ALPINE The 15th annual Art Walk culminates this weekend in the two-day experience also known as Gallery Night.

Stores will be open until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday along with the many galleries that line Holland Avenue, a main Alpine thoroughfare.

With more than 20 official locations for music, live exhibits, videos, food and art, visitors will have plenty of sights and sounds to choose from. Thursday's edition of the Alpine Avalanche newspaper will offer a guide and map to all event locales.

Honored artist Tom Curry designed this year's Gallery Night painting and will be showing his works in The Alpine Studio on Murphy Street. Curry and his wife, Susan, moved to Alpine in 1993. His work features bigger, newer paintings that he calls "Texas Chic with regional flair" as well as prints, cards and reworked oils. His portfolio also includes magazine editorials and illustrations for seven children's books.

Grilling and food stands will dot the Hecho y Mano open-air art and food market in Arbolitos Park near the Union Pacific train depot offering fajitas, gorditas, burgers, hot chocolate and many other locally made culinary indulgences. Taking a cue from the diversity of the evening, no two food stands will be offering the same fare.

Mark Pollack of Trans-Pecos Guitars has served as musical director for the event. He has lined up musicians for the performance stage in the Kiowa Plaza parking lot. Beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, the lineup includes The Doodling Hog Wallops, Matt Skinner, Terra Peters, Crain Coffee and Grupo de la Paz. Saturday evening features as Matt Skinner, Terra Peters and The Derailers take to the open-air stage.

Kiowa Gallery owner Keri Arzt said she is quite proud of how Gallery Night has grown and that it "has taken on a life of it's own."

"Over the 15 years we've watched it grow, and the people come together and the energy is great," Arzt said.

In addition to being an economic boost for the area, Gallery Night has also developed into a nonprofit organization that gives back. There are scholarships to Sul Ross State University and money goes to area schools for art programs.

"I look forward to seeing friends I haven't seen in awhile, Curry said. "Everyone comes out. It's a great time to see everyone at once and catch up, see what's new."

IF YOU GO

For information, contact Keri Arzt at Kiowa Gallery at 432-837-3067.