My Main Street Contest Picks a Winner

Emily Wynn Hinely, a 10-year-old, voracious reader from Newnan, Georgia, is the winner of Scholastic's My Main Street Contest, celebrating the publication of the new Main Street series by bestselling author and Newbery Honoree, Ann M. Martin. Hinely, who said that her family is "really into retail" in the town of 27,000, entered the contest this summer at Scott's Books, a Newnan fixture for 32 years. Hinely's prize is a $500 American Express Gift Card and a signed copy of Main Street #3: 'Tis the Season.

As the store submitting the winning entry, Scott's Books will receive a visit from Ann M. Martin.

To answer the contest's question, "What Makes Your Town's Main Street Special?," Hinely submitted a photographic essay, mounted on poster board, depicting a large house filled with photos of many of Newnan's merchants and residents. Included among the downtown merchants are Hinely's parents, Robbie and Mary, who own Hit the Trail, an outdoor clothing and equipment store around the corner from Scott's Books; her grandfather who has owned Bob Shapiro's Photography Studio in Newnan for 25 years; and her grandmother who owns The Wynn House on Spring, a downtown gift and antiques shop.

Hinely told BTW that she used the house to frame the downtown because "our town is sort of small, but it's also like a big family." Instead of writing down how she felt, she "spoke" with her pictures, conveying her strong roots in the town.

According to Earlene Scott, owner and founder of Scott's Books, downtown Newnan has been given a boost over the last decade, with more than $3 million of city monies put toward several Streetscapes construction projects. These funds have paid for improved sidewalks, curbs, landscaping, and lighting.

Scott was delighted about Hinely's win. "Emily did a great job," Scott said, "as did the other [five] kids," who participated in the contest at the bookstore. "We'd love to be able to display all of their entries in our store," she added. About Ann M. Martin's visit to the bookstore, tentatively scheduled for January, she enthused, "We are so tickled to have her come."

Hinely is a frequent visitor to Scott's. The store is just around the corner from her folks' store, and she likes to browse and buy when she has money from chores. A big Harry Potter fan, Hinely attended the store's midnight party with her family all in costume. She has been recently enjoying Ann M. Martin's A Corner of the Universe, and plans to read all of the new Main Street books.

The prize money, Hinely told BTW, might be spent on a trampoline, a video camera, and naturally, some books.

Hinely's winning entry, and those of the four runners-up, will be posted on www.scholastic.com/mainstreet by November 1. Each runner-up will receive a $100 gift card and a signed copy of 'Tis the Season. --Nomi Schwartz