COVID-19 and chilly blustery weather didn’t stop 190 visitors from coming to see the 2020 Twentynine Palms Weed Show this past weekend. Nor did it stop 33 people from entering 156 compositions showcasing local desert flora, and the history and culture of Twentynine Palms itself. The People’s Choice winner was Kim Ortamond for her 6×6-inch miniature entry of a scorpion made entirely of dried weeds. The three winners of the judges’ favorites were Kerry Wikoff for the Full Moon category; Nancy Shade for her entry in the Milky Way category; and Ted Meyers, for his entry in the Mirage category. Managing editor Tami Roleff has the list of the first place winners in the other categories…
Visitors took in the ingenuity and beauty created in this uniquely Twentynine Palms event, then had the very difficult task of choosing one overall composition as the People’s Choice Award.
That honor went to Kim Ortamond for her entry in Category 4 (Big Dipper – use a miniature accessory with dried weeds or a little animal entirely pieced together from small dried weeds no larger than 6” X 6” X 6”.)
2020 Weed Show Winners People’s Choice – Kim Ortamond – Category 4
Judge’s Favorite:
Judge 1 – Ted Meyers – Category 9
Judge 2 – Kerry Wikoff – Category 5
Judge 3 – Nancy Shade – Category 6
Category 1 – Sunrise, Sunset (museum-quality sun purple glass with fresh flowers)
1st Place – Martha Hatch Reich
2nd Place – Rita Vickery
3rd Place – Molly Vermette
Honorable Mention – Wanda Sandoz
Category 2 – Dust Devil (broken purple glass)
1st Place – Molly Vermette
2nd Place – Larry Bowden
3rd Place – Pat Rimmington
Honorable Mention – Ted Meyers
Category 3 – Little Dipper (3x3x3) use a miniature accessory with dried weeds or a little animal made of dried weeds no larger than 3x3x3 inches
1st Place – Kim Ortamond
2nd Place – Bridget Wilcox
3rd Place – Ruth Libby
Honorable Mention – Herman Platzke
Category 4 – Big Dipper (6x6x6) use a miniature accessory with dried weeds or a little animal made of weed no bigger than 6x6x6 inches
1st Place – Ted Meyers
2nd Place – Martha Hatch Reich
3rd Place – Ruth Libby
Honorable Mention – Kim Ortamond
Category 5 – Full Moon use a light-creating device as an accessory with dried weeds
1st Place – Ted Meyers
2nd Place – Liz Meyer
3rd Place – Kerry Wikoff
Honorable Mention – Liz Schickler
Category 6 – Milky Way use a star as an accessory with dried weeds
1st Place – Nancy Shade
2nd Place – Melodie Allen
3rd Place – Ted Meyers
Honorable Mention – Ruth Libby
Category 7 – Blue Skies use a blue accessory with dried weeds
1st Place – Ted Meyers
2nd Place – Rita Vickery
3rd Place – Dana Bowden
Honorable Mention – Bridget Wilcox
Category 8 – Thunder and Lightning use two accessories with dried weeds (one should make a sound and the other is related to electricity)
1st Place – Ted Meyers
2nd Place – Molly Vermette
3rd Place – Dorothy Etz
Honorable Mention – Ruth Libby
Category 9 – Mirage a scene to-scale or diorama with dried weeds
1st Place – Ted Meyers
2nd Place – Harry Feldman
3rd Place – Melodie Allen
Honorable Mention – Dana Bowden
Category 10 – Raining Cats and Dogs use something associated with water with dried weeds
1st Place – Larry Bowden
2nd Place – Marilyn Fernald
3rd Place – Ted Meyers
Honorable Mention – Molly Vermette
Category 11 – UFOs Oversize entry with dried weeds
1st Place – Ted Meyers
2nd Place – Larry Bowden
3rd Place – Dana Bowden
Honorable Mention – Cathy Snodgrass
