To 6-year-old Garret Kegoli, with brush in hand, creativity is only limited by the amount of paint at his disposal.
For the last three weeks, Kegoli and other Somers/Lakeside Boys and Girls Club members have been working on bringing color back to downtown Bigfork.
“It’s so dreary after the Christmas decorations come down,” Local Color Gallery owner Danielle Taylor said. “We wanted something that would carry us into spring.”
Taylor, who volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club a year ago, has been hosting retailer meetings at her gallery, thinking of affordable ways to decorate the downtown and get people out for Valentine’s Day.
“I thought if we could get the downtown businesses to donate supplies and funds, the Boys and Girls Club and I could create the artwork,” Taylor said.
Friday’s fifth and final work session for the Boys and Girls Club started with an unexpected fire drill and a snowball fight. The enthusiasm and excitement turned innovative when Taylor introduced some wood cutouts for the kids to use as they saw fit.
“They started using them as stencils,” she said. “It was their idea. I didn’t even think of that.”
The Boys and Girls Club’s artwork will be displayed in downtown Bigfork shops around Valentine’s Day. There will also be a large fabricated metal heart racked with lights at the town entrance.
In the heart of the shoulder season, Taylor hopes the children’s creations will add some warmth to the city of Bigfork.