Christian Kizer of Newsoms took second place in the kindergarten division for a statewide art contest for Cooperative Living Magazine.

Christian was among more than 150 youth to compete in the contest.

Tessa Bennett, a fourth-grader from Fairfield in Rockbridge County, won Best in Show for her colored pencil drawing featuring an American eagle and the stars and stripes in the magazine’s 8th Annual Youth Art Contest, which was open to students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Tessa is featured on the cover of the July issue of Cooperative Living, the membership magazine of Virginia’s electric cooperatives, holding her winning entry in a photograph taken at her Shenandoah Valley home. She also received a $100 gift card.

East Pavilion resident Arnold Bowden enjoyed looking at a book about puppies and dogs when the bookmobile visited the Franklin nursing home last week.

Arnold has always had a special love for dogs, according to his daughter, Linda Selleck.

During Saturday’s Fourth of July festivities in Sedley, the judge’s choice in the fire truck competition went to Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department’s Engine 210.

The award for overall best department went to Hunterdale Volunteer Fire Department.

Other first-place winners in the competition were Hunterdale’s Engine No. 56 for the 500- to 1,000-gallon per minute water truck, Hunterdale’s Engine No. 55 for its 1,250-gallon per minute water truck, Wakefield’s Engine No. 210 for its 1,500-gallon per minute water truck, Drewryville Volunteer Fire Department’s tanker No. 72 and its brush truck No. 73, Hunterdale’s ambulance Medic No. 5 and Sedley’s emergency medical service vehicle No. 86.

Drewryville received the award for traveling the farthest to the Sedley event.

In the softball game between Sedley and Hunterdale fire departments, Sedley won 11-8. Brian Bailey hit a home run for Sedley and Tony Pulley hit one for Hunterdale.