Colours again will highlight the arts

Colours: A Celebration of the Arts has been a tradition in the city for over 10 years, bringing creativity and inspiration to Shafter. This festival has become a cornerstone for showcasing artistic expression that uplifts and inspires. At the heart of the event lies its guiding mission statement: "It is our desire to help other people discover, create and enjoy transformed art. Transformed art is art that reflects what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute and worthy of praise."

Randy Toews, a member of the promotions committee, explained, "The statement, written by the festival founders Larry Starrh and Mike Kotrla, is based on the Bible verse Philippians 4:8. We chose it to ensure that the arts and everything happening this week are good and wholesome."

This year's festival will take place Thursday through Sunday, Feb. 20-23, at various locations around Shafter, offering something for everyone over the four days. Attendees can look forward to a range of events that will feature local artists and provide fun for the whole family. Highlights include a fun run, wine tasting, a car show, a meet-and-greet with a children's author, a youth art workshop, Shafter museum tours, a cornhole tournament, art gallery exhibitions, coffee house music performances, a spaghetti dinner, a Christian youth film festival and presentations from local dancers.

Another promotions committee member, Debbe Haley, said, "Our goal is to keep the prices as low as possible so families and adults can enjoy the festival. Prices range from free to $25 for most events, with $50 for the Meet the Artist/Wine Tasting." Haley noted that ten of all the events on the list are free.

In addition to the artistic celebration, the festival has a deeper mission of raising funds for scholarships to support students pursuing careers in the visual and performing arts. Scholarships will benefit those studying music, photography, painting, sculpture, theater, mixed media, drawing, ceramics, and dance, to name a few. The event helps cultivate the next generation of artists by providing them with the financial resources to achieve their dreams.

Haley encourages the community to attend the festival, "It will be an opportunity to see and hear new things while supporting the community and the arts. It will be full of entertainment, and everything about it is family-friendly."

The festival will conclude with an all-inclusive community worship. For more information, visit shaftercolours.org.