Cheney Artwalk, market draw interest

Cheney Artwalk 2006, held last weekend in conjunction with the Cheney Farmers’ Market, drew more than 100 people despite damp weather.

“There were 22 sponsors and 150 browsers,” said Rich Baker, president of the Cultural Arts Guild. Several Cheney businesses donated funds to help finance the event.

Artwalk blossomed from a combination of ideas by the Cultural Arts Guild and a helping hand from Pathways To Progress.

“The Cheney Arts Guild had been searching for a way to promote the arts in the West Plains area and to provide an avenue to support one another and share information,” said guild Vice President Sharon Pryor.

Balloons marked 17 locations where artisans showed their wares. Rains dampened the sidewalks but not the spirits of those who participated.

First Street bustled with a steady stream of the curious, the carefree and the committed.

Local band Plaid Cat relocated to a nearby business with an open door to protect its instruments from the rain.

Cheney High School art students crowded into Art 20 with their “Spland,” a display of their imaginative expressions.

The farmers’ market was filled Friday with customers and vendors selling items of all descriptions, including plenty of homegrown produce.

On Saturday, Stage West Theater gave a street performance of skits from its current production “The Butler Did It.”

For the two-day festival, sculptor Richard Worthington parked a 300-pound sculpture representing the birth of a grandchild on First Street for all to see. Although he travels the world, Worthington has Cheney roots.

“My great-grandfather, Elfo Calvert, was a Cheney pioneer in the Amber Lake area,” he said.