Photo contest winners to be shown
Beginning on Tuesday and running through Dec. 31, The Barn at Fallingwater will host the exhibition of winning photographs and honorable mentions of the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau Annual Photo Contest. The exhibition is free of charge Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., and available for viewing on weekends if prior arrangements are made by calling Fallingwater’s Visitor Services at 724-329-8501, extension 1404.
The Barn at Fallingwater is located on the Bear Run Nature Reserve, one-half mile north of Fallingwater’s entrance on Route 381.
Fallingwater’s curator of education, Cara Armstrong, who also served as a contest judge said, “I was very impressed with the quality of entrants. Their viewpoints vary; as do their subjects and forms, but they all capture a sense of place. Visitors will have a chance to see photos that tell the story of our beautiful region, with images ranging from a glimpse of inner earth at Laurel Caverns to one photographer’s chance encounter with Aphrodite on a thistle in Somerset.”
The Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau (LHVB) received 308 entries for the Third Annual Photo Contest. The contest was launched as a way to encourage visitors and residents to discover the region’s spectacular natural scenery, signature attractions and hidden gems.
Photographs were accepted and cash prizes were awarded in two categories: Category I includes people, animals and wildlife and Category II encompassed landscapes, seasonal images and places. The photos had to have been taken in the Laurel Highlands, which is comprised of Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties and the site of the photos must be available to the public as well.
Julie Donovan, public relations manager for the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau and a contest judge said, “The winning photographs will be featured in the 2007 Laurel Highlands Travel Guide and used for other marketing projects. The photos are beautiful and The Barn is a perfect setting to display the six winning photos and 18 honorable mentions.”
Category I winners were: first place, Brett Yeager, Blairsville, “Hallowboo – Storybook Forest, Ligonier;” second place, Rick Boyer, Berlin, Red “Dragon Fly on a Reed;” and third place, Jim Clay, Somerset, “Laurel Hill State Park.” Category II winners were: first place, Norman Mekkelsen, Pittsburgh, Middle Road, “Ohiopyle;” second place, JoAnne Lightner, Pittsburgh, “Donohoe Center, Greensburg”; and third place, Norman Mekkelsen, “Ohiopyle State Park.”
For more information on the 2007 Laurel Highlands Photo Contest, call Julie Donovan at 724-238-5661, extension 18 or visit www.laurelhighlands.org
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