Six Albert Lea residents were able to identify all 40 photos displayed in the Sesquicentennial Communitywide &8220;Picture This&8221; photo contest held at the Albert Lea Art Center for the month of September.

First place winner was Geri Murtaugh, who not only was able to match all the photos with descriptions, but also received the top slot for knowing the owner of the unique hammer mailbox located in the northwest part of Albert Lea in a photo category of places or things in the community that still exist and haven&8217;t changed much. Murtaugh receives a copy of her favorite photo selection, &8220;Red Vine Twinings,&8221; a photo taken of the old West Main Viaduct&8217;s concrete guard rail that was in the &8220;Gone But Not Forgotten category.&8221; Murtaugh&8217;s daughter, Erin, also excelled in her photo identifying and because of her age group also receives her favorite photo.

She choose an alpaca photo from the Hammer Road Alpaca Farm. Both also receive an Albert Lea Art Center hand-designed T-shirt of the downtown building which houses the Art Center.

Other winners were Sue Jorgensen, Janna Arbic/Cindi Van Reese, Saundra Finseth and Alyce Jacobsen, who each receive a Lloyd Herfindahl print of their selection.

Contestants were encouraged to consult with other family members for guessing and identifying photos taken of Albert Lea by Sara Aeikens over the last several decades. Inspiration for the contest was to have families and community members get more acquainted with their hometown and appreciate some the unnoticed beauty in Albert Lea, both past and present.