Thousands attend Evergreen’s 43rd annual Summerfest

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

July 29 was a great day to see the work of artisans of all kinds, listen to great music, grab some tasty libations and greet friends.

ousands attended the 43rd annual Summerfest July 29-30, checking out more than 90 booths lled with everything from paintings and photography to jewelry, clothing, pottery and more. e artists and artisans come from near and far to participate in the annual fair at the Buchanan elds.

ere is something to t everyone’s taste and budget.

Attendees could also hang out under a large tent listening to bands of all genres and grab food from any of the 10 food trucks.

As always, it’s a great way to be outdoors and have a great time.

Center for the Arts Evergreen sponsors the annual event, and it couldn’t take place without the hundreds of volunteers who keep everything running smoothly. Lisa Nierenberg, CAE’s executive director, was happy so many visitors were perusing the booths.

“ is event brings the mountain community together, and we love seeing people from Denver come up,” Nierenberg said.

“ is is the best Summerfest ever,” she added, though to be honest, she says that every year.

Mike Combs of Morrison makes all sorts of creatures out of recycled metal, getting his inspiration from lmmaker Tim Burton’s dark creatures and cartoonist Gary Larson’s whimsical characters.

Combs, who retired in 2005, needed an outlet, so he started collecting scrap metal, noting that he has an outbuilding plus some racks lled with di erent pieces of metal. When he is scrap metal hunting, he takes a magnet because “if the magnet sticks, I can weld it.”

With local band Who’s omas performing, Ian Strom from Strom Studios in New Mexico explained his beautiful orbs of all sizes, saying they are 100% glass. e colored layers of glass are trapped in clear layers, creating optical illusions.

With the 3eatles playing in the background, Shane Porter with Porter Pottery in Aurora showed o his birdhouses adorned with clay birds. He said the birds originally were created by accident when he threw down a wad of clay, decided it looked birdlike and turned it into a feathered friend.

Working with clay began as a hobby in 2001, he said, then into a full-time job by 2011.

“People ooo and aah and giggle (at my work),” he said.

“In our retail experience, we thought that was a pretty good way to help people shop,” Keith said. “For example, for Mother’s Day, a dad would come in with two little kids, and we could ask him to describe his wife. If they say she loves gardening, we point him to the nature area. Plus they can pick up candy as well.”

Hours are 10 am.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, visit sugarjones.net.

Plants galore at Spruce Creek Garden e shop behind the Marshdale Burger Company has two rooms lled with greenery and eclectic pots, plus everything needed to build terrariums. e store is owned by Gail Mosey, who along with her daughter Megan, take care of plants and customers three days a week.

It’s green and lush in Spruce Creek Garden in Marshdale.

Mosey of Conifer said she started out creating terrariums, selling them at craft fairs and realizing how much she liked working with plants. So she decided to open her own shop.

She hopes eventually to o er classes on a variety of topics such as soap making and tea blending, and with a huge parking lot, she envisions sales and other fun uses.

In addition to the plants, Mosey scrounges yard sales and other shops to nd unusual plant pots, and interestingly, some people