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"Love is in the Air" Contest Winners Announced

By Nancy HeltmanPosted March 06, 2014

I am not one to let a good idea go by just because I should have done the planning sooner. Such was the case the week of Valentine's Day when I started thinking about a woman I had corresponded with several years ago. She and her husband drove from Florida to Douthat State Park so they could get married in the mountains.

A romantic picnic in the park

That's when the idea started. Then I thought about other people I had talked to over the years who had honeymooned in our cabins or met in the park. I even have a personal story with my husband and cabin 3 at Chippokes. That's when I decided to do the "Love is in the Air" contest. Normally I should have planned a contest weeks earlier. In fact, when we were advertising about Valentine's Day weekend getaways would have been a great time to talk about the contest. But the idea came later and I was convinced it was a great idea and we should still do it. (Thankfully the contest turned out better than Valentine's Weekend which was ruined by the Polar Vortex).

I am so happy we did. Every story that was submitted touched me and I have to say I am a sap for great family stories when they involve a Virginia State Park. Shellie posted all of the entries on our blog so we could enjoy the stories as they came in. In fact, they would have finished on the last day of February if we had not received some last minute entries. For the most part, Shellie made up the titles and in many cases selected photos that went with these stories so my thanks for her great efforts in making this even more fun.

It was impossible to single out just one winner from all of the submissions so I have created a grand prize winner who will win a week's cabin stay, and have two runners-up entries that will each receive a two night cabin stay. I also have one more special prize that I will explain later.

Family fun at the Sky Meadows Great American Backyard Campout

The grand prize winner is Jennifer Clarke for Love Story: Greatest Love of All and the story of four generations of a family gathering for 30 years at Hungry Mother State Park (well not all 4 generations for 30 years but you know what I mean). This one made Shellie and I tear up and the original pictures were a great addition. More than anything else, this story is why I love our parks - that we can be places where families can have time together for these experiences.

Runners-up are Linda Ruffner for Linda's Nest and Carrie Tolgyesi for Carrie's Cold Weekend. Linda's story was exactly what I meant when I asked for stories of rekindled romances and the kind of thing I read about a lot in our cabin journals. I have spent some cold nights in our parks (when the temperature is in the teens or lower, even a cozy cabin will be cold since heat pumps just can't keep up) so Carrie's story reminded me of a time I stayed at Twin Lakes and I swear I broke my internal thermostat.

The special prize goes to the only man who submitted a contest entry. I am sure the other ladies that submitted entries will agree that when a man shows his willingness to share a love story he should be encouraged! So Tim Moses will receive a Virginia State Parks Naturally Yours Passport Plus - good for a year's parking and some discounts in all Virginia State Parks for his story Tim and Debbie Happy Campers.

What struck me so much about all of these stories is the happiness that Virginia State Parks visits bring and the family legacies that are created instilling a love for nature and the outdoors.

Here is a link to each of the other contest entries. I wish everyone could have been a winner!

Love Stories: Lori and David by Lori An Image