StrawFest Day: Successful conclusion of the straw sculpture competition – Shaw Local

MT. MORRIS – The ninth annual U.S. National Straw Sculpture Competition culminated in a day of activities, music and awards ceremonies.

StrawFest Day was held on the Mt. Morris campus on August 24 and included blacksmithing demonstrations, round bale racing on the street, food trucks, impromptu live music on the Straw Jam stage and more. It was the final highlight of the event, which ran from August 9-25 and featured large straw sculptures.

“When you talk about the whole thing, I think it went well overall,” said organizer Jeff Bold. “I love the fact that you’re running uptown. [to the sculptures] and sometimes it’s a big crowd, sometimes it’s just a handful of people, but there’s always someone there.”

The U.S. National Straw Sculpture Competition began in Rochelle in 2016 after artist Fran Volz visited the small village of Höchenschwand, Germany, where an annual straw sculpture competition is held that draws thousands of visitors. The event moved to Mt. Morris in 2017, where it is hosted by Encore! Mt. Morris.

“The StrawFest day itself went well,” said Bold. “I think it was a success. We will definitely continue.”

Five straw sculptures were submitted for this year’s competition and exhibited alongside entries from previous years.

According to the competition rules, the sculptures must be at least 2.08 m high, long or wide and their surface must consist of at least 90% straw.

Awards

First place in the People’s Choice category went to “Merry Summerweenmas” by father-daughter duo Mark and Danica Rogers of Rochelle. The sculpture of Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” hanging as an ornament on a Christmas tree also took second place in the Artists’ Choice category.

Jenna Springer of Mt. Morris took second place in the public vote with her sculpture of Olaf the snowman from Frozen, entitled “Some towns are worth melting for.”

“Peek A Boo” – a giant owl landing on a log with its talons open to catch a hidden mouse – took third place in the public vote and first place in the artist vote. The piece was built by Steve Lentz of Montello, Wisconsin.

Rockford couple Chris and Cecilia Mann took second place in the Artists’ Choice category with “Chateau Castor canadensis,” which depicts a beaver on a hill with a stick in its paws.

The last sculpture was “Freedom” by Doreen Hartman of Shannon. The giant bald eagle was dedicated to Vietnam veterans.