CREEDE— It’s that time of year again to focus on the positive and to give the cold weather a chance to shine before the warmer summer months come crashing in. Creede has made it a point to revitalize a long-standing tradition in the area by celebrating the formidable winter blues by hosting the annual Cabin Fever Daze next weekend. The tradition began several years ago with a slight hiatus, before bringing it back and boosting the economy during one of the slowest months in the region.

The celebration consists of several activities in the area that encourage people to come out and participate in cold weather fun. Everything from art exhibits featuring the residents of the town as works of art, curling at the Silver Ice Pond and some enthusiastic live entertainment from the Creede Repertory Theatre and local bands are on the docket.

The weekend will kick off on Friday, Feb. 16 with a Be the Art portrait show in the evening starting at 5 p.m. at the Community Center. According to the press release, the show is one of a kind, making art out of the residents of the area that submitted photos of themselves, their families, friends and pets to be featured on canvas by Portland Artist Katrina Zarate. Residents will have the opportunity to purchase their portraits for whatever they can afford. All proceeds will benefit the National Winter Playwrights Retreat. “This philanthropic project will help HBMG Foundation, who in turn helps playwrights, who in turn help a town— all of this inspiring a portrait artist trying to help change the way we view art and the way we view ourselves,” said Zarate.

The outdoor activities take center stage the on Saturday, Feb. 17 with early morning yoga and the first of two rounds of curling at the Silver Ice Park. Local residents and business owners with a scattering of out of town guests gather and form teams for the curling event that starts at 9 a.m. Participants use bowling balls that have been cut in half to compete for the top spot in some friendly competition. Teams are asked to dress in fun, unique attire and are awarded at the end of the weekend.

Main Street and surrounding areas will literally be buzzing with chainsaws, ice picks and any other tool sculptors may use for the annual ice sculpting event that also begins at 9 a.m. Artists put their talents to ice as they carve out animals, people, well-known characters and anything else they may think of for the event. Guests can come and see the finished pieces later that morning and vote for their favorites with the winners being announced by the end of the weekend. Last year, several sculptures used other frozen material like snow to make works of art for everyone to enjoy.

In the midst of other fun activities and live entertainment, the Creede Repertory Theatre will host two “Boomtown” productions on Friday and Saturday night. The theatre partnered with the Creede Community Foundation to create witty and humorous short films prior to the weekend that can be viewed at either www.creedecommunity foundation.org or www.creederep.org. The films were a fun and inventive way to get the word out about Cabin Fever Daze and star some of the area’s most notorious actors and actresses from the theatre.

On Sunday, Feb. 18, the morning will begin with a sunrise service at the Silver Ice Park to kick off the second round of curling finals. There will be burn barrels around the ice park for people to gather around in order to stay warm during the service. Afterwards, guests can also wander Main Street where there will be free lectures and a film series at the Ruth, painting exhibits at the Quiller Gallery and more.

The weekend will be full of fun for the entire family and will serve as a great way to chase away the winter time blues. For a full schedule, please visit www.creedecommunityfoundation.org.