A variety of local businesses showcased their wares and services at the Four Corners Home and Garden show held at the Montezuma County fairgrounds Friday and Saturday.
Event coordinator Vonnie Robinson said the traffic was steady both days.
“We had 80 vendors and probably 2 to 3 thousand people come through,” she said.
The event is provided by the Four Corners Builders Association, and is a fundraiser for community events and scholarships for young adults.
This year, Ford Wegner, of MCHS, and Rachel Sparks, of Dolores High school were both awarded $500 scholarships offered by the event.
Steve Wilderson, of Sleeping Ute Construction, has been setting up his remodeling business booth at the event for the past 10 years.
“It is a nonpressure situation for people to have a casual conversation about home improvement,” he said. “It’s been brisk, and I’m getting some inquiries for jobs and reconnecting with former clients.”
Zach Sterling, of Southwest Appliance in Durango, sees the event as a business opportunity as well.
“We set up here because we are trying to expand into the Cortez market more,” he said. “We try and price match for customers and made some potential sales today. It’s good exposure.”
For Sheila McClanahan, of the Gypsy Trader, it was her first time at the show.
“I sell my home-made, all natural beauty products and denim purses to my friends and they convinced me to sell to the public so I thought I’d give it a go,” she said. “This is a good way to get your business name out there. It is a well organized event.”
This years show again included a classic car exhibit.
Dave and Vicki Winklepleck, of Pagosa Springs, showed off their 1973 Chevrolet Vega. The are the original owners and have put 1 million miles on the car, which features at 1968 Corvette engine.
Another looker was a Hudson Hornet, bought new in 1951 at Patton Brothers Motors in Cortez.
Southwest Colorado Community College had a learning lab and welding demonstrations. Welding teacher David DeLozier gave tutorials to anyone interested.
“There is a big demand right now for welders,” he said. “There is a lot of potential jobs in the field.”
If he can get enough students, DeLozier hopes to offer evening welding classes for the community this summer. So far, he has 10 people interested but needs a few more.
“It is a good skill for farmers, or artists, or people in the building trades,” he said.
If you are interested in evening welding classes, call David at (970) 564-6216.
Rus Bone, of Bone Art, learned how to weld from his dad, then got into plasma cutting and artistic airbrushing. His booth features eye-catching metal artwork in the skull-and-crossbone genre that he creates from his shop in Cortez.
“I do a lot of custom orders, and just started doing sculptures and more yard art. I’ve gotten some prospective customers today,” Bone said.
The event featured student skills. Ashley Craft and Cheyenne Heal, both seniors at M-CHS showed off a landscaping format that creates a defensible space in case of a wildfire.
“We learned techniques to protect your home if there is a wildfire, such as planting trees 25-feet apart and away from the home,” Craft said.
“It is a lot safer for your family and your neighbors,” added Heal.
This is the 14th year for the Four Corners Home and Garden show.
