---

Train Photography Competition & Show

A Juried Train Photography Exhibition will be held at historic Curwood Castle, March 14 - June 1, 2008. The Shiawassee Arts Center, Owosso Historical Commission and Steam Railroading Institute are partnering on this exciting exhibit. Three awards totaling $500 will be presented at the opening reception on Friday, March 14, 6-8pm. Awards include the $200 Best of Show Award, the $200 Best of "1225" Award, and the $100 People's Choice Award. The winning "1225" photograph will be reproduced on a high-quality, 500-piece jigsaw puzzle similar to the Curwood Castle puzzle that was sold during the holidays. The puzzles will be available in time for the Curwood Festival in June.

The juror, Michael Ross Valentine is Vice-President and Co-Principal Valentine Robotics Inc. of Sterling Heights, Michigan. He also serves as adjunct faculty for robotics at several local colleges, and serves on the academic advisory board for Macomb Community College's M-TEC education facility. Valentine Robotics was founded in 1996, and specializes in robotics and automation system programming, training and integration. He previously worked for the BNSF Railway and UPS. Valentine lived and studied at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and is an avid photographer in the U.S. and abroad. He has written articles and had photos published in Trains, CTC Board, and foreign publications. He lives in the Detroit area with his wife Agnes from Austria, and their newly adopted daughter Maya Xia Shen Valentine from China.

The exhibit is generously sponsored by Chemical Bank and Owosso Graphic Arts. Curwood Castle is located at 224 Curwood Castle Drive in Owosso and is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1-5pm. The public is welcome and there is no admission charge. For more information call the Arts Center at (989) 723.8354 or the Steam Railroading Institute at (989) 725.9464 or visit www.mstrp.com.