All kinds of art at Colours Festival

Shafter's Colours Festival is set for the weekend of Feb. 21-24, with a variety of events that will give Shafter and the surrounding communities entertainment and activities for every taste.

The weekend will kick off with the Spaghetti Dinner hosted by the Shafter Community Chest. The event is from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Shafter Veterans Hall. A dinner is served up while diners are entertained by the sounds of Bob Iorio. The dinner traditionally starts the festivities and is a great time to meet up with old friends and make new ones. Dinner to go also will be available.

Also on opening night, Larry Starrh's new play, "Engaging Adam," will take center stage with its debut at the Ford Theater at 7:30 p.m.. The play tells the story of Adam, a young wealthy bachelor who is ready to start a family. Faith, his best friend, thinks he should wait a little longer. Adam's neighbors, Baron and Lady LaCroix, have seven daughters and are intending to marry off one of them to the wealthy bachelor for sinister reasons. The play also runs on Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m.

If you love movies, the Congregational Church will host a Silent Movie Night, with movies by Laurel and Hardy, and Charlie Chaplin. The movies will be accompanied by world-renowned organist Bob Salisbury.

Friday will be the opening of the Art Gallery at the Shafter Veterans Hall. Local artists will be featured, including Charlotte White, Colleen Diltz, Janeen Carter Smith, Marsha Black, Lisa Long Villalpondo, Mary Brooks, Greg Bergen, Deanna Nelson and the Shafter High FFA Floral Club. With a variety of mediums, including paintings, sculpture, floral, photography and more, the gallery will have plenty of variety.

Saturday will start with the Annual Colours Fun Run. This event is great for competitors and spectators, as runners and walkers are doused with color at different stations, looking like rainbows by the time they hit the finish line.

The museums of the city will be on display, including the Green Hotel, Shafter Depot Museum and the Minter Field Air Museum. Make sure to visit these treasure troves of history displaying the rich history of the city. At the Shafter Depot Museum, the Can d'Art event will be on display, with different individuals and organizations using cans of food for artwork.

At Mannel Park, there will be a car show and a chili cook-off, with music from the Shafter High Jazz Band. The events begin at 4 p.m.

The Christian Youth Film Society will be presenting a Film Making Experience Workshop at the Shafter Police Department Meeting Room for everyone who has ever wondered what making a movie entailed. Attendees will get hands-on experience in actual movie production, including developing a story, directing, casting, acting, cinematography and editing. They also will learn to use dollies, jibs, cameras and lights. The workshop is from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

The Shafter Symphony, led by conductor Stephen Penner, is returning and will be entertaining the audience with a trip to the cinema. Hear some of the best from the silver screen such as Fantasia's "Night on Bald Mountain," "The Lord of the Rings," "Close Encounters" and "Jaws."

The festival will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 24 as the Art Gallery will be open from 1 to 5 p.m. with a Meet the Artist event from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Enjoy a glass of wine and hor d'ouevres and talk to the featured artists as they discuss their works.

There will also be a couple of future weekends that are part of the Colours Festival. The weekend of March 1-3 will be the presentation of a couple of plays by nationally acclaimed David Payne. Payne will present an "Evening with C.S. Lewis: Weep for Joy" and "The Prisoner of Passion" at the Ford Theater. Payne has performed his plays about the acclaimed author throughout the country and the world to rave reviews.

Tickets for each event are available at the door.