Birds flock to ArtStroll

The Second Friday ArtStroll/Still Strolling Saturday in downtown Thermopolis takes place this Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, from around 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Smoking Waters Art Guild invites you to come stroll and support the artists and the shops. Host business, Gooseberry Garden Quilt Shop, along with select retail businesses, will house artists showing and selling their creations, along with musicians. Birds and birdhouses will be all around downtown. Still Strolling Saturday will include the Historical Society’s program about our State Parks. Pick up the ArtStroll map/guide at the host business or any of the open shops to see what is going on and any last-minute changes.

 “And all by the road-side the wild birds fly up out of the thistle and into the sky. Red birds…Black birds...They sing as they fly. Thank heaven for wild birds!” wrote singer/songwriter Jan Harman.  “Wild Birds,” written in 1984, about our own Wyoming.  This month’s Stroll is a tribute to all things birds and birdhouses.

 Artists participating in this month’s Stroll include Marilyn Kohler who will show and sell her paintings downtown. Continuing with the bird and birdhouse theme will be Chess Chesteen, featuring his birdhouses just down the street. Chesteen was born in Mississippi and spent most of his life in the south. He joined the Marines at 17 and served actively or in the reserves until his discharge in 1963. He received his BA from Mississippi State University, two degrees from Louisiana State university in human behavior and got his PhD from Tulane, working most of his life as a psychotherapist. He and his wife moved to Thermopolis for a quieter life. Woodworking has been a lifelong hobby. He started making bird houses this past year and has help with painting them from Jeannie Umbdenstock.

Gooseberry Garden Quilt Shop, the host business, will have funky handcrafted birds made of quilting fabrics and will have the patterns for sale. There will also be a full-size cowboy quilt up for raffle. Tickets are $1 each, 6 for $5 and the raffle will be drawn in July. Also look out for The Big Horn Basin Nature & Discovery Center Joint Powers Board’s silent auction of frames, prints, and posters. This will be a fundraiser for the Children’s Outdoor Learning Area that will be built this summer at the entrance to Hot Springs State Park. Woodturners Bob Stehlin and Jim Leseberg will also be on hand to talk about their works. Beth Stehlin will have her hand-embroidered cards for sale.

Stroll on the north side of Broadway and enjoy paintings and drawings of birds by our Smoking Waters Art Guild members. Rita Bishop will be displaying her elaborate painted bird feathers too, and around the corner, on Arapahoe Street, you’ll find the creative works of Sallie Weesaw.

Vote for your favorite bird house decoration and you receive an entry will win a prize. Look for birdhouse entries by Elizabeth Strayley, Connie Taylor, Al Darlington, and Toddi Darlington and Marcia Nelson. All birdhouses will be donated to the Thermopolis Community Garden.

Still Strolling Saturday is a good time to revisit the shops and artists from around 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Come to The Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday for the Historical Society’s presentation. Barb Vietti, a former State of Wyoming State Parks Commissioner for eight years, will give a program: “Wyoming’s State Parks, Historical Sites, Monuments and Markers:  WOW!!  There are so many of them!!!!” Everyone is welcome to attend and the event is free. Strollers can also take the opportunity to explore the Museum and gift shop, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Also, the VFW will be holding a Garage Sale fundraiser Saturday evening. Dinner starts at 5:30 p.m., followed by the sale.

Stollers are encouraged to pick up a map at any Stroll business to find the location of artists. Return the map to the host business, Gooseberry Garden Quilt Shop, 521 Broadway Street, at the end of Friday evening’s Stroll to be entered to win a piece of art work donated by the artists.

The Second Friday ArtStroll/Still Strolling Saturday is organized by Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation and Smoking Waters Art Guild with additional support from Main Street Thermopolis, Hot Springs Travel & Tourism and local businesses and individuals.