SOUTH FORK— Local artist and graphic design specialist Jim Peto recently won the South Fork Logo contest hosted by the town for their 25th anniversary celebration. Peto was pleased to continue his work and expand his horizons for the town so he created a postcard and presented it to the town during a small award ceremony at the visitor center on April 10. Peto and his wife Diana were presented with a check from the town for the logo design and at the same moment, Peto presented the town with his postcard.
According to Peto, he and his wife came to the area on a whim. The two resided in Ohio before coming to the area and have now made a home out of the town they fell in love with. “We came here to see a friend and that was all it took. Making the decision to come here was very easy,” stated Peto. In the three years they have lived in the area, the couple have grown their home-based businesses and continued to work to make South Fork a family destination.
Peto works from home through his graphic design business that he uses to fill up most of his time. When coming to the area in 2014, Peto tried his hand at jeep tours in the area only to find that the business was way more than he could handle. “It wasn’t that we were slow. It was quite the opposite. It finally got so busy we had to make the choice to give something up and the jeep tours was what we chose,” stated Peto.
The web design business serves several local needs including creating the covers for local romance writer Judythe Morgan. Peto creates everything from websites, brochures, postcards and a magazine called Early American Life which he designs cover to cover. “Coming here was a happy accident and we have never been so happy,” finished Peto.
Peto designed the South Fork postcard with everything he loves about the area in mind. “When I was creating the logo I knew that I was not going to be able to fit everything I wanted in the design so I decided to make another one that I made into a postcard,” explained Peto while presenting the design to Town Trustee Kris Steffens.
The postcard captures the essence of South fork in a simple yet intriguing design that features outdoor recreation and historical landmarks all in one picture. Visitor Center Director Mark Teders announced that he would like to use both the logo and the postcard design to purchase t-shirts and stickers for the 25th anniversary of the town. Peto was thrilled to hear the news and showed support by donating his award money back to the town to help pay for project.
Everyone involved with the anniversary planning is eager to see the result in coming weeks. The celebrations for the anniversary are going to kick off on May 19, which has been determined as the town’s actually incorporation date in 1996. Steffens explained that the logo was going to be used on banners, stickers, t-shirts and other merchandise to help promote the town. Local businesses will also be using the logo in their places of business in other inventive ways.