As the fall colors began to turn, Great Bend’s Tree Board announced its first Trick or Tree photography contest. Contest coordinator Toni Rice announced the winners this past week.
“We had so many wonderful entries,” Rice said. Although six were named winners – and will be awarded gift certificates – Rice had many “favorites” among the submissions – which brought out the variety in species as well as the history of trees in Barton County.
The winners were:
• Best decorated for Halloween — Linda Pringle
• Biggest — Carolyn Schneider
• Most unusual species — Barbara Davenport
• Most beautiful fall colors — Amy Stein
• Most interesting story — Esther Saylor
• Greatest historical significance — Gary Pinkall
The most unusual species was a Buckeye Hawthorn tree planted by Dr. Shivel, Rice said.
Members of the tree board ran into some difficulty when it came to judging the “biggest” tree, even though the rules said biggest diameter.
“The category of ‘biggest’ in diameter, which we thought would be the easiest to judge, turned out to be quite a challenge, because we didn’t specify which part of the tree to measure, whether it should be a single trunk or multiple trunks, etc.,” Rice said. “We will be more specific next year.” The winning entry by Carolyn Schneider was an American elm planted on Milton Meyer’s farm south of Ellinwood in 1951. (Meyer is Schneider’s father.) “We measured it around the largest part that was still below the forks,” she said. They submitted the diameter as 18 feet, 11 inches.
The tree chosen for historical significance was an old locust tree on the north side of the Barton County Square. “It has stood as a silent witness to many of the best and worst events that have occurred in our county,” wrote Gary Pinkall, who submitted the entry. He speculated about all of the people who have walked past the tree and into the courthouse. Some came to purchase marriage licenses, while others entered to face jury trials. And outside the courthouse, “on the lawn under this tree have been concerts, protests, speeches, services, ceremonies and celebrations of all types.”
Logan Evers’ entry for “most historical or interesting story” was a tree planted “when District No. 33 school was still in use” at the corner of NE 20 Road and NW 30 Ave. “The school has since been moved and this American elm is the only thing that has lasted all these years.”
Amy Stein’s winning entry for “Most beautiful fall colors” was taken after it snowed in October. It shows trees in the wooded area on the south side of Stone Lake.
Rice said the stories and the photography were a pleasant surprise.
“We, as a board, are so passionate about all aspects of trees, and to find kindred spirits in our community is truly a breath of fresh air,” she said. “We have learned some things from this contest, and will hone our categories a bit more next year – and there WILL be a next year!”
If the contest had a category for “Honorable Mention,” the award might go to Penny Jones, who had several entries, including one called “The Thinking Tree.” It shows her daughter sitting in her favorite tree at Veterans Memorial Park. “She has done a lot of thinking while sitting in this tree and she can also watch the swans and Haymitch, our favorite duck, from here,” Jones wrote. She also entered a tree located at Great Bend Middle School, which she calls “The Friendship Tree,” because she noticed two friends wait under the tree every day for their ride after school.
Ester Saylor’s story “Cottonwood Tree” and photo can be found in a separate post on this website.