Northern Michigan Attractions: Those who have been to Bay View, Michigan know of its beauty and charm. Recently, Bay View has received a national award and great honor of being selected as one of America's "Prettiest Painted Places" by the Paint Quality Institute.
The purpose of the competition is to give recognition to places that use paint to express pride in their communities, and highlight how an attractive exterior paint treatment can enhance the curb appeal of virtually any home, building, or exterior structure.
In late July, Carlin Smith, President of the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce forwarded the details of the competition to Catherine Sommerfeldt, Communications Coordinator at the Bay View Association.
"I had only been working at Bay View for a short time, but I just knew Bay View fit the criteria of the competition perfectly!" said Catherine. "It really comes down to the members' care and love of this place that made this possible."
A panel of judges with expertise in paint and exterior color schemes reviewed the entries and named two winners from each of six different geographic areas in the United States. Debbie Zimmer, North American Director of Communications for the Paint Quality Institute stated: “The truth is, we had so many worthy nominees that we could have presented many more awards. The field of entries in this year’s competition was truly exceptional, and selecting just a dozen winners and only nine exceptional merit communities was daunting.”
This is the third time the Paint Quality Institute has conducted a search for the "Prettiest Painted Places in America." It held the first competition in the 1990s, and another in year 2000.
To see the photos and learn more about this competition, visit the Bay View website at bayviewassociation.org.