Enchanted winners named for CNC’s fairy trail contest

This way to Tower Town, at the Enchanted Woodland Trail.

The judging was tough, but finally a winner has emerged in the contest for best fairy house at the Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Enchanted Woodland Trail.

The winner is “Tower Town” by Mary Jo Wood and her grandchildren, Malkolm, 10, and Touie, 8. This unique design had three separate buildings each with a different purpose, including rock shop, tower and wedding chapel.

Malkolm was so engaged with the project, helping with the design, development, and installation. They have seen the trail in past years, and Mary promised them they could make one. This year it finally happened, and they won to boot. Congratulations!

“Tower Town” by Mary Jo Wood and her grandchildren, Malkolm, 10, and Touie, 8, was judged the overall winner of the fairy house contest.

According to the team, the base consisted of recycled plastic bottles with doors and windows cut out. Natural materials, such as back, lichens, twigs and acorns, were then glued on.

They created a back story as well:

“Fairies, like the rest of us, adapt to the times, and while they sometimes use our trash to build their homes, they would like the CNC to convey the following message, “Dear Humans, Enough is enough.  Please stop leaving your plastic bottles in our forests.  Take them home and recycle them yourselves.  Thank you.  The North Georgia Society of Fairies for Better Forests.”

Second place went to mother-daughter duo Mandie and Josie Gastineau with their fairy house. According to the pair, “Our fairies have three main powers: water, fire and healing, which makes them friends of the forest and especially the lost or injured animals.”

Harnessing three elements, this fairy by mother-daughter duo Mandie and Josie Gastineau, is ready to make magic.

With a mountain stream flowing into a pond where fairies can play, this fairy house blends into a tree stump, with the fairy perched on top with her magic potions.

Third place came from Martha, Caroline (8) and Annie (5) Dinges. It uses acorns, moss, and wood incorporated into an area of rock and tree roots along the trail. The fairies have a picnic table to enjoy the outdoors as well as cork trees and a wooden bridge over a stream. The ideas came from Caroline, said Martha. “I just manned the hot glue gun!” 

High Meadows School received the people’s choice award for their fairy schoolhouse.

How does a fairy swing? In a tire swing, of course. Can you find the fairy schoolhouse by High Meadows?

“The symbol of our school is a tire swing and we plan to include a tire swing in our play area outside the fairy school,” said the school about their fairy schoolhouse.

Come see these and all the other fairy houses of all shapes and sizes at the Enchanted Woodland Trail, open now through February 29. The trail is sponsored by Northside Hospital and is included with general admission to CNC.