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Alpine preps for Gallery Night
By Gail Diane Yovanovich / Senior Staff Writer
Alpine's Gallery Night celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with a second annual Art Car Parade and the event's first cook-off and golf tournament.
Kiowa Gallery owner Keri Artzt, organizer and driving force behind Gallery Night, said of this year's biggest event yet, "I can't believe we've come so far in so little time."
Gallery Night festivities kick off on Friday evening, Nov. 21, at the railroad depot in the heart of downtown with a full complement of activities for visitors and locals alike.
New to this year's festivities is the two-day "Artsy-Fartsy Cook-off" at the Holland Hotel parking lot, and set up begins Friday evening. At least 20 teams will concoct shrimp, chicken, beef and bean dishes, and all meat must be cooked in beer. Teams will receive special t-shirts and cash prizes, with a stainless steel barbecue pit going to the grand prize winner.
Silent auction items may be previewed in the hotel's Rio Grande Room Friday evening, and proceeds from the art auction benefit the Main Street art scholarship fund.
The static art car display begins at 5 p.m. at the depot, with live music, food and drinks, and Ivey's Emporium again hosts the Kids Art Car Contest.
All official Gallery Night locations will be open Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for browsing, shopping and socializing. Vans will be available on Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. and Saturday from 1 to 10 p.m. to shuttle visitors to participating merchant locations outside the traditional center of Gallery Night activities.
Saturday's events begin at 10:30 a.m. at the Alpine Country Club with the "Fore Art's Sake" golf tournament. Proceeds also benefit the scholarship fund.
The Art Car Parade starts at 11 a.m. at the Civic Center, travels east on Holland, then south to Jackson Field. Organizers expect 20 of the unusual vehicles for this year's venue.
From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., Gallery Night merchants preview their wares, and early birds can get a head start on shopping.
The festivities begin in earnest Saturday at 5 p.m., featuring exhibits, celebrations, music, food and drinks at Gallery Night locations throughout town. At that time, the silent auction begins, and art cars will again be on display at the depot throughout the evening.
Though artist Debi Allison exhibited her work at last year's event, she's excited about her first Gallery Night at Ashby and Allison Fine Art Galleries on Holland Ave. "Because we were so successful last year (on Gallery Night), that's one of the reasons we decided to stay in Alpine," said Allison. "We hope it will be a big boost to our exposure."
Gallery Night boasts 35 participating locations this year. They include the Alpine Avalanche, Alpine Chamber of Commerce, Alpine Main Street, Anju's Fine Jewelers, Ashby & Allison Fine Art Galleries, Beach House Beauty Salon, Big Bend Art, Clay Creations, A Cut Above Fitness Club, Digger O'Dell's, Flowers at 6th, Front Street Books, Frontier Casa, Gallery Esposito & Foothill Gallery, Gerson Artworks & Tattoo Studio, Handweaver's Gallery, Havins Jewelry Co., the HD@art Gallery, the Historic Holland Hotel, Inca Art Studio, Ivey's Emporium, Kiowa Gallery, Morrison True Value, Museum of the Big Bend, Narrow Gallery, the Pink Ox, Quetzal, Rinconada, SRSU Fine Arts Gallery, La Tapatia, Terlingua Gallery, Texas Treasures, Twin Peaks Restaurant, Walking Rain Gallery and Western Treasures.
Comments? E-mail writer@alpineavalanche.com.
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