Winners of the art contests are from left to right, Rose Deoasta with her Verrazano Bridge painting, Rosemarie Mellett with her Pergamano parchment paper art, Margaret Schruers with her pen and ink drawing of "Homestead," and Christa Poggensee, the Best-in-Show winner with her "Dream House." Photo by Mel Toadvine

Local artists competed Tuesday night at the Lehigh Spring Festival with a snowbird resident of Lehigh winning the Best-in Show purple ribbon.

Christa Poggensee actually went home with two ribbons. In addition to the Best-in-Show ribbon for her “Dream House” painting, she won third place for a beach scene that appeared as a more modern type of an abstract painting.

“I call this my dream house,” she said as she posed for pictures. The other is a scene of a beach somewhere that I dreamed up. Really, the house is dreamed up, too,” she said.

Art is relatively new to Poggensee, who lives in the summer in Hamburg, Germany, and Lehigh in the winter. She said a neighbor convinced her to go to class with her and she signed up at the Lehigh Senior Citizens Center on Plaza Drive and took art lessons three years ago.

Asked about the two different styles of painting, Poggensee said she just likes “to paint things I like.”

Two judges in the art contests Tuesday night are shown here. They are Dorothy Bosco and Pat Chevalier. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Others who won fir place blue ribbons were Rose Deoasta with her painting of the Verrazano Bridge in New York City, Rosemarie Mellett with her Pergamano parchment paper art, and Margaret Schruers with her pen and ink drawing of a house that she calls “Homestead.”

Liz Eilf, chairman of the contests held each night at the Festival, presented the ribbons.

Eilf said she is really looking forward to Wednesday night’s competition of cakes, cookies and the biggie, the Best Chili in Lehigh Contest.

“And tomorrow night is when we get to sample the entries,” she said.

Those who are planning to enter the desserts contest and the Chili Contest should register between 6 and 7 p.m. when the judging will begin.

Christa Poggensee also won third place with a painting of people on a beach, a modern technique, shown on the bottom. She won the Best-in-Show ribbon with "Dream House," the piece of art she is holding. She lives in Lehigh in the winter and in Germany in the summer. Photo by Mel Toadvine

It will be held in the Activities Tent, close to the large outside stage.

Also at 6 p.m., the Junior Spring Festival Idol Contest continues with judging at 7 p.m. The audience takes part in the voting of both the Junior and the Senior Festival Idol contests. The Senior Festival Idol competition begins at 8 p.m.

At 7 p.m., the Katz Dance Studio will perform on the stage. Students plan to show off what they have learned in classes while moms, dads, and proud grandparents look on.

Like every other night, the Modern Midways will be open from 6 to 11 p.m. and you can pay one price for tickets and ride all night.

Be sure not to miss the semi finals Thursday night of the Festival Idol contests. It’s also a big night for the Lehigh Children’s Choir when they appear on the big stage.

And for those who have grown beautiful flowers, fruit and vegetables over the past season, there will be judging for that category on Thursday night.

The Lehigh Acres Spring Festival has something to offer for everyone in the family and each night crowds are turning out for the free entertainment.

Judges for the art contests on Tuesday night were Dorothy Bosco and Pat Chevalier. There were 20 entries in the contests, Eilf said.