The Duncan Banner

Local News

Related Photos

  • Sonya Ables’ Best of Show award winning photograph is placed next to another one of her entries outside the Redbud Courtyard at the Simmons Theatre. Toni Hopper

    Best of Show Crapemyrtle photo
July 10, 2011

First Crapemyrtle photo contest a success

Toni Hopper The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — Sonya Ables was the big winner in the first Crapemyrtle Capital of Oklahoma Photo Contest, as she swept the two prizes by appealing to the judge and those attending Friday’s “Crepes for Crapes Party.”

Ables won Best of Show and the People’s Choice awards, with two different photos she entered.

Second place went to Sarah Johnson and Honorable Mention went to Sonya Hill.

Ables will hold the title of Crapemyrtle Photographer of the Year until the next event in 2012. Her Best of Show photo will be used to promote Duncan’s claim to Crapemyrtle Capital of Oklahoma.

 Dr. Bob Palmer judged the photo contest, which had 49 entries from 16 photographers of all skill levels. Palmer said he was impressed with the variety of images entered, and noted many of the photographers took the time to pay attention to the way they framed the crapemyrtle.

“You can see where people paid attention to the lighting and the background,” he said. “I tried to look for photos that would be good in promotional purposes and how they would also reproduce.”

 Hanging on screens provided by the Duncan Art Guild, some photos depicted a close-up view of the beauty of crapemyrtle blooms.

Others were framed with a Duncan landmark or facility as the background, such as Brian Hibbard’s crapemyrtle with the statue of the Erle P. Halliburton statue in Memorial Park. Another photo used Duncan Regional Hospital as its background.

Carolyn Rodgers pointed out that Margaret Schick was fortunate to capture the beauty of the flowering bush that was drawing interest from a bird or a bee. Rodgers came up with the idea of the photo contest this year, and has been instrumental in Duncan being named the official Crapemyrtle Capital of Oklahoma.

“I think the photo contest gave people a chance to mingle. There were people who were going out there to look at the photographs,” Rodgers said. “I’m really pleased. Many people were surprised at all the different colors of crapemyrtles.”

The photographs will soon be on display at Duncan Public Library, where they will remain for one month. There will also be a Crapemyrtle Capital of Oklahoma Facebook page created that will feature the photos.

 Photographers who entered this year were Ables, Sonya Hill, Sarah Johnson, Velma Ketchum, Robert Schick, Margaret Schick, Lisa Scifres, Karen Slagle, Clay Cole, Sherry Szarka, Martha Burger, Toni Hopper, Leslie Neely, Hibbard, Judy Keller, Debbie Duggar and Betty Apple.

Text Only
Local News