I would like to announce the official start to my 6th annual Trapperman Kids Art & Writing Contest! This is Julie's, Carly's, and my way of giving back to the Trapperman Community for all the support & kindness shown to us over these many years!

THE PRIZES:

FIRST PLACE: $100 PLUS a JoeGoodmanPrints.com print and T-shirt prize package!
SECOND PLACE: $75 PLUS a JoeGoodmanPrints.com print and T-shirt prize package!
THIRD PLACE: $50 PLUS a JoeGoodmanPrints.com print and T-shirt prize package!


TO ENTER:

To be eligible to win, you must be LESS than 18 years of age and a Trapperman member or family member only. You must have your parent's permission to enter, as the winners will be asked to pm me their addresses in order for us to ship the prize packages to you. You must submit your entry no later than 9 PM EASTERN TIME ON CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24TH. NO EXCEPTIONS PLEASE! **PLEASE NOTE, Every year we have had late entries that we have had to exclude, as it is not fair to those who got theirs in on time! Please submit your entry ON TIME. Both the Writing AND the Artwork. Makes us feel bad to have to do this but we need to have a deadline somewhere. To submit your entry, you must post a scan or good quality photo of your finished drawing or painting, as well as TYPE IN your writing or story RIGHT HERE IN THIS THREAD. YOU MUST INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME, AGE AND STATE YOU RESIDE WITH YOUR ENTRY. Ask for help from your folks, or other members here if you have difficulty posting. This is so all Trapperman members may see and read it. Previous winners may enter again! Let's see how you've improved over the years!

THE RULES:

This year's theme is: "A TRAPPERMAN SANTA!!!"

FIRST, write a story that describes YOUR vision of "A Trapperman Santa", and whatever that means to you. I'd like this story to be a few paragraphs minimum, if possible. I know this may be difficult for the very young contestants and we will consider this when we judge the winners. This can be a fictional story you've made up, or a real story of someone from your life you consider to be a Santa Claus-type person, male or female. Let your imaginations run free on this one! Include many details to make your story interesting, who, what, where, when, why?

SECOND, You must draw or paint a picture that goes with this story and illustrates it in the best possible way. It may be FULL COLOR OR BLACK & WHITE. It may be done in PENCIL, INKS, WATERCOLORS, ACRYLICS, OILS, CHALKS, CRAYONS, MARKERS, THE KITCHEN SINK!!! Put as much effort as you can into it! I want to see what talented young folks we have here on Trapperman! Then have someone take a nice clear & bright photo or scan of it and post it here with your story!!


THE WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN MIDNIGHT ON CHRISTMAS EVE. WE WILL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE ENTRANT'S AGE GIVING NO ADVANTAGE TO OLDER OVER YOUNGER KIDS. AWARDS WILL BE BASED ON EFFORT, TALENT (AT THAT AGE), CREATIVITY, AND HEART. WE WILL ANNOUNCE THEM HERE ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, SOME TIME AFTER MRS. CLAUS HAS HAD HER COFFEE…..

PM me if you or your folks have questions.

WELL KIDS, I SUGGEST YOU GET BUSY SCRIBBLIN'!!!
AND GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL THE TRAPPERMAN FAMILY!!!

From The Goodman's
Joe, Julie, and Carly
JoeGoodmanPrints.com

No entries yet. I bet that means the kids are working extra hard on it this year. Thanks for doing this Joe.

Hopefully you kids are close to Chrstmas break from school and can take some time to work on your entries here!! I am looking forward to all your great ideas!!!

Joe Goodman

This is such a cool idea. I’m new here but my oldest(11) loves to write stories and draw. I will see if this is something she’s be interested in. She would also like to get into trapping with me. Thank you.

The day Santa got his reindeer back


One day at the workshop Santa was sitting at his desk. He felt like something was wrong .Turns out something was wrong . Santa called on Dasher on Dancer on Prancer on Vixon comet on cupid on Donner on Blitzon. Santa got it he said where is Rudolph my famous reindeer.
He must have escaped . Santa went off looking for Rudolph . When Santa found Rudolph he was eating something. It was a carrot. So Santa thought and thought. He got it. He said I will set a trap and I will get him back. He stole 2 cookies from Mrs. Clause and then he ate one and put the other cookie in the cage for Rudolph. When Rudolph came close he put the cage over top of him.
Santa had him and Christmas was back on.


Avery Harris
11
Ohio
SullivanK is my grandfather

I can write but draw...NO!

yup. im too much of a perfectionist in drawing.

A L L R I G H T !!!!!!! Let me be the first to welcome Avery Harris to my 6th Annual Kids Art & Writing contest!!! a VERY nice entry, Avery!! Well done! You other kids better be sharpening up your pencils and getting busy! I can't wait to see who will post next!

Good Luck to you ALL !!!

Joe Goodman

Love this! Great job Avery!

The hunter catches a deer

A hunter traps a deer. Then goes bye bye. Then they bring it back and eat it. Then they catch another one. Then they bring it home and cut it up.




Fynnigan Ferrell
Age 6
Ohio
SullivanK is my grandpa




Just too add, Avery and Fynnigan are half-sisters

Waylon Loos Age 8 Beatrice, Nebraska

Trapperman Santa likes to trap. He has a sleigh full of traps and trapping stakes. He is going to go check his traps before he delivers his Christmas gifts. He likes to go trapping because it is fun. He likes to be outdoors. He likes the snow. I like to go trapping with my dad too. I also the like the snow.

Mabel Loos Age 6 Beatrice, Nebraska

Ho! Ho! Ho! Trapperman Santa is trapping for animals. He wants to catch raccoons and other animals. He likes being outdoors. He likes seeing the pretty flowers in nature. Sometimes he even picks plums to eat.

