The Mancos Valley is showing the grand spirit of cooperation and partnership with wonderful results. For example, the Visitor Center was very busy the weekend of June 22 when the "The Great Mancos Arts Roundup" burst to life in the Valley. The Arts Roundup was a partnership between the Mancos Valley Arts Council and the Mancos Valley Chamber of Commerce that proved to be good business for everyone. Visitors came in from northern New Mexico and from throughout the southwest Colorado region.

There were many positive comments from people visiting the community. Artisans of Mancos reported they overheard people remark that they had no idea Mancos had such a strong arts community. Other folks said they would be going home and telling friends about what a great town Mancos is. People came into town to get their studio tour map, visit galleries in town and then scatter through the valley to visit artist studios. If you were a business that was not open on Saturday, you may have missed an opportunity. Shops downtown reported that it was a good business day.

The Town of Mancos and the Mancos Valley Chamber of Commerce (MVCC) have partnered on several projects in town: landscaping at major highway intersections and beautification of Boyle Park. The MVCC, through various fundraising projects, arranged for the western mural to be painted on the Mancos Liquor building. Mancos Liquor jumped in with their own contribution by contracting with Stylle Read, the painter, to continue the mural around to the south side of the building. The MVCC also arranged to have Jim Law improve the appearance of the CDOT garage at the highway intersection with a coat of paint on the roof line.

The Chamber decided that in addition to the improvements at the highway intersection, it was time to improve the appearance of the Visitor Center. Therefore, the graffiti was painted over on the east side of Visitor Center (VC). Then Leslie Hopkins from Parks and Recreation arranged for weeds to be whipped down at the VC and placed weed barrier on the ground. The Chamber of Commerce purchased several yards of rock from T & M Dirtworks for the east side of the VC. The town's gardening volunteers worked to spruce up Boyle Park while some Chamber of Commerce volunteers did some "rockscaping." It's amazing how getting rid of some weeds can improve the appearance of the community.

It seems that the whole town is taking pride in its appearance. Businesses have put out flowers and made their own contributions to streetscaping. Mancos Days are around the corner and it's time to show off our Mancos Valley charm. If you would like to donate some time and effort to making our community a beautiful place to live and visit, contact the town at 970-533-7725 or the Chamber of Commerce at 970-533-7434. Donations are still needed for landscaping projects. You can make a tax deductible donation to Mancos Valley Resources. Make your check to MVR/Heritage Project landscaping, PO Box 204, Mancos CO 81328.