Members of Easy Peasy, the third place Puzzlemania finishers, show off their specially designed shirts, which were created just for the annual event. The members of Easy Peasy were Alice Pinter, Amy McArthur, Pam Mendell and Pat Heineman. Toni Milbourne

SHEPHERDSTOWN — After a hiatus last year, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the popular Puzzlemania fundraiser returned last weekend for its sixth time.

A fundraiser for the Friends of Music, Puzzlemania brings groups of up to four members together to put together jigsaw puzzles in the fastest time.

Organizer Heather Marshall indicated that, while the number of teams was down a bit this year, there were still 15 groups who came out to try their hand at assembling the puzzle of a quilt.

“It was the hardest one yet,” said Katie Townsley of this year’s puzzle, mentioning she has been a participant every year at the fundraiser. “We were proud to finish in the top ten.

“We keep coming back, because it’s a really good cause, and even though we live in Virginia now, we have family from West Virginia,” Townsley sad.

The top team, The Whistle Stoppers, was comprised of Jacque Edmisten and Carly Hixon, both of whom traveled from Pennsylvania to join their friends Kelly Comer and Ashley Adams. The group, according to Marshall, finished the puzzle in less than an hour and were on the road traveling home before other teams wrapped up for the day.

Second place winners made up the Val’s Pals team, named in honor of one of the team’s friends lost to cancer. Finishing in that spot were Sandra Wilcox, Kim Naiman, Lindsay Cobb and Kevin Wilson, all of whom are Jefferson County residents.

Easy Peasy, made up of three friends from northern Virginia and one from Romney, rounded out the top winners. Pam Mendell, Pat Heineman, Alice Pinter and Amy McArthur said it was their third year competing in the contest, adding that they would have taken first place had they not been gloved twice for a total of 15 minutes of the competition.

“Being gloved” meant that another team had paid a fee to have Easy Peasy’s members wear oven mitts, while trying to put the puzzle together. Other handicaps were also available for purchase to slow down competitors, which many teams took advantage of them.

Kristin Weitnauer, a member of Educator Force, along with her teammates Amy Ashman, Tammy McLoud and Kara Statler, was proud to note her team’s progress, moving from ninth place at the last Puzzlemania to fifth place this year.

“It wasn’t easy,” Weitnauer said, “but it was fun because we like to do puzzles.”

The puzzle was a 500-piece jigsaw and teams were given up to three hours to complete it.

According to FOM President Judith Miller Jones, all Puzzlemania proceeds would benefit the Friends of Music’s work in the community to present concerts via the Two Rivers Chamber Ensemble, offer music scholarships to local students and donate musical instruments to local elementary and middle schools.

“We have tried to find a niche that complements Shepherd, Shenandoah and the Maryland Symphony Orchestra,” Jones commented, when speaking of the programs and concerts offered.

Marshall said that Puzzlemania is normally held in February. However, scheduling in November was a success, especially coming out of the pandemic scare, which has kept people home for many months.

“It’s our love of music that keeps us doing this to support Friends of Music,” Marshall said, regarding Puzzlemania’s return.

Puzzlemania has been a fundraiser exclusive to the group, and Marshall believes the number of people who travel to participate shows that it will continue to be a good fit in the years ahead.