By Heather Lusk
Dried hydrangea in the garland, five lighted trees and a group of woodland creatures are elements of the grand prize winner of the second Village Residents Association door decorating contest.
The home at 985 Oak St. is owned by Linda Bush, who was “super excited” to hear that she’d won.
“I spent quite a bit of time on the door trying different decorations and adjusting the lighting,” she said.
Bush tried to buy local and use items from her garden such as adding dried hydrangea flowers in the pots and garland around the door.
“We felt it was the best overall creative effort put together with a lot of uniqueness,” event organizer Sally Zelonis said.
Bush’s home was named the winner out of 18 entries: seven residential and 11 business. The top three winners for each category were also selected, with Salon G (270 S. Main St.) winning first place in the business category.
The details in each window and around the fence using materials that were natural or looked natural tipped the votes in their favor.
“That creativity was evident in all of the winners,” said Zelonis, noting that the top winners in each category found unique and creative ways to incorporate natural elements.
The first place winner for the residential category was Melissa Brewer at 205 N. Main St.
“We saw so many more businesses and houses decorated than in the past, especially a lot that weren’t entered in the contest” Zelonis said. “It was a tough decision this year, but we look forward to even more people entering next year.”
“There were several creative and breathtaking entries this year, the competition was tough,” Bush said. “I’m already thinking about next year and hope to come up with something more unique and eye catching.”
Other residential winners: 2nd – 425 W. Cedar St.; 3rd – 960 W. Pine St.
Other business winners: 2nd – Boutique 33 (33 E. Pine St.), 3rd – Julie Bova Design (70 Main St.)
