A total of 15 small murals were created by community members at the Potato House as part of the city’s annual art walk and sale that wraps up Saturday, said executive director Mary Forbes.
The mural project in which children and adults were invited to paint small murals at the Potato House on Monday evenings was a project of the Potato House and The Realm of Toys owner Jazmyn Douillard to raise funds for the McLeese Lake Volunteer Fire Department and the Salvation Army food bank.
The murals were scheduled to be auctioned at a fundraising event to be held at the Potato House Friday, Sept. 29 but Forbes said the fundraiser has been postponed until the Potato House’s Halloween party.
“We didn’t want to compete with the Stampede Association’s Wildfire Relief fundraiser,” Forbes said.
That Wildfire Relief fundraiser featuring musical entertainment, activities for children, silent and live auctions, and community breakfast, lunch, and dinner events takes place at the Stampede Ground’s Let R Buck Saloon Friday evening Sept. 29 and all day and evening Saturday, Sept. 30.
The 2017 Downtown Williams Lake Art Walk and Sale Wildfire Edition, as it has been called this year, will wrap up Saturday afternoon at the Potato House with the draw for the grand prize, draw for individual business door prizes and the announcement of people’s choice awards for favourite artist and favourite merchant.
A total of 56 businesses and organizations along with 56 artists participated in the art walk that was moved from August to September as a result of the wildfires and wildfire evacuations this summer.
“I don’t know how many walkers we have had this year but it appears to be quite strong considering what we have gone through,” said Arty the Art Walker Willie Dye.
Dye reminds the public that the walk officially ends at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30 by which time passports must be provided in order to be entered in the draw for the grand prize of Ken Sheen’s carved bear.
Ten stamps qualify for one entry; 20-plus stamps provides two entries; 30-plus stamps provides three entries; and 40-plus stamps provides four entries.
“People have been using their cell phones to track where they have gone on the walk and more than 10 per cent of the walkers have tracked their progress this way,” Dye said.
“Just think no stamp ink on your fingers.”
Dye also reminds people to check their silent auction bids they made on art work in the walk before the deadline.
“You would hate to lose the bid on your favourite piece of art by just one bid,” Dye said.
A fun feature of the art walk this year has been the addition of buskers, an endeavour supported by the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society.
Dye notes a video produced by John Dell of the art on the art walk this year will be available on Facebook.
“The art walk has proved once again it is part of the norm in Williams Lake and I would like to thank all the merchants, artists and walkers for making art walk such a success,” Dye said.