Stands featuring everything from locally brewed kombucha to moss art lined the paths along the Blue River in Silverthorne Sunday, July 20, for the town’s Sunday Maker’s Market.

The town’s event spotlighting the region’s artists grew to include more types of creatives this year thanks to efforts from community members and the Silverthorne Art Board. 

Board member Pamela Churman, who had her own stand at the market selling a slew of items including beeswax products and homemade condiments like mustard, said the board went into summer 2025 looking to energize the markets. She said the town is working on getting a Colorado Creative Districts designation, and the Sunday market is one of the initiatives meant to bolster that. The state’s Colorado Creative Districts program was created to certify communities that contribute to the state’s economy through investments in creativity, culture and the arts.

Churman said in past years, the Maker’s Market mostly included creatives like artists, painters and jewelry makers. Now, more vendors have been added to introduce more food-related offerings as well as more musicians playing live music. At the July 20 Maker’s Market, there was also interactive live music for children on the stage outside of Theatre SilCo alongside free arts and crafts activities for kids.

“This brings us together as a community, and it brings together the creatives as a community,” she said. “Then, locals start thinking about buying local. Instead of going to the Front Range or buying from a big box store or ordering online, (maybe they) can get things that are locally made and sustainable and resourceful,” she said. 

Dillon resident and artist Eleanor Hawkins said the market served as the perfect opportunity to get her work in front of more eyes as she works to establish her business and build relationships with other creatives. Hawkins makes moss art pieces using moss sourced from Georgia, and her husband makes the frames from reclaimed wood, including from old barns or beetle-killed trees. 

Ten-year-old Olivia Schneider was on-site for the July 20 market with her business, Funky Vibes. She got into resin craft-making thanks to a gift she received this Christmas, and has since sold her artwork at other markets and even is featured in a gift store in Denver called Jolly Goods. 

Local artist Kelly Triolo’s stand housed hand-painted creations like tree-stump inspired ornaments, mugs, prints and paintings. She recently started a scavenger hunt series where she makes two small paintings a week, hides them and gives the buyers clues on where to find them. 

The July 20 market was the first one Silverthorne artist Kelly Grady, who makes a variety of jewelry and knickknacks, attended. She said she was thrilled to be able to set up her stand right next to the Blue River and said she found the event was drawing a lot of folks from the Front Range looking to dodge the heat.

Silverthorne will have one last Sunday Maker’s Market on Aug. 17 at the Art Spot and 4th Street Crossing. For more information, visit TinyURL.com/uxkzvkem.