SOUTHWICK – Although much of the Celebrate Southwick 250 events commemorating the town’s 250th anniversary were put on hold because of COVID-19, one socially distant event – a Southwick photo contest – is snapping the attention of the community.
The idea of a contest was discussed among the Celebrate Southwick 250 Committee members several times, but Chairman James Putnam II said no action was taken prior to the pandemic.
“We already had so much on our schedule of events that we knew we could not add another without overwhelming our volunteers or perhaps doing a haphazard job,” he said. “Each of the events we have done takes tremendous effort and hours of work by our volunteers. So, we needed to put the photo contest on the ‘Nice to do’ list and move on.”
Images of Southwick are sought for a Celebrate Southwick 250 photo contest. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
The committee revisited the idea when their focus shifted due to social distancing guidelines.
“With all of our planned activities on hold and the growing recognition that we would not likely resume our public events until next year, it made sense to re-visit the photo contest,” Putnam said. “We hope that it will be fun in its own right while helping keep interest and enthusiasm alive for our celebration.
Contest submissions must be of Southwick, but entrants can be from any community.
“We are hoping to be overwhelmed with lots of photos of all things Southwick. We live and work in such a photogenic town, and we are hoping that our photo contest will not only help us commemorate 2020, but provide an archive for 2045, 2070 and beyond!” said Putnam.
There will be four contest divisions:
Division 1: Farmscapes. Images of crops including field work, harvest, processing and marketing; farm livestock including cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry; all crops including vegetables, fruit, tobacco, corn for livestock, greenhouse, and field and/or container grown ornamentals; farm markets; farm machinery; and working farmsteads.
Division 2: Landscapes. Images of Southwick’s natural geographical and geological features including hills to the east and west, lakes, forests, trails, sunrises, sunsets and other such features.
Division 3: Places. Images of Southwick landmarks not included in Categories 1 and 2, e.g., businesses, public buildings, public events, old farm buildings, vintage car rally, tractor parade, etc.
Division 4: People. Images of Southwick families and people of all ages working, relaxing, learning and otherwise enjoying life in our town. Reminder: permissions of the identifiable people in photo is required, unless it is of a crowd in a public place.
Prizes include Celebrate Southwick 250 merchandise. Winners will be announced Nov. 7.
Putnam said the committee is working on another event this year.
“We have one other exciting concept under consideration,” he said, “if we decide it’s feasible, we will announce in early September. Stay tuned.”
Putnam said it is disappointing that the many events related to the town’s 250th birthday were postponed, but the community has come together during the pandemic in ways no one could have imagined.
“I’m amazed and incredibly proud of how Southwick has adapted to this unprecedented time,” he said. “So much ingenuity and hard work.”
Putnam noted that business owners had to completely rethink the way they conduct business, Town Hall staff continued to assist residents, the police and fire departments as well as all first responders and essential workers put themselves in danger for others, schools shifted to online learning and continued offering meals to students, the food pantry stepped up to help more families and families hunkered down to help keep others safe.
“And there’s so much more of which I am proud! We are Southwick Strong. We are Southwick Proud,” he said.
To continue the spirit of the celebration and support future events, the committee continues to offer Southwick 250 souvenirs through Southwoods Printing, Southwick Florists, The Summer House and The Launch. Merchandise includes pint glasses, mugs, hats, tee shirts, sweatshirts and decals.
Volunteers are welcome to join the committee by contacting Putnam at [email protected] and photo contest submissions should be sent to Putnam via email by 11 p.m. Sept. 28. For contest rules, visit the Celebrate Southwick 250 Facebook page.
