The Case of the Diamond in the Drink
Or
How did a Wedding Ring get into Kelley Pond?
And the Winners Are…
Thirty-one stories were entered in the Kelley House short story contest, as part of the fundraising effort to restore the pond. Each was accompanied by a $25.00 entry fee. Seventeen of the stories were submitted by students from the Mendocino Middle School, sponsored by a grant. Thirteen entries from adult writers were submitted.
The inspiration for the contest was a man’s gold wedding band with a small diamond, unearthed during the pond restoration. Each story tells a tale about how the ring ended up in the pond.
The stories were judged by a panel of local writers, including Christy Wagner, Jim Tarbell and Devreaux Baker. The winning story in the adult category was Barry Bryan with his story Lao and Me. He will take home the ring. The winning story from the student category was The Bossy Groom’s Ring by Aftan Ashford, a 5th grader who learned of the contest while visiting her grandmother in Mendocino. She received a $100 prize. Honorable Mention awards in the adult category went to William Lemos with his story Darryl’s Dinky Diamond; Doug Fortier for Mendocino Mayhem; and Donald Shephard for The Case of the Diamond in the Drink Loosely Based on a Single Fact.
Honorable Mention awards in the student category were presented to Ravel Gauthier, grade 6, for The Adventures of Glorx Pominitentry; Ashley Statham, grade 7, for Caution!; and Kaylin Harr, grade 8, for Mia and Gabe.
Winners were announced and prizes awarded at a reading at the Gallery Bookstore on Friday, January 29, 2016.