It's a smile and a nod as you pass on the street. It's an act of kindness, whether intentional or random. It's a place where people gather and share like interests. It's a celebration of human spirit. It's a collective effort. It's called a community.

On Friday, November 9, 2007, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., a community of Olde Town Arvada merchants will host the Holiday Classic Art Walk to celebrate the artwork of over 50 local artists and to offer help to the needy families in the Arvada area. While there is no fee to view the exhibits, the merchants encourage patrons to donate non-perishable food items for the Arvada Community Food Bank, which they are collecting through November 9 th.

With the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner, the Food Bank is desperate for contributions to help needy Arvada residents who cannot provide this traditional feast for their own families. So far this year, the Arvada Food Bank has provided over 300,000 meals, with roughly 45 percent benefiting children under the age of 18, according to Kathy Underhill, director. In addition, the Backpack Program provides about 81,000 meals to children in the Arvada Elementary Schools anually. "None of this would be possible without the community support," Underhill said.

Now is the time for that act of kindness, that human spirit and that collective effort. The Holiday Classic Art Walk provides an incentive to community members, as they may stroll through Olde Town Arvada to view the wide-ranging art pieces on display and speak to the local artisans about their works. The Rose Weaving Gallery will feature both a photographer and a fiber artist. In other cases, participants may encounter various artists performing live demonstrations at other merchant locations.

Merchants such as It's A Boutique, Into the Fire Studio, Whimsicality, The Bliss Café, La Dolce Vita, and Knit Knack, among others, have each contributed gift cards and a sundry of other valuable items to be divided into two gift baskets and delivered to two lucky community members via a random drawing. Gift baskets will be on display on the north and south sides of Olde Town: to the north, Elements . . . A Clay Gallery, located at 5870 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. and Grizzly Creek Framing, 5545 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. to the south. Abundant parking is available at both locations and allows a logical pathway for participants to visit other merchant locations along the Art Walk.