This photo of the Windham rotary by Sky High Maine was submitted in the playing card contest. Contributed / Maine Municipal Association
Windham’s Babb’s Bridge and its holiday-decorated rotary may wind up in a deck of playing cards.
The Maine Municipal Association has invited towns across Maine to submit photos of their local landmarks and scenery in all four seasons for the chance to be featured on a custom deck of playing cards.
The cards will be distributed at the 2024 Maine Municipal Association Annual Convention in October, which brings together municipal leaders and officials and offers training, networking and a variety of vendors.
Communities that contribute photos will be entered into a drawing for a two-day pass to the convention.
The association has received photos from 60 communities before the April 1 deadline, with an average of a dozen photos from each, according to Kate Dufour, the association’s communications director. A panel of judges will convene in May to pick the 52 winning photos.
Dufour said that communities have demonstrated a lot of excitement to show off their beloved sights and landmarks, as well as the talents of their local photographers.
“These photos are gorgeous,” she said.
Windham opted to submit photos of two local landmarks “as notable and unique places in Windham,” said Tammy Hodgman, executive assistant to the town manager.
One landmark is Babb’s Bridge, which spans the Presumpscot River and connects the towns of Windham and Gorham. Originally built in the 1840s, it’s one of nine remaining covered bridges in the state. After the bridge was destroyed by a fire in 1973, the Maine Department of Transportation replaced it with a replica in 1976.
The other is the traffic circle at Routes 202 and 302, known locally as just “The Rotary.” The photo shows the rotary lit up with holiday splendor.
Each local landmark submitted for consideration comes with its own story, history and lore carried on by residents over the years, and Dufour said that comes with a lot of community pride.
The Maine Municipal Association will retain the right to reprint the winning photos, which may be used to produce more playing card decks for wider distribution in the future.
“They could make some good holiday gifts or stocking stuffers,” said Dufour.
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