With more than 400 student-created works adorning the Center of Craig last weekend for the Cherish the Little Things art show, one piece in particular caught Cristina LaRose’s eye.

“Oh, ‘The Chicken’ by Frankie Counts,” LaRose said as she highlighted one of her favorites in the show.

Frankie is a fourth grader at Ridgeview Elementary in Craig, and LaRose is the the early care and education coordinator for Connection 4 Kids, which hosted the annual art show in conjunction with the Parent Education Center.

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While LaRose especially enjoyed ‘The Chicken,’ the overall talent on display through the annual art show and what it means to the community was not lost on her.

“I think it really brings the community together to appreciate all of the talent that we have here in Moffat County, and it’s also an opportunity for parents and kids to celebrate all the hard work they put into this art,” LaRose said. “I think it’s nice to see it all displayed in one place where everyone can come together.”

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The annual art show for local students welcomed all different types of art, ranging from pottery and paintings to wire sculptures and three-dimensional pieces.

Additionally, 20 pieces were selected to be in the running for special prizes, which will be awarded this week to the artists whose pieces received the most votes via monetary donations.

A reception for the student-artists was held Wednesday, April 5, and the show opened to the public Thursday, April 6, before closing on Saturday, April 8. Winners will be notified this week, and all of the originals will be returned to the artists who created them.

There was also a silent auction featuring all kinds of items such as art supplies, tools, gift baskets, a laptop computer, golf package, children’s toys and much more for people to bid on.

The money raised through the annual children’s art show supports the Parent Education Center and Connections 4 Kids, which as an Early Childhood Council strives to support the early childhood workforce.

According to LaRose, this includes trying to recruit licensed child care providers while offering support services to existing preschool and child care centers in Moffat and Rio Blanco counties.

Additionally, Connections 4 Kids offers parent education classes for the community free of charge, as well as other services.

For more about the nonprofit, Connections4kids.org.