Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.    An outdoor event in Nederland is always a risky proposition. We have surprise weather: buckets of hail, drenching downpours, summer snow, and even microbursts of wind that pick up tents, smash display cases and wreak havoc with anything not nailed down.

Such was the case on Friday night as artists from all over the west set up their booths for the High Peaks Art Festivals that took place on Saturday and Sunday. The town parking lot was filled with festive white tents and vibrant displays of multi-media artwork. And then the dust devils swirled through the street as loose ends began flapping in the gale.

A couple tents were broken; an RV was parked next to a jewelry booth to mitigate damage to the display; one vendor had to call it quits. But by mid-morning on Saturday the blast became a breeze and the fair went on, attracting a large crowd of visitors and sales.

There were a number of artists who came for the first time, lured by the good reputation of the fair. They said the trip was worth it and the wind made for an interesting evening.

At noon, Cathy Stiers, the event organizer, and an entourage of sponsors and town dignitaries walked around the fair handing out ribbons and gift certificates for the best in each category.

Julie Glassman of Grand Junction was awarded the Best of Colorado Prize by sponsor Deb D'Andrea. She could have been given the Best Good Sport Award for her good natured way of dealing with the wind damage. Her image of Lake Isabelle was featured for the High Peaks Art Fair t-shirt.

The Best of Sculpture Ribbon went to Liza and Craig Liftee from Pierce, Colorado, for their metal sculptures.

Mike Moore of Broomfield received the Best of Mixed Media Award for his flint knapping. This is his second year of winning the award.

Matthew and Shelley Simon of Cajun Moon Design won the Best of Woodworking ribbon. The couple is from Berthoud.

The Best of Ceramic went to Susan Mikkelson of Littleton, who said it was her first time at the show and she enjoyed the community. The Best of Glasswork went to Linda Backus of Lakewood. She specializes in blown glass.

Nina Paul received the Best of Fiber ribbon for her Batik clothing. Kristen Haugh of Kansas won the Best of Jewelry Award.

The Best of Fine Craft went to Wendell King of Pinecliffe for his metal and stone tables.     Roger Doak won the Best of Fine Art award for his amazing landscapes and animal photography.

Peggy Corpeny of Indian Hills won the Best of Fine Art award sponsored by Peak to Peak Counseling.

A group of local children presented Pam Sharp of Utah the Best of Painting award because they admired her portraits of  horses and wanted the honor of giving her the ribbon.

The Best of Show Award went to Bruce White for the second year in a row, because, said Cathy Stiers, he is “just that good.” He is a four-time winner for his watercolor art.

Stiers says she had feared the four-hour windstorm delay on Saturday morning would have cut into the success of the fair and was pleasantly surprised to find out that the artists had done as well if not better than in previous years.

"Every year I think that we have the best art and fine craft ever....this year I am positive of that, because of the feedback I received from both visitors and the artists themselves. There was much more buying too, with many repeat customers coming to the Festival to see their favorite artists.”

Part of the Festival atmosphere was due to the ongoing music by local groups and the presence of Kathmandu and Blue Owl food and ice cream. Dave Ridnell joined his brother Jon and nephew Miles for the family reunion tunes.

Former Nederland High School student Ryan Farris, after a tour of Europe, joined Laura Fisher, Deb Smiley and Billy Ikler's Cael, a lilting medley of Irish Celtic sounds.