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Treats, talents wow downtown Craig visitors

DBA hosts annual Art Walk, Taste of Chocolate

Joe Moylan

Connections 4 Kids art show a success

Connections 4 Kids hosted this week its 2nd annual Cherish the Little Things children’s art show, which featured 307 pieces of art by 263 Moffat County youths in preschool through high school.

Visitors to the show were allowed to vote for their favorites through monetary donations. The donations, which totaled more than $9,200, benefit Connections 4 Kids programs. The ones with the most votes will be featured in the 2013-14 Connections 4 Kids school year calendar, which runs from August to August.

The finalists include:

• Cover artist

— Trinity Farquharson, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

• Monthly featured artists

— Paxton Rudd, a preschooler at Eagle’s Nest Preschool

— Mark Jurgensen, a kindergartner at Sandrock Elementary School

— Jacie Evenson, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Kadin Hume, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Megan Neton, a first-grader at Sunset Elementary School

— Magnum Gustin, a preschooler in the Moffat County School District Preschool Program

— Cort Murphy, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Madison Crisp, a first-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Kimber Roberts, a fourth-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Christopher Harmon, a fifth-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Ruby Short, a first-grader at East Elementary School

— Preston Miller, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

• Other featured artists (in tile format)

— Evan Atkin, a second-grader at Sunset Elementary School

— Yamelit Robles, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Zaylan Kirby, a first-grader at Sunset Elementary School

— Yuridia Popoca, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Allyson White, a kindergartner at Sunset Elementary School

— Mandy Cazares, a fifth-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Leah LePlatt, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

Quotable...

“Downtown looked beautiful. There’s been a lot of negativity lately, and this was such a good chance for the community to get together and support each other. It was a really, really good night.”

— Craig resident Dana Duran about this weekend’s Art Walk and Taste of Chocolate.

Connections 4 Kids art show a success

Connections 4 Kids hosted this week its 2nd annual Cherish the Little Things children’s art show, which featured 307 pieces of art by 263 Moffat County youths in preschool through high school.

Visitors to the show were allowed to vote for their favorites through monetary donations. The donations, which totaled more than $9,200, benefit Connections 4 Kids programs. The ones with the most votes will be featured in the 2013-14 Connections 4 Kids school year calendar, which runs from August to August.

The finalists include:



• Cover artist

— Trinity Farquharson, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School



• Monthly featured artists

— Paxton Rudd, a preschooler at Eagle’s Nest Preschool

— Mark Jurgensen, a kindergartner at Sandrock Elementary School

— Jacie Evenson, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Kadin Hume, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Megan Neton, a first-grader at Sunset Elementary School

— Magnum Gustin, a preschooler in the Moffat County School District Preschool Program

— Cort Murphy, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Madison Crisp, a first-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Kimber Roberts, a fourth-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Christopher Harmon, a fifth-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Ruby Short, a first-grader at East Elementary School

— Preston Miller, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

• Other featured artists (in tile format)

— Evan Atkin, a second-grader at Sunset Elementary School

— Yamelit Robles, a third-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Zaylan Kirby, a first-grader at Sunset Elementary School

— Yuridia Popoca, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Allyson White, a kindergartner at Sunset Elementary School

— Mandy Cazares, a fifth-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

— Leah LePlatt, a second-grader at Sandrock Elementary School

Quotable…

“Downtown looked beautiful. There’s been a lot of negativity lately, and this was such a good chance for the community to get together and support each other. It was a really, really good night.”

— Craig resident Dana Duran about this weekend’s Art Walk and Taste of Chocolate.

Craig resident Ryan Duran has been shooting photos for the last 10 years.

But he’s been taking the hobby much more seriously during the last five, or at least as seriously as his busy schedule allows.

Since starting a family with his wife, Dana, Duran said most of his photography adventures have taken place while out on a snooze cruise with his two children Haley, 4, and Carter, 1.

But Dana said that suits her husband’s artistic taste, and time spent with the children in the family truck has provided Duran with an opportunity to develop an eye for capturing cityscapes in downtown Craig.

“I think Ryan does a really good job of getting a different perspective, like looking at a street in a different way and pulling out something that I, or the average person, would never see,” she said.

On Saturday, Duran joined more than two dozen local artists for the 18th annual Art Walk.

The event, sponsored by the Craig Downtown Business Association, provides residents with an opportunity to showcase their talents at 23 participating historic downtown Craig businesses and sell a variety of works, including photographs, pottery, quilts, paintings and drawings.

The evening drew a number of perennial participants, including photography by Craig Mayor Terry Carwile and quilts by members of the Yampa Valley Peacemakers Quilt Guild, as well as the return of the popular Connections 4 Kids Cherish the Little Things children’s art show.

Residents also were treated to the talents of a couple of first-time Art Walk participants, including lifetime Craig resident Ryan Otis.

Although Otis has been dabbling in graffiti art for more than 19 years and is well known for his murals throughout town — including his most recent wall painting at Bear River Young Life, a tribute to the late Jason Kawcak — Otis said he’s been experimenting with other mediums.

“When it’s cold outside, you can’t really paint” graffiti, he said. “You can, but it’s uncomfortable, so now I do a little bit of everything from markers and paints to acrylics.”

But local artists weren’t the only feature of the evening as they were joined by 12 resident chocolatiers who exhibited their culinary skills during the seventh annual Taste of Chocolate.

For $12, participants received the opportunity to sample and vote for their favorite desserts from some of Craig’s most talented cooks.

Nadine Daszkiewicz, Taste of Chocolate organizer, said those results will be released Tuesday.

Although it was a long night for the Durans, including Haley, who for the first time, displayed one of her favorite drawings alongside her father’s photographs, Dana said the event was a welcomed opportunity to interact with neighbors and friends.

“Downtown looked beautiful,” Dana said Sunday. “There’s been a lot of negativity lately, and this was such a good chance for the community to get together and support each other. It was a really, really good night.”

And Haley nearly reaped the benefits of last night’s goodwill.

“Dave DeRose came in and offered Haley $100 for her picture,” Duran said. “She politely said, ‘no.’”

Joe Moylan can be reached at 875-1794 or jmoylan@craigdailypress.com


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