Artists' talent shines during Tara Elementary art contest

Homebuilder Pat Neal said numbers always have been his thing.

Art, not so much.

So Neal, the owner of Neal Communities, decided to leave the hard drawing to others. For the 17th year, Neal Communities hosted the "My Favorite Home" contest.

Neal was on hand Nov. 9 at Tara Elementary School to address the 30 finalists — five each from kindergarten through fifth grades at Tara — who had their work judged. The field was narrowed to a champ from each class, and Neal Communications will pick two overall winners at a later date. One overall winner will be used on the 2016 Neal Communities' holiday card.

Pat Neal presented a check for $1,500 to the school's art program. The celebrity judges included Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh and Manatee School Superintendent Diana Greene.

Because Tara goes by the nickname, the Knights, art teacher Pat Knowlton had the children concentrate on building their favorite castle.