Northeast Iowa – Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) announces
the winners of the second annual Capture the Heart of America photo contest. Photographers
captured the beauty of the Heritage Area through more than 150 photographs, submitted in
the following categories: Events & Festivals, Farm Life, Heritage Area Sites, Images of the
Past and Scenic. Photographs were received from 49 entrants in three states; including Iowa,
Minnesota and Texas.
Winning photos may be viewed at www.silosandsmokestacks.org and include:
Best of Show: Daenna Newkirk, Des Moines, IA.
1st Place: Daenna Newkirk, Des Moines, IA, Events & Festivals; Brittany Orris,
Center Junction, IA, Farm Life; Daenna Newkirk, Des Moines, IA, Heritage Area
Sites; Ann Cejka, Cedar Rapids, IA, Images of the Past; Deanna Newkirk, Des
Moines, IA, Scenic.
2nd Place: Diane Thayer, Iowa City, IA, Events & Festivals; Catherine Francois,
Rosemount, MN, Farm Life; Daenna Newkirk, Des Moines, IA, Heritage Area Sites;
Paula Maxheim, Des Moines, IA, Images of the Past; Lois E. James, Iowa City, IA,
Scenic.
3rd Place: Mitch Palmer, Nevada, IA, Events & Festivals; Chuck Wildman,
Reinbeck, IA, Farm Life; Tracy Carlson, West Des Moines, IA, Heritage Area
Sites; Lucas Payne, Edgewood, IA, Scenic.
Honorable Mention: Mitch Palmer, Nevada, IA; Iowa State Fair, Des Moines, IA;
Mary Meyer, Cedar Falls, IA; Loren Brown, West Des Moines, IA; Dan McFarland,
Fredericksburg, IA; Paula Maxheim, Des Moines, IA; Diana Thayer, Iowa City, IA;
Bob Lancaster, Marion, IA; April Singewald, West Union, IA.
“The communities and people of the Heritage Area is where the true story of American
agriculture lies and continues to unravel,” said Don Short, SSNHA President. “The photos are
a great way for people to add their own part to the story.”
The third annual Capture the Heart of America photo contest will be announced this
coming spring.
Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of 37 federally designated heritage
areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. The Heritage Area
covers 37 counties in the northeast quadrant of Iowa. Interstate 80 borders it on the south
and Interstate 35 borders it on the west. Through a network of sites, programs and events,
SSNHA interprets farm life, agribusiness, and rural communities – past and present.
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