The Great Bend Tree Board is sponsoring its second annual Trick of Tree photography contest, board member Toni Rice said.
Photos may be submitted any time in October.
There are five categories and there will be a $50 gift certificate and a bag of Halloween candy awarded in each category. Categories are:
- Family Tree- (Family picture/story with tree)
- Biggest (Single tree trunk diameter measured 4 ½ feet from the ground)
- Most unusual species
- Most beautiful fall colors
- Tree with the most interesting story or historical significance
The rules state that the tree must be located in Barton County. Entrants may submit their photo, name, contact information and location of tree to trickortree@yahoo.com or drop it off at Great Bend City Building by Oct. 31.
“We had such great response and participation from the Great Bend citizens last year,” Rice said. “There is a new category this year, the Family Tree- creative picture/story involving their family around the tree.”
Tree board members who judged the first contest have also refined their definition of the “biggest” tree, she said. The 2013 winning entry by Carolyn Schneider was an American elm with multiple trunks, 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.
“We have learned from last year’s contest to be a little more specific about the category ‘tree with the biggest diameter,’” Rice said. “This year it will be a single trunk tree measured at four and a half feet from the ground.
“We are expecting another great fall season of participation,” Rice continued. “The Great Bend Tree Board will have their annual fall kickoff Oct. 14 at the Front Door, where invitees will learn of the upcoming projects the board has lined up for the year.”