Young artists at work in 2012. This year’s contest will be held on Oct. 26.
In Cornwall, decorating store windows is a Halloween tradition like trick or treating. Once again the Lions Club will be sponsoring its annual contest for kids in kindergarten through the sixth grade who live in the school district.
This year’s event will be held from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Oct. 26. The Lions have set aside the following day as a rain date.
As you would suspect, most works of art include pumpkins, ghosts and houses that look like they might be haunted. The judges, however, like originality. On the instruction sheet they say that it’s worth 40 points.
There are other factors that will influence the judges’ decisions. Neatness counts. Artists can get 10 points for keeping their areas clean.
The judges will also award points for use of available space (20), degree of difficulty (10) and use of colors (20).
Contestants never learn their scores, but two people are recognized from each age group — kindergarten, grades 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. The first-place finishers receive $25 and the runners-up get $15. In addition to that, all of the prize winners get their names in the newspaper.
There’s nothing to do in advance. On the day of the event, contestants should show up at their distribution center. Middle schoolers (fifth- and sixth-graders) and students from Cornwall-on-Hudson should report to Village Square. Everyone else should go to Clark & Associates, 288 Main Street.
Artists need to bring their own paint brushes, but they will get their paints and poster paper from the distribution center. The window decorations normally stay up for at least a week after the contest is over so that everyone can admire them.
