Beaver Creek license plate scheduled for release

The Friends of Beaver Creek Park's new license plate design is scheduled to be released in early 2015. Six designs were submitted in the license plate design contest that was held in January 2011.

Loretta Widdekind of Havre won the contest, and her design will be the face of the new license plates. The design depicts a scene of Bear Paw Lake during fall with Mount Otis and the Bear Paw Mountains in the background.

Widdekind said that when she heard the contest was taking place, she started taking photographs.

"I submitted maybe three of them, and that one was chosen," she said. "I was very excited - very proud."

Widdekind also said her family has a cabin in the park.

"We're out there quite a bit," she added.

Lesley Zellmer, the board secretary of Friends of Beaver Creek Park, said that Widdekind's license plate design is unique.

"I really like it. I know there's not a lot of current license plates that are an actual photograph," she said. "It's just different than what is out there right now."

The state approved the application for the license plate design in October 2014.

Zellmer added that Widdekind's design will be printed on actual license plate material sometime in December and then tested to make sure the colors work and the alphanumeric can be read from as far as 75 feet away. The speciality license plates should be available in late January.

Zellmer said the money that will be raised will go into the Friends of Beaver Creek Park fund.

"It is going to be an ongoing thing. Once people purchase the license plate, there's that renewal process every year - so it is going to be a great way to generate funds for a long time to come," she said.

Zellmer added that anyone throughout Montana can purchase a license plate, and if people are interested in ordering one, they would need to go to their local county treasurer's office.