Governor Ritter joined the Mayor of Creede Rex Shepperd and the Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser for the awards ceremony, which were original artworks by artist Gayle Gerson of Grand Junction.

A notable statement from Governor Ritter: “Not only are the arts a way to share our heritage and show us new ways of thinking and seeing, the arts are also a way to grow jobs and revitalize Colorado’s economy. It gives me great pleasure to honor these two communities.” There is usually only one winner, but this year it was a tie. There were thirteen other nominees.

According to the press release from the Governor’s Office:

In selecting Creede as a recipient, the review panel cited the town’s transformation from a dying mining town to a thriving tourism destination, with the arts as the catalyst. The panel was impressed with the vision of the town’s Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1966 to recruit a summer theatre as a strategy for economic stability. The Creede Repertory Theatre is now in its 44th year and attracts 20,000 theatre goers each summer. The panel noted that the Town, the school system, and the business district are active partners with the town’s arts groups. They were also impressed that Creede is home to artists and authors with international acclaim.

The awards were two original mixed media collages by artist Gayle Gerson of Grand Junction. The artworks will hang in public locations in the respective cities. In commissioning Gayle, the selection jury noted the spirit and energy in Gayle’s work, her use of bright colors, and the movement and depth that she created in her compositions. Also, they liked her use of mixed media/collage elements and thought her work was unusual and original. Gayle has studied under the guidance of many artists in watercolor, oil and experimental workshops.

Congratulations to Creede! We hope that you will come and visit us this summer for a horseback riding vacation, and enjoy the theater, galleries, shopping and art in Creede.

Some history about the shop (as described on the Creede Beadery website):

One of Kiera's designs, the Rosaline

Creede Beadery was originally Lovering’s Bead Loft, which opened above J. Thompson’s Gallery in 2001. It was owned by Jan & John Thompson, and has a great following of bead lovers who come every summer to create great new designs. Jan and John felt the bead business was growing too big for their loft, and Jan wanted to focus more on her passion for pastel drawing, using the loft to teach classes and expand into her own personal studio. On April 23, 2008, the Thompsons sold their beads to Damon & Kiera Gibbons, who in turn have moved the Location up the street to Pappy’s Place; a great historic building offering a wonderful studio space for patrons to use, and continue to create their fine pieces.

She also sells pre-made pieces, and you can even reserve the beadery for a party! Can you imagine how fun that would be? All the new friends you child has made the Colorado Dude Ranch getting together at the end of the week for a fun craft event? I know it can be hard to pull yourself away from the ranch, but historic Creede is worth a visit, as is the fabulous beadery here in town.

Sleep in. No kids jumping on the bed, leisurely drinking coffee and wandering up to breakfast. Most difficult decision of the day so far: eggs or granola and yogurt?
Finish breakfast almost in time for lunch. Head to the pool for a swim and some sunning. Read a book, drink a Corona, and catch a nap even.

Catch a big one during Adult only weeks at 4UR

Get ready for steak ride. One of my favorite rides at 4UR guest ranch, this would be even more of a hoot as an adults-only affair, I can imagine! A nice ride up the valley to a perfect spot for a cook-out dinner with cold beers, tasty wine and fine cocktails. I remember this night as being a very special one during a horseback riding vacation for families – songs around the campfire after dinner, all that jazz. But I can imagine how it would turn into a party during adults only weekend!

4UR ranch is always a peaceful place, but it takes on a whole new level of serene when it’s just us grownups. If you happen to have a grandparent or friend available for babysitting the weeks of Aug. 21 or Aug. 28, come out and relax with us in style.

A beautiful interior shot of one of the homes

The homes are mostly smaller, which makes them easier to keep warm in the winter, as well as cuts down on cleaning! Creede America uses a geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool houses with solar energy collected in the ground.

The houses’ designs are lovely. The funky old shacks and miners cabins in Creede as well as the extraordinary mining structures (like the one on our Family Dude Ranch) are a major source of inspiration for the designs. The thing that makes the homes unique is the evolution in design that brings a modern day lens to the cabin in the mountains.
If you have the chance to visit the Creede America homes while staying at the Guest Ranch, we would highly recommend it. Ask one of us, we can tell you where to find them in town.

Mesa Plateau at 4UR Ranch

They help us with all different aspects of the ranch, from basic maintenance to our fabulous dude ranch kids program. We treat them like members of the 4UR ranch family, the same way we do to everyone who comes down our driveway onto this magical place we call home.

One favorite past time for both staff and guests alike are visits into Creede. The little mining village is a short drive from our family dude ranch. This can be a fun change of pace from life at the 4UR for an afternoon. Bring the kids and head to the underground mining museum. Or maybe have a ladies outing; there are a surprising number of quality boutiques and artisan shops in Creede where a piece of jewelery or handcrafted artwork is bound to catch your eye.

Our staff is knowledgeable about the surrounding area’s attractions and must-see locations. So if you can manage to pull yourself away from the ranch for a day, there are really breath-taking locations all around our area of Southern Colorado. We want to make sure your family ranch vacation is a full as you want it to be: schedule an event for every day, or stay by the pool as others in you clan rush to Goose Creek for fly fishing or off to the stables for a ride. It is up to you: let 4UR ranch be exactly as much as you need.