Nine winners for the competition were announced on July 4 on a Facebook Livestream. Winners include Alonzo Alatorre, Sophia and Mateo Mata, and several others. The trio wanted to offer the children of Dixon something creative to look forward to over the summer. Photo courtesy of Crystal Rico

DIXON, CA (MPG) - On July 4, the heart of Dixon was awash in color and community spirit as Diana Ramirez of Magic Mortgage, Lisa Castillo of Castillo’s Legal Life Support and Crystal Rico Farmers Insurance jointly hosted a festive “Fourth of July Coloring Contest” at their offices at 1170 N. Lincoln St.

According to Castillo, the trio wanted to offer something other than video games to look forward to over the summer.

“We knew the kids were out of school, so we wanted to give them something creative to look forward to. When Ramirez introduced the idea, we thought it was great,” said Castillo.

All 42 entries for the competition will hang in the three women’s joint lobby until the end of July. They will host future coloring contests for Mexican Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Photo courtesy of Crystal Rico

Around 42 participants under the age of 12 were each given a festive-themed coloring sheet emblazoned with fireworks, stars and the American flag. Armed with crayons, markers, pencils and glitter, they brought their pages to life in shades of red, white, blue and many others.

Smiles were plentiful as children worked diligently while parents cheered them on. Every child who participated had their name automatically entered into a raffle and saw their artwork displayed in the three women’s collective lobby.

Winners of the contest were announced on a Facebook livestream around 5 p.m. July 4. Each entrant’s artwork was labeled with a number and random numbers were drawn from a plastic container.

According to Rico, nine winners were chosen.

“We did a Facebook Live drawing on the Fourth of July toward 5 p.m. We drew nine winners who earned various gift cards. A local bakery (Vanilla Beene) even donated cupcakes,” said Rico.

Diana Ramirez of Magic Mortgage, Lisa Castillo of Castillo’s Legal Life Support and Crystal Rico Farmers Insurance jointly hosted a festive “Fourth of July Coloring Contest” at their offices, 1170 N. Lincoln St. Around 42 children under age 12 competed for prizes donated by local businesses. Photo courtesy of Crystal Rico

All prizes were donated by local businesses, including The Good Scoop Ice Cream Shop, Joystick Gaming Lounge, Solano Baking Company, McDonald’s and Vanilla Beene Bakery.

The winners included Arlett Bojorquez, Karina Shade, Gustavo Estrada, Mateo Mata, Sophia Mata and Alonzo Alatorre. The three final winners, Alondra, Pedro and Ellis, did not include their last names.

Looking ahead, the trio of businesswomen plans to host similar contests for most major upcoming holidays.

“We plan on doing this for any holidays, so we’ll be doing this again for Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, as well as one for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Ramirez.

For more information, visit the Magic Mortgage Diana Ramirez Facebook page or call 707-301-8910.