Cort Loos Age 5 Beatrice, Nebraska

Trapperman Santa always likes to go trapping. He catches animals. He puts them in his sleigh. He caught a big raccoon! Maybe next time he will catch a beaver!

I would like to officially WELCOME Fynnigan, Waylon, Mabel, and Cort to my contest!!! Looks like some really good entries so far! Nicely done, kids! We have just 4 days til Christmas Eve, so you other kids best be getting to work on your entries as well........tick tock tick tock!

from Zachary Bonine, age 11, North Dakota



“It is fine weather” said I,
“With snow swirling and storming,
For tomorrow the critters will be playing in the heather,
Tomorrow Christmas morning.”

So I grabbed my coonskin hat,
And hoped to catch a bear,
Before midnight, noon or just that day,
So I set my traps out there.

And I stepped outside the trees adorned,
With the white of snow and ice,
In these hills I could never be bored,
Where I could find enough to suffice.

With my traps I loaded them on sled,
And set them with my dog,
And came back to supper and bed,
Before the frosty fog.

That morn when presents were unwrapped,
I myself had of excellent form,
Five new traps,
And outside still raged a storm.

When the storm collapsed,
The chores done and cow milked,
I set out to check my traps,
And could feel the muskrat fur like silk.

Even with the fresh new powder,
The tracks of animals abounded,
My feet were no louder,
When I stood there astounded.

For I saw something new,
The tracks of a man,
And the tracks of a caribou,
The tracks showed the caribou ran.

I followed the tracks and saw Santa Claus,
A trap had caught his mukluk,
And he was grabbing with hairy paws,
To get himself unstuck.

He had a fox fur coat,
And held the skin of a lynx kitten,
I also made a note,
He was wearing skunk skin mittens.

I saw his rain-deer,
In a clearing grazing,
They were still near,
Tho slightly dazing.

I saw his coonskin hat shaking,
He still did not see me,
But I could not tell if he was faking,
For I heard of the seeing Santa fee.

If you took him by surprise,
And caused him great fear,
You would realize,
He would not give you any presents next year.

Santa looked at me and said,
“Can you help me out of here?”,
“Are my rain-deer fed?”,
And “You have nothing to fear.”

I set his boot free,
Opened the jaws,
And reset the trigger key,
He thanked me as I shook his hairy paw.

He said that Mrs. Claus,
Wanted him to help some trappers,
So she made him some laws,
Said he shaking with laughter.

He said he had been trapping all year,
And everything he said,
Seemed quite strange and queer,
And he just enjoyed going to bed.

Then he pulled out of the trees a sleigh of red,
“Santa besides to trap”,
“What do you want for Christmas” I said,
He winked at me and replied “A nap”.

From Joel Bonine, Age 9, North Dakota



It was Christmas in the Jurassic period. There lived three dilos who loved Christmas. The littlest dilo's name was Little dilo. A dilo is a dino with a V shape on it's head. The next one's name was Dilo. The next one's name was Big dilo. One day be for Christmas Big dilo read the story of Santa. “And now Santa goes all over the place on a sled with two pteranodons and gives presents to all dinos.” said Big dilo. “Guess what!” said Little dilo. “What?” asked Dilo. “Santa is going to trap us.” said Little dilo. “Who said that?” asked Dilo. “T-rex.” said Little dilo. “We can trap Santa by putting sap at the door.” said Dilo. And they did but they got no Santa in the trap.

THE END

WOW !!! Let's all welcome Zachary and Joel to the contest with 2 VERY impressive entries!! WAAAY to go, guys!! It's starting to heat up in here, isn't it? Can't wait to see what else is in store for us in this Christmas contest!!!

Love it!!

Joe Goodman

It was early Christmas eve, 1832. It was snowing hard, the wind was blowing, and the frigid air froze an old mans breath to his long, thick, gray beard. The man had with him a mule, a dog, and his trusty rifle. The group was heavily burdened with fur, pine carved toys, and venison.

The man had spent his spring and summer building the wooden soldiers, trains and other little toys out of wood. In the winter he spent his time trapping. Occasionaly he would see a fat young deer while running his trapline, and take it to his small cabin for meat. With the furs he got from trapping, and buckskin from the deer, he made jackets, hats, mittens, scarves and pillows.'

They were headed to a small, and poor coalmining town in northern Pennsylvania. Every Christmas the man would make his trip to a poor town in need of clothes and food. He would go door to door on Christmas eve and Christmas day, giving each family some meat, clothes, and for the kids little toys and trinkets he made.

His presence in every house in the town made everyone bright and warm. The kids screamed with joy when he pulled out his fur and showed them all the different kinds of creatures and listened intensly as he told an exciting tale about each kind of animal. When everyone had recieved their Christmas gifts and had started to play with their things, he sang A few carols in his deep baritone voice with the families, and bade a farewell. "God bless and a merry Christmas! Remember the gift of Christmas is not the presents, but his presence." were his words as he led his mule away to the next family.


Micah Fetterolf

Age: 16

God bless everyone and have a VERY merry christmas.

Welcome back to my contest, Micah! That's an outstanding effort! Great job!

My name is John Edgecomb and I want to thank you for this opportunity. I am 9 yrs old. We live in Kansas.

One day Santa went trapping but something was wrong he kept finding big trails going up to the trashcan so he set a trap and he went on his way to set more traps he came back and found out he trapped a grizzly bear so he shot it and skinned it. The next day he checked the traps and so he caught a raccoon bobcat mountain lion and a grizzly bear and skinned them and he made the furs into toys and gave them to kids.