Contest entry leads to new hat

Jenny Myers-Lind’s photograph entitled “Sadie’s New Hat” has won the Herald-Guide’s 2009 Camera Shootout.

The photo is of Myers-Lind’s granddaughter, Sadie McNulty, 1, in a new hat that Myers-Lind made for her.

Sadie and her hat have an interesting history, as well.
“Sadie is really quite a story,” Myers-Lind said. “She was born in Georgia because we had to evacuate for Hurricane Gustav last year.”

When Myers-Lind’s daughter Amy and son-in-law Shaun realized they would have to evacuate the week of Amy’s due date, the family decided to stay with friends who already had a child.

“We knew her due date was Sept. 5, so we had some friends that lived in Georgia and they asked us to evacuate to there because they already had a baby and knew where the hospital was,” Myers-Lind said. “It’s a good thing we did. Amy went into labor on Labor Day in Georgia.”

Sadie’s hat also has a story to it.

Myers-Lind said that she saw a similar hat at a store and decided to make one for Sadie with a pattern she found online.

She thought the hat was so cute that she took a picture and then decided to enter the photo in the contest after a co-worker suggested it.

The photo was named the August winner, which sent orders for Myers-Lind’s specialty hats through the roof.

“I’ve had quite a business selling these hats,” she said.
Because her picture won the yearly contest, Myers-Lind plans on expanding her hat business.

Meanwhile, the $500 prize will go into a savings account for Sadie’s college education.

“To me, the photo contest wasn’t about me at all. It was about Sadie,” she said. “We love this picture because it’s Sadie’s whole personality. She’s a very docile little girl - she’s very feminine. We didn’t just put her in that hat for the picture, she loves hats. She wears them all the time.”