If you ask fifth grader Ridge Reiner which piece at the 10th annual Cherish the Little Things art show is his favorite, he will tell you he’s partial to one of the framed drawings in the middle of the exhibit.

The piece he likes so much is a red truck with sharp flowing lines, drawn by marker, and yes, it was created by Ridge.

His work is one out of more than 400 that were painted, drawn, etched, burned or assembled by local students from preschool to high school age and are now on display at the Center of Craig, 601 Yampa Ave.

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“We have some amazing artists in this community,” said Betsy Overton, executive director for Connection 4 Kids, which organized the show. “These kids, this artwork is amazing. It’s nice that we are able to showcase our young children.”

With so many pieces in the show this year, Overton said it was actually quite the chore just finding enough room and getting them all set up for the annual exhibit.

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Overton herself spent more than three months working on pulling everything together for the local art exhibit, and she needed about three days to get all the artwork set up inside the center.

Among the many pieces created through all different kinds of artistic mediums, there are 20 framed pieces lined up on a series of tables set up in a square in the middle of the room.

For the exhibit, the artwork submissions from students in preschool through fifth grade were all judged, and the top 20 entries were chosen to adorn the tables in the middle of the exhibit room. Each one features the name of the student who created it, the medium in which it was created, and a small jar for monetary donations.

The six young artists whose work garners the highest donation totals in their jars will win one of the prizes on display with the artwork.

The exhibit will be open from noon to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Connections 4 Kids uses the funding to offer free programming including children’s health fairs, festivals, parent education classes and many more early childhood initiatives. For more about the organization, go to Connections4Kids.org.