RIPON - The Ripon Chamber of Commerce needs your help to capture the contemporary life – the heartbeat if you will – of our central business district in Downtown Ripon.

It is with a sense of excitement that we announce that the Chamber is having its first “spirited” photography competition! There is no age limit to enter. The contest begins Monday, Oct 1-22. Send digital photo entries to info@riponchamber.org. Each person can send in two entries.

Being the recently appointed executive director of the chamber of commerce family, the photography challenge gave me reason to casually walk down Main Street and onto Stockton Avenue with my camera eyeing the potential for human interest shots taking in the landscaping and in the store fronts. The attitude of people on the street willing to happily return my greetings and even the red bricks with Ripon family names set in the sidewalks caught my eye. There is so much to see when you get out of your car and just take a slow walk downtown, taking a deep breath and feeling the warmth of the everyday Ripon folks.

It is my hope that competition might develop between family members and businesses alike to capture the essence and charm of what I have heard pleasantly referred to as Mayberry RFD imaging Sheriff Andy Taylor walking down to the river with his son Opie to go fishing. It’s pretty much a possibility in Ripon to duplicate such a lazy afternoon down the trail to the area of the bike bridge crossing the Stanislaus River just east of the downtown.

We are looking for images that highlight the life and activity of Downtown Ripon surrounding our family businesses. Pictures should showcase the day-to -day happenings in this area in an attempt to catch the magic of the old downtown. Some examples to inspire your photos are: high school students on their lunch hour, children young and old focusing on the library with their families, Riponites sauntering past the vendors’ boots on Main Street Day, a couple going to dinner, or the fire trucks heading out of the modern headquarters station.

Creativity is encouraged and just maybe we can encourage elementary and high school students to participate in their own right.

All photographs should attempt to contribute to the “fabric” of community life in the stretch between the arches. . To enter, e-mail your photos to www.info@riponchamber.org along with the location the image was taken, date, and your name. Photos will be judged on originality, creativity, and artistic merit.

Photos will be judged by Ripon Chamber of Commerce Staff and professional photographer. Top five photos will be posted on the Ripon Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and voted on for the top five placements. The winning photo and four runners-up will be displayed at the Ripon Chamber Office for a year. The chamber will reserve all rights to use all photographs for publicity in the future. The winner will be announced Dec. 3.

Call the office at 209-599-7519 if you have any questions.