Grand Prize - Calendar Cover:

Jesse Judy of Luray, a winner in last year’s contest, is retired and feels this way about photography: “My favorite pastime is to photograph the beauty of God’s glorious creation and the simple things that are right in front of our eyes everyday - we simply need to look for them and enjoy them.”  This building, known as the White House, sits along Rt. 211 just west of Luray. Nearby highway markers say: “  It was constructed in 1760 for a fort.  It also served as the first home of pioneer Martin Kauffman and for a time as a meeting house for a Mennonite congregation that he served as pastor.  It has long been a landmark of the Page Valley."

January:

Nancy Runion of Timberville is a dedicated amateur photographer, and took this beautiful shot at Lake Shenandoah just east of Harrisonburg on a sunny, snowy day. Nancy is a past contest winner, and seems to always have her camera along when admiring our local scenery. Her family operates Agri of Virginia in Broadway.

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February:

This great nighttime shot of the Courthouse in downtown Harrisonburg was taken by Art Scott, a city resident. Art credits his wife, Betty Jo Crist, for encouraging him to enter our contest; the Canon 60-D camera he’s using now was a gift from her. They have enjoyed photography together since they first dated, and Art’s family has a long heritage of avid photographers.  Art says, “The hobby has certainly changed in nearly sixty years time but it is still a great way to spend time and share God's wonderful creation with others.”

March:

This snowy country scene on Rt. 11 north of Harrisonburg was captured by Robert Fryman of Broadway. It is the Lohr farm located near the Shops At Mauzy. Robert is an adjunct professor with Georgia Perimeter College. 

April:

Brad Chewning of Harrisonburg began his photography hobby when he retired in 2007 and is grateful to be able to spend time capturing the wonderful beauty of our area. He describes this spring shot at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum at JMU:  “The flowers and the new leaves on the trees all contribute to the pleasing colors you see.  The bright sun shining through the trees made the colors pop.  Showing the path in the picture gives the viewer’s eye a direction.  My hope is this picture brings back memories of past walks through the woods on a nice day.”

May:

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June:

July:

Julie Smith of Mt. Crawford found this cabin all decked out for Independence Day in her neighborhood and says: “The late Bennie Jarrells had this cabin on the North River in Mt Crawford. It was a treasured family tradition to spend Sunday evening there. Mt Olive Brethren Church also does their river baptisms here.” Julie is an RN at RMH on the Family Birthplace and photography has been a hobby most of her life. She now has a Canon Rebel T2i and enjoys playing with it and learning about new settings.

August:

This beautiful country scene in Page County was captured by Martha “Marty” Barlow of Montezuma (west of Dayton). She says: “We were near "Keyser Corner" behind Stanley. I stopped the car and jumped out and took one shot of the mountains with the poppies in the foreground. It is one of my favorites.” Marty is a retired professional counselor, and a previous contest winner.

September:

October:

November:

A backyard bird feed has given Holly Farone, who lives west of Harrisonburg, some great subject matter for her fairly new photography hobby. A pair of cardinals now call her place home, and this spring they brought two babies to enjoy the feast she provides. Holly has watched the male feeding his little mate, pictured here on a snowy branch.

December:

Diane Morris of Front Royal is another great local photographer who you’ve seen in our calendar before. This little winter “Santa Signpost” was located near Rileyville off Rt. 340 (in Page County).  It was taken in December 2010 after the blizzard. She says, “We had to dig out first before being able to drive around to take photos.  I found this Santa covered in snow along the back roads.”

Honorable Mentions:

Lanny Burt of Elkton has been in our contest in the past, too. This picture of a foggy lane was taken at Big Meadows along Skyline Drive. “We were there on one of those days when the clouds hung low over the mountains. As we walked down the trail, we looked back and saw the perfect picture. Fortunately I had my camera and was able to get the shot. Photography is a hobby shared both by my wife and me. We have different perspectives so we always come home with a nice variety of photographs.”   

This typical Valley scene of newly baled hay was taken by Scott Fadely of Edinburg, who titles it “Soldiers of Hay”. He caught the scene just outside the town, on a farm off Route 675. Scott is a lifelong artist, and has always been interested in drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography. He is working toward a career in photography.   

This lovely goose was found on the pond at JMU by Kay Wright of Penn Laird. Kay is fairly new to digital photography, and comments, “Many times it is just that I happen to be in the right place at the right time.  A co-worker refers to those special moments as his "Grace Moments" “. 

Tiffany Knupp of McGaheysville spotted this hawk at the Big Meadows picnic area on Skyline Drive in January 2012. She says: “We followed the hawk as it flew from tree to tree, snapping about 70 pictures of it before it flew out of sight.” This shot stood out with the residual leaves adding a splash of color to the bland January landscape.

These colorful chairs are just waiting for us on a lazy summer day! Sheila Rush of Maurertown takes her Lab to this backyard spot on the Shenandoah River to swim, and thought this made a great shot. Sheila is a Shenandoah Co. native and works at Walmart.

This honeybee is exploring a sunflower in Mt. Olive, Shenandoah County. David Bushman of Strasburg is the photographer, and his wife is the gardener. David has been an avid photographer since junior high school, which was over 40 years ago.

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