Carefree Truth

Issue #226, March 12, 2013

 

 

 

 

The Awards Ceremony for the 2nd annual Carefree Desert Gardens Photo Contest was held on Saturday, March 9th.   Three professional photographer judges, Jerry Sieve, Alan Lowy, and Marie Peck, chose the 12 winning photographs.  Roberta Toombs-Rechlin of the Magic Bird Festivals, the Desert Foothills Library, and the Cave Creek Museum hosted the photos for public voting.  D.J. Stapley set up the voting location on the Town of Carefree's website www.carefree.org. 

 

 

 

Gallery Art Max donated the mat boards on which the photos were displayed for public voting, and The UPS Store donated the fliers and the ballots. The UPS Store also printed our beautiful 2013 calendars for a very good price, and will be printing the 2014 calendars with this year's photos. Both of these businesses are located in the Carefree Basha's center.

 

 

 

June Reilly and Marilyn Maloney presented the 12 prizes donated by Carefree restaurants: 

Alberto's Ristorante-Mariachi Center 

Black Mountain Coffee Shop-Spanish Village

Cafe Bink-Basha's Center

The Carefree Resort, the Lariat Grill-Mule Train Rd.

Carefree Station-Spanish Village 

Cellar 13 Wine Bar-Tom Darlington Dr.

English Rose Tea Room-Easy St.

Giordano's Trattoria Romana-Easy St.

Pizzafarro's-Basha's Center

Saba's Mediterranean Cuisine-Ho Hum & Cave Creek Rd.

Sundial Cafe-Easy St.

Venues Cafe-Easy St.

 

 

 

Our Media Sponsor is the CITYSunTimes.  Additional free PR for the event was provided by the Arizona Republic and the Foothills Focus.

 

 

 

Thank you so much to all those who entered the contest, judged the photos, hosted the public voting, donated the prizes, presented the prizes, and gave us free PR.  And, of course, a HUGE thank you to Juanita and Mark Wdowiak, owners of Desert Foothills Landscape, without whom there would be no Gardens to photograph! 

 

 

 

Congratulations to this year's winning photographers. For those of you wishing to enter the photo contest next year, remember that photos of the Gardens may be taken at any time of the year. The prime time is coming up shortly, as many plants produce lovely blooms in the spring.  Check out our Carefree Gardens website at http://www.carefree-desert-gardens.com/Carefree_Desert_Gardens/Welcome.html for lots of pictures taken in the Gardens, including last year's Photo Contest entries, and photos Herbert took of the Gardens and events hosted there.

 

 

 

The photo below, taken by Tom Baker, is the 2013 winner of the Juanita and Mark Wdowiak Award, given to the photographer who garners the most votes from the public.  Tom's photo was also chosen for 1st place by the judges. Tom's 1st place prize is a gift certificate to the Lariat Grill at the Carefree Resort, and his Grand Prize is a two hour one-on-one workshop donated by Jerry Sieve, a renowned local photographer who has been published in Arizona Highways, National Wildlife Federation Magazine, Sierra Club Magazine, and National Geographic.   The Grand Prize was presented to Tom by Juanita and Mark Wdowiak. 

 

 

 

Here is the YouTube of the ceremony, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq0yF7gZW4Y  and here are some still shots.  http://www.carefree-desert-gardens.com/Carefree_Desert_Gardens/3-9-13_CGAC.html Enjoy!  

 

 

 

Joe Corpora and Lyn Hitchon 

Event co-chairs