The second Grand Summer Nights event of 2019 took over the Mancos downtown streets Saturday evening.
The event is a community celebration sponsored by the Mancos Creative District, and is held every month throughout the summer. It features art exhibits, food, and music.
This past Saturday, locals were able to wander through the various art galleries, which all had different exhibits on display. Kilgore American Indian Art Gallery featured artwork by David “Chethlahe” Paladin, a famous Navajo artist who also survived prison camps during World War II, while Olio Food Wine Art hosted an opening art reception for Margaret Hunt, executive director of the Colorado Creative Industries whose work is currently on display at Olio.
At the Veryl Goodnight Gallery, landscape painter Ralph Oberg ceremonially unveiled his piece Mountain Monarch, featuring a lone moose portrait subject, and the Mancos Common Press was up and running for viewers to see how its rare Cranston printing press operates.
Outdoors, under stormy skies, Katherine Foster from Corvid Glass in Cortez showcased her wares, while a horse-drawn carriage transported attendees around the block. Maddy St. Hilaire serenaded passers-by on guitar and vocals, while Coddy Hengsc and Trudy Erickson served Navajo fry bread along Grand Avenue.
The night wrapped up at Fenceline Cider, with a musical performance by Bliss Mob Collective, and then a Raven Narratives “story slam,” where storytellers were able to share their animal stories impromptu.
The next Grand Summer Nights event will happen on July 20, and is set to be a “Burro Fest,” with burro sprint racing, live burro models, and burro art, along with the grand opening of the Mancos Common Press.
ealvero@the-journal.com