NORRISTOWN, PA - Just in time to celebrate its one-year anniversary, the Montco StoryWalk® has announced the winners of the first annual Montco StoryWalk® Story Contest.
The Montgomery County Office of Public Health (MCOPH), Division of Health Promotion, in partnership with the Norristown Public Library and Norristown Farm Park, coordinated the contest this summer. The contest encouraged Montgomery County residents of all ages to submit a story with themes relating to nature, health, physical activity, or trails.
Three winners were selected from two age categories, 17 and under and over 18. All winning stories will be featured at the Norristown Farm Park and Trail Junction Center StoryWalks® between October 2022 and July 2023 in both English and Spanish. The schedule will be posted on the StoryWalk® website at www.montcopa.org/storywalk.
In no particular order, the winners are:
17 and Under
- The Nature Walk by Cece Breen
- Caring for Nature by Kate Matthews
- The Hike Up the Mountain by Teresa Haynie
Over 18
- My Incredibly Cozy Cocoon by Susan Morey
- Rescuing Remy by Rachel Janssen
- The Wild Adventures of the Three Bears by Jennifer Riordan
According to Kristi Goodwin, Community Health Program Manager for MCOPH, the StoryWalk® Contest Team was very pleased with the positive response to the contest and hopes to offer it again next year. “We had entries from authors between the ages of 6 and 73, with original content and artwork. Our hope was to further connect the community with the StoryWalks® while inspiring and highlighting creativity. We truly appreciate the time everyone put into their work and allowing us to share it.”
StoryWalks® feature pages of a children’s book spread along a trail to help promote literacy, physical activity, and being outdoors. The Montco StoryWalk® is featured at three locations:
- Norristown Farm Park: 2500 Upper Farm Rd, East Norriton, PA 19403
- Trail Junction Center: 76 E. Lafayette St. Norristown, PA 19401
- Pennypacker Mills: 5 Haldeman Rd, Schwenksville, PA 19473
For more information, visit www.montcopa.org/storywalk or email trailchallenge@montcopa.org. The Montco StoryWalk® is funded by the Pa. Department of Health’s Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.
Media Contact: Kelly Cofrancisco, kcofrancisco@montcopa.org