We have a winner!

            She doesn’t remember a lot about the day of the photo shoot in early June 2007, just that she had to get up early, the water was cold and she wore her hair in pigtails. Oh, and her dad had to throw her up in the air "probably five or six times," she said.

            "It was more like 10 or 15," said Don Barber, who met Smith Mountain Laker photographer and  former publisher Micah Gaudio on an island near the base of Smith Mountain for the shoot. It took place early in the morning to take advantage of the light at sunrise.

            "Don was a really good sport," Gaudio recalled. "And Emma was a natural. She looked right at the camera and knew exactly where to put her hands. Everything came together pretty easily."

            The best image from that photo shoot graced the cover of the July/August 2007 issue that was recently named the winner of our Favorite Laker Cover Contest. From May 1 through June 15, readers voted online, choosing from a collection of 15 top covers.

            Barber said he and his family received a lot of positive feedback when the issue came out.

   "Everyone I talked to was excited about it," he said. "Of course, a lot of people didn’t realize it was me until they recognized Emma."

   The cover was posted on the bulletin board at Dudley Elementary School, where Emma will be a third-grader in the fall.

        "A lot of my friends said they saw me. It was cool," said Emma, who has no current plans of becoming a professional model when she grows up. "I think maybe I’ll be a dancer or a dance teacher."

   Each person who voted in the contest was entered into a drawing to win a PENTAX Optio E60 10.1-megapixel digital camera courtesy of Radio Shack at Westlake Corner. Leigh Ann Robertson of Hardy was the winner. Congratulations to Leigh Ann and thanks to everyone who participated.