Meekerpalooza festival to highlight music, arts

The inaugural Meekerpalooza Arts & Music Festival will kick off Friday with a series of arts-related events and a concert, continuing Saturday with more arts, food and a day and evening filled with live music.
This is the first year of the Meekerpalooza Arts and Music Festival, and the host, the Meeker Arts and Cultural Council (MACC), hopes to make this an annual event filled with dancing, singing, music and visual and culinary arts.
“This event is the culmination of ideas that surfaced at a MACC meeting last year, when a bunch of us were sitting around brainstorming,” said MACC President Gary Zellers. “It came about too late to do anything last year, but we believe it will be quite the event — featuring local artists and musicians as well as good food provided by our local restaurants. There will also be a beer garden set up Saturday in Circle Park, so there is quite a bit going on to appeal to our residents and visitors.”
Activities during the two-day event will include the Plein Air Art events wrapping up after starting on Aug. 12, live music performances, workshops and demonstrations of the various arts, an interactive kid art zone, an arts and crafts fair and “A Taste of Meeker.”
“We wanted to bring attention to everything Meeker has to offer, and this event should be representative of the local people and what they bring to the community,” Zellars said.
One of the main events will be the “Paint the Wall” mural unveiling ceremony at 5 p.m. on Friday on the Sixth Street wall at Shepherd’s Office Outfitters, located at Sixth and Main streets.
“The Shepherds came to us and said they had a wall they wanted painted,” Zellars said. “We held a contest last year that was won by artist Kris Kosmowski of Glenwood Springs, and the large Western mural (12 feet high and 23 feet wide} will be unveiled at this time.”
All events on Friday are free and open to the public. Scheduled events include:
The Arts and Crafts Fair kicks off the day, running from 4 to 8 p.m. in downtown Meeker; the “Paint the Wall” mural unveiling ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. at the corner of Sixth and Main streets; a Mass Butterfly Release for Avery Michels takes place at 5:45 p.m. on the Rio Blanco County Courthouse lawn; a Plein Air Art event from 6 to 7 p.m. with the Purchase Patron Champagne Social and Art Reception; a Plein Air Art event from 7 to 9 p.m. is a public meet and greet with the artists, and the silent auction begins; and the day wraps up with a concert featuring Me and Ed’s Music Machine (Matt Holliday) at 6 p.m. on the courthouse lawn.
(Avery Michels is a spunky 2-year-old girl from Meeker. She is about to undergo multiple surgeries at Children’s Hospital Colorado because of her seizures. See more at: www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/help-avery-conquer-her-seizures/56764#sthash.1WHaVEVs.dpuf)
Saturday events located in downtown Meeker are free. There is a $15 entry fee for the Saturday events in Circle Park. Admission will be taken Saturday at the entry gate on the bridge at Circle Park, at the intersection of 5th and Water streets, or you can purchase admission tickets online at: meekerpalooza2013.eventbrite. com/
Seniors 75 and older and children under age 5 are free.
Saturday’s event schedule is as follows:
n The Arts and Craft Fair will run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Circle Park; the Plein Air art competition from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is the quick draw competition and silent auction; the Plein Air art demonstration will run from 1 to 2 p.m. at Circle Park; and the Plein Air art competition awards ceremony begins at 2:30 p.m. in downtown Meeker; the Kid Art Zone runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Circle Park; “A Taste of Meeker” opens at 11 a.m. at Circle Park; and a series of music and art workshops will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Circle Park.
n Taking the stage from noon to 10 p.m. in Circle Park are musical performances featuring local Meeker bands the Clove Loafers, KJ Kevie (Evan Edwards) and Me and Ed’s Musical Machine (Matt Holliday), and special guests Grant Farm and James and the Devil, from Denver and Boulder, respectively.
Major sponsors for Meeker-palooza are Elk Creek Ranch, Redi Services, R&T Oilfield Services and Meeker Sand & Gravel.