Boulder Creek Fest lines the streets with unique art, food and famil…

Every Memorial Day Weekend in Boulder, the Boulder Creek Festival has always been a place for artisans, whether new or old, to display all kinds of art, clothes, jewelry and more.

For more than 30 years, the Boulder Creek Festival has been welcoming attendees to peruse local handmade goods from over 200 artisanal booths and to taste local food from over 30 different restaurants. Every year, the festival takes up multiple blocks, stretching from 9th to 14th streets between Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue.

The festival, which kicked off Friday, will go until Monday.

Mariah Stotsky, owner of Mariah Sky Art, said that this year was her first time having her art for sale a booth at the festival. She said that she started painting during the 2020 pandemic and is self-taught.

“I grew up in Boulder, so a lot of my landscapes are Boulder-inspired,” Stotsky said.

One of Stotsky’s paintings depicts a view of the Front Range from a Superior perspective and another shows a mountain view from Breckenridge. She said that it has been a few busy and hot days at the festival, but she is enjoying being able to set up her own booth with her own art for the first time. She also said she’s enjoyed meeting people from all over Colorado at Creek Fest.

Stotsky said she originally started painting on canvases, but when she painted a pair of earrings for herself, they gained a lot of praise, and she knew she had to start selling them with her paintings.

Tim Grasso, from El Loro Jewelry and Gifts in Boulder, said he’s had a booth at Boulder Creek Festival for nearly 10 years. He said that he enjoys coming to the festival every year. Grasso said that the festival was busier this year, and he attributes it to good weather and people wanting to come back to the festival after having to take a pandemic pause.

“It’s been nice and cool the past couple of days, so people are out doing stuff without COVID or anything to worry about,” Grasso said.

Grasso was selling a variety of rings and jewelry at his booth.

Leo Atkinson, owner of Stone Art Studios, returned to the Boulder Creek Festival for his his 25th year. He said that other than success, he enjoys coming back to the festival to be able to interact with people. He said that having a booth at a festival allows for more people to see his work — he creates unique fossil and mineral sculptures — even those who may not have a direct interest in stones, geodes and rocks. He said that at art shows and galleries, people are invited to look at artists’ work, but he said there is something different about selling his wares at festivals, where there’s a more welcoming and conversational atmosphere.

Atkinson’s son’s business, The Geode Guys, also at Creek Fest, offers visitors a chance to view a variety of unopened geodes. They can watch him crack geodes open on the spot or visitors can crack their own to see what sparkly crystals hide inside. Atkinson said this always draws an intrigued crowd.

“There’s something about minerals that draws people in, they’re interested,” said Atkinson, who has been working with stone sculptures for over 40 years.

Find more information about the festival, that also features dozens of bands performing live on three stages, children’s activities and a beer festival, at the Boulder Creek Festival website at bouldercreekfest.com.