photo by Dennis Dalman
A team comprised of Charlotte Danielson of Sauk Rapids (center) and Amy and Mitch Thielke of Sartell are the winners of the Jigsaw Puzzle Contest that took place April 29 at the Sartell Community Center. In this photo, they already had the border completed in just minutes. They finished the puzzle in 40 minutes.
by Dennis Dalman
Some of the people standing or sitting in the Sartell Community Center on the morning of April 29 looked a bit antsy but eager, like runners do before a race.
The three dozen people – puzzlers all – were there to participate in a jigsaw puzzle contest. Proceeds from the event will be given to the Autism Society of Minnesota since May is National Autism Month. The jigsaw puzzle used in the contest was designed by Devin Wildes, a talented autistic artist who lives in Stillwater. The name of his puzzle, one of a series, is called “Art Is My Voice.”
The contest coordinator, Rose Schulte of Sartell, soon calmed the puzzlers’ nerves with soothing doses of humor as she and the participants exchanged some comical comments, causing ripples of chit-chat and laughter.
There were 35 women puzzlers and only one man – the husband of one of the women. Before the contest there was a puzzle exchange in a nearby room of the center where participants exchanged puzzles they’d already done at home with new used-puzzles brought by others.
Just before 10 a.m., the puzzlers sat down at nine tables in the large room. There were four people per table. Coordinator Schulte welcomed them all and before long there was a puzzle box on every table, each box containing the 500 pieces of an identical puzzle.
When the clock struck 10 a.m., the puzzlers worked with avid intensity, finding border pieces and filling in the centers quickly, surely. At 10:40 a.m., a table of three people were declared the first-place winners after putting the very last piece into the puzzle. They were Charlotte Danielson of Sauk Rapids, and Amy and Mitch Thielke of Sartell.
Five minutes later, the second-place winners were announced. It was a four-member team comprised of Karen Eherenman, Foley; Barb Schafer, Lakeville; Liz Schommer, Foley; and Erin Virnig, Sartell.
The third-place team took 50 minutes to complete the puzzle, only 10 minutes later than the first-place team and five minutes later than the second-place team. That team was comprised of Marty Bachman, Abby Legatt and Judy Morgan, all of Sartell, and Pam Peterka, St. Cloud.
Winners were given gift cards and gifts from “Games by James,” a shop in Crossroads Center, St. Cloud.
The last team to finish took 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete their puzzle.
The jigsaw puzzle contest began in Sartell as an annual event, starting in 2018. However, it was cancelled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year was its first time since the three “pandemic” years.
AuSM
The puzzle designed by artist Devin Wildes (noted above) was created for and released at the Autism Society of Minnesota (AuSM) Connections Jigsaw Puzzle Competition. That is an annual event to increase autism acceptance and raise funds for AuSM’s programs and services. AuSM’s mission is to enhance the lives of individuals and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder.
AuSM serves Minnesotans with autism throughout their lives with a fundamental commitment to advocacy, education, support, collaboration and community building.
Rose Schulte was the coordinator of the Jigsaw Puzzle Contest. Her husband, Mark, standing beside her, also helped at the event. Both live in Sartell. (Note Rose’s shirt: “Puzzle Whisperer”)
This is the puzzle all the teams used in the Jigsaw Puzzle Contest in Sartell April 29. It was designed by an autistic artist, Devin Wildes, who lives in Rochester.
