Arden seeks crocus pics for competition

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/03/2016 (3457 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The lavender coloured prairie crocus has been Manitoba’s flower for more than a century and nowhere in the province is its arrival in the spring celebrated more than in the tiny village of Arden, just east of Neepawa.

The Arden Crocus Festival began in 2001, held on the first Saturday in May. Eight years later, the Crocus Photo Contest became an annual event.

That time has come again when photography and nature enthusiasts are invited to train their camera lenses on this beautiful flower. More than $500 in prize money is available for winners in the 2016 Crocus Photo Contest.

Lansdowne Heritage Resources & Tourism Committee sponsors the annual contest in conjunction with a photography store. This year’s commercial sponsor, Winnipeg Photo Central, will print each photo and judge the entries, which close at midnight Saturday, April 30.

The photos will then be displayed a week later at Arden’s Crocus Festival in the community centre on Saturday, May 7, where a second judging takes place from members of the public.

The crocus photo contest is a ‘natural’ for Arden, says event organizer John Dietz.

“People love to photograph the prairie crocus,” he said. “This contest gives them a chance to display and share their photos.

“We expect to see some stunning photography, and a lot of good-natured discussion in the new crocus photo gallery.”

The contest is open for all residents of Manitoba, except professional photographers. Contest photos must be as fresh as the season — taken in April, anywhere in Manitoba. Normal full-bloom stage is about a week on either side of April 15.

Photographers focus on open, full blooms. “If you can find them, crocus buds also can make a captivating photo,” Dietz said.

Prairie crocus can be found at many scattered, unmarked patches in Manitoba. The fragile wildflower prefers sandy, sunny and undisturbed native grassland.

Arden still has a few acres at the north end of the village where thousands of crocus blooms can be found normally for a few days. They also bloom close to the Canadian Pacific rail tracks.

There are no fees for entering the photo contest, and there are no admission fees for the Crocus Festival.

Festival visitors participate by voting for one youth and one adult crocus photo. The most popular photo of the day receives the People’s Choice Award, sponsored by the Manitoba Co-operator newspaper. People’s Choice winners are published by the farm newspaper and awarded $50 each.

The hall can accommodate approximately 160 photos in 8×10-inch format.

Arden, known as the Crocus Capital of Manitoba, has about 75 households. It is 16 kilometres east of Neepawa and six kilometres north of the Yellowhead Highway.

» The Brandon Sun

Contest details:

• Sponsors put up cash for 16 prizes in four categories, with separate competitions for youth and adults.

• The four classes include portraits of a single crocus flower, portraits of crocus clusters (three or more flowers), portraits of crocus in its natural prairie habitat, and creative crocus portraits that don’t fit the other classes.

• Digital entries can be submitted to: crocusphotocontest@gmail.com .

• As an option, prints can be left at the RM of Glenella- Lansdowne office in Arden or at Photo Central in Winnipeg. They can be mailed to: Crocus Photo Contest, P O Box 141, Arden MB R0J 0B0.

• For more details, go online to arden.mb.ca.