SHOPPERS PICK BEST IN FOTO FEST 2000

As glistening soap bubbles floated across his face, Logan LeGrand got a great laugh. He particularly enjoyed trying to catch the bubble that landed on his nose, said his father, Paul LeGrand of Cape Girardeau.

The elder LeGrand captured the moment on film. The picture, taken on Logan's first birthday, was selected as the People's Choice Award Winner in Foto Fest 2000.

The amateur photography contest was sponsored by the Southeast Missourian and Westfield Shoppingtown West Park. Other contest sponsors were St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital, Mac's Smokehouse, Schnucks and the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

The contest was open to residents of the Missouri counties of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Perry, Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Stoddard and Madison and Illinois counties of Pulaski, Alexander, and Union.

LeGrand said he entered about 15 photographs during the six weeks of the contest. "I did a whole bunch of different ones," he said.

Some photos showed a praying mantis or scenes in nature while two were photographs of his son.

Everyone who saw the photos before LeGrand entered them in the contest liked the picture with the bubbles, he said. "They liked how it landed on his nose," LeGrand said.

There were no limits on the number of photographs a person could enter nor any size limitations either.

During the contest, four semifinalists were selected each week. All the photographs entered were put on display at the mall, and shoppers could cast ballots for their favorite photograph.

Legrand's photo received the most votes cast and won him a $50 Shoppingtown gift certificate, a six-month subscription to the Southeast Missourian and a comic umbrella.

Photographs that had been chosen previously as semifinalists were considered for a grand- prize selection earlier. Cindy Huber of Perryville, Mo., was selected as the grand-prize winner. Other finalists were Kerry Kimmel of Perryville, Dawn Sander of Patton, Mo., Erica Hoeflinger and Don Haupt Jr., both of Cape Girardeau, and Kim Allen Stricker of Jackson, Mo.

Each weekly contest winner received a $10 Shoppingtown gift certificate and a certificate of recognition. The six finalists received a $25 gift certificate, a 13-week subscription to the newspaper, a comic umbrella and a framed 8-by-10 copy of their photograph.

Huber, as grand prize winner, also received a night's hotel accommodation in St. Louis, a $50 gift certificate and a year's subscription to the Southeast Missourian.

More than 1,200 photographs were entered in the Foto Fest 2000 contest, breaking records from previous photography contests sponsored by the mall and Southeast Missourian.