by Jaye Sudar
HUERFANO- Local talent is something most people associate with grade school shows and TV programs. This week sees the Fifth Annual Celtic Music Festival gracing stages across the County. The festival showcases talent from around the world, but most people don′t realize how much local talent goes into making this festival happen.
Lighting, sound, stage management and administrative skills all contribute. People just appear out of the woodwork with skills or abilities that make the festival possible.
This happens with La Plaza de Los Leones, Gardner Hippie Days and the Black Diamond Jubilee as well. Each event showcases musical performers and artisans from the community. Where does all this local talent come from?
It hides. It waits. It lurks in the shadows, showers and quiet corners of our community. It isn′t just musical or entertainment talent that take on ninja style qualities. Huerfano County is full of artists of all kinds. There are quilters, painters, storytellers, woodworkers, singers, cooks, musicians, writers, craftsmen, and indispensable organizers. At bake sales, we know whose tortillas or scones to buy. Need a band or a sound system? A familiar handful of names come up. Want a perfect present? Follow that golden path to those local individuals at the crafts fair.
The astounding thing is the lack of recognition these people get. Beautiful voices grace the shower. Fantastic works of art get lost among papers in a back office. Individuals hide who make computers sing or offices sit up and beg. Why? Is it fear of not meeting some unknown expectation? Or is it habit after years of being taught to be humble or unassuming?
Local talent, like homegrown produce, is best appreciated when shared. Our festivals showcase local talent. The Huerfano Journal is the product of local talent. The craft festivals and art communities would not exist were it not for local talent. Perhaps it is time for more of us to step out of the shower and sing with a local choir. Take a chance and display those paintings, quilts or pottery at the next craft fair. Volunteer at that community meeting and dazzle them with those organizational skills. Better yet, next time you see someone who has talent hiding under a bush, take their hand and help the rest of our community recognize their expertise.
