Several of the winners and sponsors of this year’s Sights & Sounds of Christmas Home Decorating Contest gathered last week at the Eagles in Mt. Carmel for the Winners Plaque Presentation.
Each year, those determined to be the best of the dozens of entries by either the judges or the people’s vote receive a yard sign to display during the season, along with a $25 Retail Merchant Gift Check. This group brought in those signs, trading them for a personalized winners plaque.
Winners this year included: Alan Clem (Grand Champion), Michael Harms (Most Festive), Kyle & Katelyn Bates (Best Inflatables), Gerrit Armstrong (Best Christmas Creation), Trey & Kelsey Beckerman (Best Traditional Theme), Val-Lisa Plassman (Winter Wonderland), Pat & Leah Merriel (Griswold Award), Larry Letson (Candy Cane Lane), Gill & Kelly Sanders (Honorable Mention), Mike Wilson (People’s Choice Award & Honorable Mention from the Judges) and Eclectic Boutique (Merry & Bright Business Award).
Sponsors for 2021 were the Wabash County Retail Merchants Committee, Travis Thompson Oil Corp, Mt. Carmel Eagles, Motorad, Jeff Thompson & Sons Oil Production, Christmas Uptown and the Mt. Carmel Lions Club.
According to a statement from the committee, “Wabash County is always so festive and beautiful during the Christmas Season, and we hope Sights & Sounds contributes some of the excitement. We’re already planning for 2022!”
Some of the 2021 Sights & Sounds of Christmas winners and sponsors. Front row: Larry Letson (Candy Cane Lane), Pat Merriel (Griswold Award), Alan Clem (3-Time Grand Champion), Kelsey, Emmett & Trey Beckerman (Best Traditional Theme) and Val-Lisa Plassman (Winter Wonderland). Back row: Terry Beckerman (Christmas Uptown), Matt Buchholz & Will Rushing (Motorad), Travis Thompson (Travis Thompson Oil), John Talley (Mt. Carmel Lions Club), David Brown (Mt. Carmel Eagles), Britney Kieffer (Eclectic Boutique - Merry & Bright Business and Retail Merchants Committee) and Lesley Hipsher (Wabash County Chamber of Commerce)