our life.”