Jennifer Mathwig hasn’t really considered photography a hobby. “Just like everyone else, I like having pictures to remember things by,” she says, “I use the camera on my phone.” The Mathwigs moved to Maple Grove from Golden Valley in 2012 and have since joined with their neighbors for an annual summer block party.
Last summer, she and her neighbors decided to celebrate National Night Out on a Friday—a few days later than the actual event—so they could all enjoy their block party without having regular weekly commitments the next day. Though they usually have a police car visit their street, Mathwig contacted the fire department to see if they could stop by. “They did the tour and let us take pictures,” she explains, “then they said, ‘Hey before we go, let’s spray some water.’”
Taken just as the sun was setting on a hot day, Mathwig’s photo captures the neighborhood children playing near the firehose stream. “I just got lucky,” she says with a laugh, “I didn’t even realize the photo was as neat of a picture as it turned out to be until some of my neighbors pointed out how cool it looked and told me I should enter the contest.”
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A first time entry, Mathwig’s photo took first place in the Activities & Events category of Maple Grove Magazine’s photo contest.
