Norwalk Resident Wins 5th Place in Annual Festival of Lighthouses Contest

A Norwalk woman’s dollhouse lighthouse is the fifth-place winner in the “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk.

Jo Stecker finishes “in the money” for the third straight year, taking home $225 for her “Seaside Bakery” lighthouse. Stecker finished third last year and second in 2012 with intricate dollhouse-themed lighthouses. She stayed with what works for the 2014-15 contest, with an entry offering a cut-away view into a three-story restaurant (with additional roof-top seating). It’s finely detailed, with figures baking, selling, buying and dining. Even the back, which many Aquarium visitors never saw, is detailed.

The Aquarium’s 13th annual holiday display ran from Nov. 22 to Jan. 19, and featured 24 large model lighthouses built by local artists, students and hobbyists. The contest’s winners are chosen by Aquarium visitors, who enjoy the lighthouses in the aquarium galleries and then vote for their favorite. More than 12,000 votes were tallied in this most recent display, which – as always – attracted a collection of widely creative works.

At a Jan. 22 ceremony at The Maritime Aquarium, prizes also were awarded to:

• first place ($1,500) – “Black Rock,” a lighthouse made of intricately cut stone, by Pedro Davila, a mason from White Plains, N.Y.

• second place ($750) – “Imagine Dragons” by woodworker David Bishop of Stamford.

• third place ($375) – “Frozen,” featuring characters from the Disney movie, by Amye Huizinga of Danbury.

• fourth place ($300) – “Lighthouse Island,” a crocheted lighthouse, by Margaret Phillips of Cos Cob.

• sixth place ($150) – “Gingerbread – Man – Kind,” a lighthouse made of gingerbread, frosting and candies, by Donna Kern Ball of Newtown.

“Once again, we were able to offer Aquarium visitors a very fun and creative holiday display, all thanks

to the thought and effort that our contestants put into their lighthouses,” said Chris Loynd, marketing director. “For that, we are very honored and grateful.”

Photos of all the winners can be seen at www.flickr.com/photos/Maritimeaquarium.

Entry forms for the 2015 “Festival of Lighthouses Contest” will be available on the Aquarium’s website this summer.

For more information about The Maritime Aquarium’s exhibits, IMAX® movies, programs or other offerings, go to www.MaritimeAquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700.

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Submitted by Norwalk, CT

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