(Whitinsville, MA – September 16, 2019) Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor (BHC) has announced the winners of its 2020 Calendar Photo Contest and plans for a calendar release party and gallery show at its offices at the Linwood Mill in Whitinsville, MA, on Thursday, November 7.
Judging of the photo submissions was done by volunteers of the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Photography Ambassadors. With the theme for the 2020 calendar being weather, the eight judges reviewed the photos which best met the required theme and were tasked with making the selections for the twelve months, plus the cover photo. All judging was done blind, without knowledge of the photo’s owner, and critiquing included composition, clarity and relevance to the theme.
This year’s cover photo titled “Morning Has Broken” was taken by Linda I. Nelson of Sutton, MA, at Manchaug Pond in Sutton, MA. Nelson is owner of Old Holbrook Place Family Camping in Sutton and took the photo from there looking out at what she calls the pink morning fog at the point. The contest judges felt strongly that this photo was also best suited for the month of May, so Nelson’s photo will appear both on the cover and inside for admirers to enjoy all month long.
Mary M. Silva of Northbridge, MA, was out walking at Shining Rock Golf Course in Northbridge after a fresh snowfall and captured a brilliant sun just above the tree line shining its bright light on the snow below. The judges picked this shot to represent the month of January for the 2020 calendar.
Carol Dandrade of Uxbridge, MA, was traveling through Grafton, MA, in the midst of a snow storm and the scene in front of the Grafton Country Store caught her creative eye. Dandrade’s “Surprise Snowfall” was picked for the month of February.
The sun was setting over the Mumford River at the Douglas Street Bridge in Whitinsville, MA, one day and Dean Cerrati of Northbridge, MA, was there to capture it. The judges selected his photo for the month of March with its lightly snow-covered tree branches almost decorating the Whitin Mill buildings along each side of the Mumford River.
Calendar Release Party and Gallery Show to Be Held November 7 at the Linwood Mill
A storm was blowing in over the Blackstone River Bikeway in Woonsocket, RI, and Debra Boucher, who lives in Woonsocket, was there to capture the wispy clouds. “I loved the way the storm clouds had soft curves in them,” she noted with her entry. The judges agreed and selected it for the month of April.
When it came time to pick the photos for May, the judges selected Linda I. Nelson’s cover-winning photo of morning breaking over Manchaug Pond in Sutton, MA, with thick mist hanging over the water and the sun breaking through the trees.
A photo of a deep blue sky punctuated with thick, puffy storm clouds hanging over a rich green landscape caught the judge’s attention and they selected it for June. It was taken by Bob Evans of Northbridge, MA, who took it using a drone camera near the Riverdale Mill looking toward Sutton.
Meanwhile, over in Douglas, MA, Chris Bilodeau has been doing drone photography and his submission of an aerial shot over Wallum Lake was selected to represent July for its representation of a summer afternoon with artistic cloud formations decorating the sky.
The iconic Crook Point Bridge over the Seekonk River in Providence, RI, was the scene for MacGregor Kniseley’s photo, but what made it a contest winner for the month of August was the rich orange sky casting a shadow of the bridge on the river below it. Kniseley is from Providence and named it “Stuck Up Bridge” which is appropriate since the bridge has been left in a “stuck-up” position since being abandoned in 1976. It has been in that position for more than 40 years and has become a landmark on the Providence skyline looking out from Gano Park.
Kingshuk Bose of Lincoln, RI, was out with his camera at sunset behind the Manville Dam in Manville, RI, and snapped a serene photo of a cloud formation in an orange sky reflecting in the Blackstone River below. A large patch of Purple loosestrife added color and accented the undertones in the sky above. His “Nature’s Canvas” submission was selected to represent the month of September.
Carol Dandrade of Uxbridge, MA, had a second photo selected for the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor’s 2020 calendar this year and it was the fog hovering over a small farm in Sutton, MA, with sunlit foliage glowing in the background that caught the judge’s attention. “Low Lying Fog at Dawn” was selected for the month of October.
The winding Blackstone River over by Rice City Pond in Uxbridge, MA, was accented perfectly by a blanket of white fog, clearly defining the bends in the river and Leon Droby of Uxbridge, MA, was at the perfect vantage point at Lookout Rock to capture it with is camera. ”Lookout Mist” was selected for the month of November.
A white rowboat displaying a bright green Christmas tree was anchored in Whitins Pond in Whitinsville, MA, when Dean Cerrati spotted it as a photo opportunity. The pond was serene, covered in thick fog, but the boat in the foreground is sharp and the simply-decorated tree with white balls reflects on the water in the foreground. This is Cerrati’s second photo to appear in the 2020 calendar and the judges placed it to appear in December.
The 2020 Blackstone Heritage Corridor calendar also features a timeline of historical weather events in the Blackstone Valley, along with black and white photos from the collection at the Worcester Historical Museum.
A Calendar Release Party and Gallery Show will be held at BHC’s office at the Linwood Mill, 670 Linwood Ave., Whitinsville, MA, on Thursday, November 7, 2019, from 5:00 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. BHC will launch new gallery space in its office, and the show is being sponsored by Linwood Mill, LLC. The gallery will feature the 2020 calendar photos displayed on an historic quarried granite wall which was once part of the retaining wall for the waterwheels at the mill. The photos will be featured in a silent auction with proceeds to benefit BHC. Purgatory Beer Co. will be open and will release a special beer for the event. Tickets to the Calendar Release Party are $10 and include a 2020 calendar. Tickets are available in advance at BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org or at the door.
The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor 2020 Calendar will be available for sale starting November 7 at its office located at 670 Linwood Avenue, Whitinsville, MA, and on its website at BlackstoneHeritageCorridor.org. For more information, call (508)234-4242.