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Published Friday, September 05, 2008 in Close-Up

Winning art and entertainers selected by Powers judges

By Close-Up Staff

The Times-Herald

The annual Powers' Crossroads Country Fair & Art Festival helps shine a light on talented entertainers and artisans. Coweta Festivals has announced the winners of its 38th annual Labor Day weekend festival for the Rising Star competition, the fine arts and crafts show, the Miss Coweta County and associated pageants, as well as Purchase Award winners.

The Rising Star competition includes three age groups of performers. Celebrity judges selected Sarah Mitchell (15-18 years), Stacia Watkins, (19-34) and Kathy Lloyd (35 and older category) as the talent competition winners. Watkins was the grand prize winner.

In the Fine Arts Category, the winners:

Best of Show, Dorothey Gorham, painting, primitive artist;

Award of Excellence, Keith Newby, painting, watercolor artist;

Award of Merit, Harold Smith, sculpture, bird sculptor

In the Crafts category, winners were:

Best of Show, Nandi Sobti, jewelry

Award of Excellence, Bill Moore, metal, hammered metal

Award of Merit, Kowit Jitpraphai, sculpture, clay orchids

Purchase Awards (Jordan Kinsey Jordan CPAs):

Glass vase, Thomas Spake, and

Clay orchid, Kowit Jitpraphai

Judges for the art competition were Amanda Dumas-Hernandez, Newnan native and Instructor at the Savannah College of Art & Design's Atlanta Campus; and Claudia McDavid, Art Partners Program Officer for the High Museum in Atlanta.

Carol Chancey, executive director of Coweta Festivals, which organizes Powers' Crossroads said that Dumas-Hernandez has previous connections to the festival.

"Amanda Dumas Hernandez, the professor from SCAD, received a scholarship from the Newnan Coweta Arts Association as a high school student. These are the scholarships funded from the net proceeds generated by Powers' festival.," said Chancey. "She went on to study art, became a professor, and now has been a judge at Powers'. So the scholarship came full circle. Dumas-Hernandez is also a former Miss Coweta County.

In addition to the Newnan-Coweta Arts Association, four other groups benefit from the festival proceeds. They are the Newnan Coweta Chamber of Commerce, Coweta 4-H, Newnan Coweta Jaycees and the Pilot Club of Newnan.

Winners of the this year's pageant were:

Baby Miss Coweta County Abigail Braun

Toddler Miss Henry County Kamie Gibby

Wee Miss Coweta County Lainey Thomas

Tiny Miss Coweta County Shallyn Olszowy

Petite Miss Coweta County Natelie Hayes

Little Miss Coweta County Ansley Cole

Little Miss Troup Powers Crossroad Mary Lou Burt

Junior Miss Coweta County Abigail Smith

Teen Miss Coweta County Meagan Tanner

Miss Fayette County Makenna Curry

Pre Teen Miss Coweta County Samantha Kuykendall

Miss Troup Powers Crossroad Serena Reeves

Little Miss Coweta County Supreme Adriana Desantos

Miss Douglasville Supreme Belinda Hart

The 2008 Powers' Crossroads festival was the 38th consecutive event.