Every summer over a thousand Wheat Ridge residents, and those from the surrounding areas, gather on The Green for a day full of local food, refreshing beverages, yard games, live music and, of course, a brilliant showcase of local creativity and entrepreneurial endeavors. Ridgefest is one of the best ways for us to connect as a community and celebrate the amazing place we call home. There is no place like Wheat Ridge! Ridgefest has grown to be a community-favorite event and Localworks wants to give you even more to love. In partnership with the Clear Creek Makerspace, Localworks is going to hold the first annual button designing contest!
On March 1, we will begin accepting illustrations to be entered into our contest. The winning design will be utilized as both a functional and fashionable accessory at Ridgefest 2023. We encourage everyone to submit something! We want to see designs from all ages and backgrounds. The contest will take place over the month of March; all button designs will need to be submitted by 5 p.m. on March 31. For those who would like to participate, we encourage you to design at your leisure as there will be no advantage to turning in a design early.
From there, Localworks staff and the Localworks events committee will review all of the entries and pick a winner based on the criteria described below. The first-place winner will be presented to the City of Wheat Ridge and adapted onto a button for the whole city to wear at Ridgefest and to take home as a keepsake. All buttons will be free of charge and will act similarly to a wristband at certain participating food/drink locations; however, details for that will be released closer to the event date once all vendors are finalized.
Those attending the event can pick up a button at the Clear Creek Makerspace (CCM) booth located within the Makers on the Ridge section. At the CCM booth we will be showing the process of making the button as a live demonstration. If that is not of interest to you, we will have plenty pre-made to pick up as well.
The main parameter for the contest is that the design must incorporate this year’s theme: “No Place Like Wheat Ridge!” Think Emerald City, ruby slippers, the yellow brick road, or anything Wizard of Oz related. There will be premade circle templates located at a few Wheat Ridge businesses; however you can create your own circle to design on as long as it is no larger than 11 inches in diameter. Please be aware that the winning entry will be reduced to fit on a 2.25-inch button. There is no limit on the number of colors you can use; however, for a clear image, please use a white background! All artwork must be original. Original computer-generated graphics are permitted, but clip art will not be accepted. You are welcome to provide a brief description of your design, although it’s not necessary! The design itself is meant to capture the theme.
Design must include:
• The theme: There’s no place like Wheat Ridge (Wizard of Oz)
• The words: Ridgefest
• The year: 2023
• Your signature(s)
More information about this contest’s requirements and how to submit can be found at www.wearelocalworks.org.
Localworks Seeking Fond Memories Of Wheat Ridge
We are extremely excited to continue developing an app for the community to be launched this year. Our goal through this app is to tell the story of Wheat Ridge by providing the history of varying locations throughout the city! There will be specific locations highlighted, although if you want to share a memory of a different location, we still encourage you to reach out. The locations featured on the app include: The Green, Prospect Park, Richard Hart Estate, Baugh House, Gold’s Marketplace and Fruitdale School.
This community is special because of the memories over time you have created here and the app will be a story-telling driver for these memories. We want to hear your stories and experiences, and in return, we’ll buy you a cup of coffee!
Please email reception@wearelocalworks.org to schedule a time to share your story, and/or if you are more comfortable, you can simply share your story via email.
We thank you in advance for helping us collect valuable Wheat Ridge history.
Adison Wash is Localworks’ Marketing and Community Relations Associate.
