By Cyrus Guccione
Mail

The Town of Fountain Hills Community Services recently held its annual Recycle ReCreate Earth Day Celebration.

As a multi-generational event inviting contestants to show off their artistic flare, artists used recyclable and non-recyclable materials like aluminum, glass, cardboard, plastic, paper and even fruit to create their colorful pieces of art.

The recycled creations of the top three finalists in each category were on display at the Community Center and the first- and second-place winners were awarded Target gift cards.

‘Hootie the Owl’

Markus Batchelor was the first-place winner in the eight-and-under category who created “Hootie the Owl,” made from a pink-colored milk jug with black lines for feathers.

Batchelor was initially going for a pig but wasn’t sure how to make the legs, so he decided to make an owl instead, using plastic forks for the owl’s talons.

“Recycling is important to me to not have so much trash and to keep the Earth clean,” Batchelor said.

‘Tin Turtle’

Markus Batchelor’s older sister Lydia Batchelor took second place in the nine-13 category with her “Tin Turtle” creation.

Lydia said her inspiration came from a recycled sea turtle sculpture that she read about in a Highlights magazine. She decided to make her own mini version of the turtle using aluminum foil for the turtle’s legs and head and a green-painted paper plate with aluminum can tops and bottoms as the shell.

“It is important to recycle because it is a way to save animals so they don’t have so much trash in their environments,” Lydia said.

‘A Slice of Bling’

Hayden Zopolos took home second place in the eight-and-under category for her creation of “A Slice of Bling,” which merged two things she loves very much: Pizza and shiny objects.

Made from a slice of aluminum foil pie pan, Zopolos said her favorite parts of “A Slice of Bling” are the sparkling gems and the band-aids that brighten her art piece.

“When I told her about the contest and what she would win, her eyes got wide as saucers and she said, ‘That would be fantastic!’” said Sheri Patton, Zopolos’ mother.

Recycling is important to Zopolos because “not everything is junk,” she said. “Treasures are everywhere.”

‘Vincent Van Goat’

Winning first place in the 14-18 age category, Addison Banning combined her love of horseback riding with her love of creating pieces with recyclable materials to create “Vincent Van Goat.”

Made from two horseshoes, a large bolt, a lock nut, washers and pieces of a spring, Banning said she modeled “Vincent Van Goat” after her pet goat named S’mores.

“She is always amazed by the fabulous art that can be created out of what some people view as garbage,” said Banning’s mother, Tracy Alcorn-Banning. “She is overjoyed to have won and excited to see what incredible artwork Fountain Hills will produce the next year.”

‘Colorful Phoenix’

While Addie Tasco was unable to be reached for comment, her eye-catching creation, “Colorful Phoenix,” used a McDonald’s paper bag for a beak, plastic forks for legs and a green lotion soap pump for a tail.

The body of the Phoenix was made from a partially painted plastic egg filled with paper remnants like candy wrappers, soda can aluminum and more.

Tasco’s innovative approach to art stood out with her transformation of discarded items into a colorful art piece, winning her first place in the nine-13 age category.

‘Classy Kitty’

Mary Molnar won first place in the 19-and-older age group with “Classy Kitty,” a leopard-printed cat made out of cardboard cones with a gourd for a head.

“I’m an artist and so a lot of my art kinda happens,” Molnar said. “I grew up with ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.’ I guess some of that stuck.”

The feet and toes of the cat were made from napkin rings, Molnar’s favorite part of her creation.

“I got to meet a (15-year-old) young lady (Addison Banning) who can weld!” Molnar said. “You get to meet some really cool people.”

We invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Cyrus Guccione can be reached at cguccione@iniusa.org.