Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Last Thursday, June 12, the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center’s main gallery looked more like a zoo than an art gallery, as The Creature Teacher team presented their annual show to two crowds of kids, parents and grandparents. The program was part of the summer program for the BFAC and the Breckenridge Library.

The Creature Teacher team helps Noah Hatfield, center left, and Emily Morin, center right, as they hold Bernice the Burmese python after the presentation at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center last week. With Creature Teacher are Carley Baum, left, and Emiley Brewer, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Carley Baum and Emiley Brewer with The Creature Teacher greeted those in attendance and introduced a lineup of exotic animals from around the world. As each animal was presented, Brewer provided some interesting facts about the type of animal, as well as about the specific critters they brought to Breckenridge.

For example, Bernice the Burmese python was “in blue,” which is something that happens just before a snake sheds their skin. When snakes are “in blue,” their eyes are cloudy and it isn’t good for them to be petted. So, Bernice wasn’t available to the crowd for petting; although, a few attendees were allowed to hold Bernice after the program.

However, everyone who attended was invited to line up and get a closer look at the keel-billed toucan, a blue tongue skink and Angus the 9-month-old red kangaroo. Also introduced to the crowd were an albino long-tailed chinchilla and a panther chameleon.

The visit by The Creature Teacher team was just one of several kid-oriented activities planned for this summer. Today, the National Theatre’s annual Missoula Children’s Theatre summer theater camp kicked off (read more below), and art workshops later this month and next, as well as the ongoing summer reading program at the library.

Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s photo gallery from the event.

Ryder Dye, almost 3, pets Angus the red kangaroo at the end of The Creature Teacher presentation at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center on June 12. Ryder is the grandson of Coby (at left) and Laura Dye. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Missoula Children’s Theatre

The Friends of Historic Breckenridge will once again host the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT) for its annual summer theater camp in June at the National Theatre in downtown Breckenridge. The camp will offer local youth a chance to participate in the stage production of a mythical tale of strength, character and ancient competition.

This year’s production – “Hercules!” – invites audiences to Ancient Greece, where the Olympic Games are about to begin. With the Cyclopes and Titans eagerly preparing for a friendly but fierce competition, all eyes are on Hercules. But the legendary hero’s reputation for tardiness may delay the festivities unless he can rise to the occasion. The play promises laughter, adventure and a heartfelt lesson that true strength comes from within.

The week-long program will culminate in a public performance on Saturday, June 21.

Children who have completed kindergarten through 12th grade in May of this year are eligible to participate. The fee for the week-long theater camp is $50 per child, payable to Friends of Historic Breckenridge. Registration forms are available on the FOHB’s website, or you can click here to download the form. Families who participated in previous years should receive reminder cards in the mail.

For more details about the theater camp, including a link to the registration page, click here to read the previous Breckenridge Texan article.

Summer Art Workshops

The Breckenridge Fine Arts Center will host two summer art workshops for children, offering creative opportunities at an affordable price.

The first event, a Children’s Art Workshop, will be held June 24-26. Taught by Kendra Mayfield, the workshop is open to children based on the grade they will be entering this fall. Children entering kindergarten or first grade, ages 4 to 6, will attend from 9 to 10:15 a.m. Students entering second or third grade, ages 7 to 8, will meet from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and those entering fourth through sixth grade, ages 9 to 11, will attend from 2 to 3:15 p.m. The cost is $3 per child. Registration can be completed online (click here).

The second event, the Children’s Rock Garden Revamp Project, is scheduled for July 15 and 16. Leslie Blackerby and Ruth Taylor will lead the sessions, which also follow the same times and age and grade divisions as the June workshop. Children will help revamp the rock garden at the BFAC, which was started in 2021 by then-BFAC Director Shalon Wilson. The fee for the rock garden workshop is also $3 per child. Rocks, paint, markers and other art supplies will be provided.

To register for the rock garden project, click here.

Both workshops will take place at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center, located at 207 N. Breckenridge Ave. The events are open to the public.

For more information, call the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center at 254-559-6602.

Summer Reading Program

The Breckenridge Library will host its annual Summer Reading Program for toddlers through fifth graders beginning this week. The programs will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesdays, through July 15, at the library, 209 N. Breckenridge Ave.

This year’s theme is “Color Our World,” and the program will feature reading, arts and games for participants.

For more information, stop by the library or call 254-559-5505. The library is open from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

Carley Baum with The Creature Teacher shows the crowd at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center a blue tongue skink on June 12. Click here to see more pictures from the event. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Jenny Holt and her daughters, Katie and Lana, get a closer look at the keel-billed toucan that was part of The Creature Teacher presentation last week at the Breckenridge Fine Arts Center. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)