Picture This

The Knowlton Lions were puzzled.

After years of promoting community spirit with annual events like a Santa Claus parade and garage sales, the pandemic was forcing them to rethink ways to keep spirits up in their scenic community of Knowlton in southern Quebec, Canada.

But they found the answer right in front of them. The club is sponsoring their first Photos and Puzzles photo contest “to relieve some of the ‘lockdown blues’ that we have all been feeling lately in a safe and fun way,” says Lion Meredith MacKeen.

The Lions are inviting all residents of Knowlton to take part in their month-long contest and submit one picture in each or every category – animals, winter, iconic Knowlton, and landscapes. Prize winning photographers will receive a puzzle made from their photograph, and in addition, puzzles of the winning pictures will also be given to the senior citizen homes.

They hope the joy of completing a puzzle will give seniors a chance to virtually revisit the places they’ve loved and encourage conversation about their town and the nature around Brome Lake.

Along with Brome Lake, officially “Ville de Lac Brome,” the area is known for winter sports, fall colors, historic homes, and the scenic countryside.

“People tend to take for granted the beautiful scenery, and so we hope that citizens will look again at their surroundings and will explore them,” says MacKeen. “We hope that individuals of all ages and families will rise to the challenge. Taking a picture can be a whole new way of seeing your familiar surroundings.”

On top of it, the Lions are considering selling puzzles made from the pictures as a future fundraiser.