Jefferson City woman wins Apple Festival logo contest

Jefferson City resident Shelby Patterson took first place in the 2016 Olde Tyme Apple Festival Logo Contest.

Patterson, a graphic artist at the Jefferson City News Tribune, won $100 and will have her winning logo appear on the front cover of 10,000 Olde Tyme Apple Festival booklets and 400 T-shirts to highlight the annual community festival scheduled for Oct. 1 in downtown Versailles.

Jaime Wright, who works at Wright Printing in Versailles, took second in the contest and won $25. Kate Johnson, also a graphic artist at the News Tribune, placed third and won $10. Katie Newswanger, a Versailles-area youth, won fourth place/honorable mention.

Sponsored by the Versailles Area Chamber of Commerce, the contest began Feb. 23, seeking a creative, original logo for the 2016 Old Tyme Apple Festival.

Versailles Area Chamber representative Mignon Dureka said contest organizers promoted the contest not only throughout the community and local media but also to area schools, businesses and other parts of central Missouri.

Eighteen entries were submitted.

“The logos had to be computer-generated or hand-drawn, with a maximum of five colors, and be related to apples or an apple festival, historic references or life in the country,” Dureka said. “Since there wasn’t a specific theme like we’ve had in the past, it really allowed our designers to use their creativity.”

Patterson, 22, submitted three different logos. She said she first researched apple logos online and came across some creative concepts that inspired her submissions. One in particular originally used oranges and bright colors, but sparked the idea for her winning Apple Festival logo.

“I used the apples and a parchment color background, which gave that more historic feel,” she said. “I’m glad they picked the one they did; it was my favorite out of the three.”

This is not Patterson’s first award for graphic design. She has won other awards: infographic for a client in Australia and a real estate sign for a company in Georgia. She also enjoys designing wedding invitations for friends.

A 2015 graduate of William Woods University, Patterson earned her degree in graphic design and a minor in business administration. Her parents, Gene and Susan Patterson, have always encouraged her to be an artist, she said.

Dureka said the Versailles Area Chamber of Commerce has already begun organizing this year’s Olde Tyme Apple Festival, which begins Thursday, Sept. 29 in Versailles.

Apple-themed events include an apple sculpture contest for artists and an auction of the award-winning contest pies. Other events and activities during the weekend include the car show, a tractor and engine display, street musicians, a Mason’s dinner, the popular Olde Tyme Apple Festival Fiddler’s Contest at the Royal Theatre and the compact figure 8 race. The Olde Tyme Apple Festival Golf Tournament is Sunday at Rolling Hills Country Club.

Dureka said some new activities are also planned, including an additional live entertainment stage featuring Tipton group Changed By Grace. The Finley River Boys, of Springfield, are also scheduled to perform, and a Native American dance group has asked to participate in downtown activities.

For more information, contact the Versailles Area Chamber of Commerce at 573-378-4401 or access versailleschamber.com.