Downtown Driggs Association Inc

Driggs plein air festival participants = 70 artists from 22 states and canada and 32 artists in workshops. Audience = 2000+ the 12th annual driggs plein air festival took place july 21-38th at the driggs community center and plaza. Artists displayed their work in the community center gallery as well as in the teton geotourism center for the extended show & sale. Two workshops were held in person, allowing 32 artists to enjoy live teachings and mentoring. The competition was judged by the workshop instructors. An opening reception and closing awards ceremony, both with a free community concert, drew a large community crowd and generated many art sales.

Downtown sounds participants: 21 professional musicians. Audience - 2,550 attendees. The 3rd annual downtown sounds concert series included 7 concerts held at three locations across driggs from june through september. The first concert of the season, belle nuit: a beautiful night of song was a successful partnership with teton valley chamber music festival. Jennifer youngs from the dallas opera and lauren mcneese from the metropolitan opera performed duets and arias from brahms, schumann, rossini and more at the teton geotourism center. Our largest concert of the season, the independence day kickoff event at driggs plaza, in partnership with teton county idaho fairgrounds, featured cordovas, a country rock band from nashville and 800 in attendance. The shift offered r&b and jazz for a large audience during the opening celebration of driggs plein air festival on july 21. The black rock wind quintet from idaho falls performed for the closing ceremony of driggs plein air festival. The wild potatoes brought traditional irish music to idaho potato country and uk based nicolas meier trio, back for a second year by popular demand, took the audience on a musical journey with turkish, greek and northern african world jazz on september 5.

Fiscal year 2023/24 program overview in 2024, dda delivered 31 programs and hosted 187 professional and emerging artists including painters, sculptors, artisans, actors and musicians for in-person audiences of and estimated 12,700 individuals. In 2024, dda had 4,200 facebook followers, with 6,394 interactions and 3,048 instagram followers, a 55% increase from 2023. 427 volunteer slots were filled with community volunteers of all ages who supported dda's programs in 2024. We collaborated with 54 local businesses partners and 29 local nonprofit program collaborators. Shakespeare in the park participants = 12 professional actors. Audience = 400 people. On july 28th, the 12th annual shakespeare in the parks was held outdoors at the teton county courthouse lawn in driggs, performing shakespeare's immortal tragedy hamlet. The stage was constructed onsite and play performed by professional actors from montana shakespeare in the parks, the nationally recognized outreach program of the college of arts and architecture at montana state university. The local nonprofit act foundation offered an opening performance of vaudeville skits to much applause on the shakespeare stage. Driggs scarecrow contest and downtown trick or treat participants = 43 driggs businesses. Audience = 4,000 over the course of 4 weeks downtown driggs association celebrates the spirit of the harvest with the 6th annual driggs scarecrow contest, with original scarecrows created by local businesses and non-profits on-display from october 7 through october 31. Forty-seven local businesses participated, constructing elaborate scenes with scarecrows displayed in front of their establishments. The community voted for their favorite for 5 thematic categories, cash prizes were awarded to the winners. A grand total of 2,645 votes were cast, 888 more than last year. More than 1500 individuals dressed in the scary, sparkly, or silly costumes to trick or treat at downtown driggs businesses on halloween, october 31, which was also the culminating day for scarecrow voting. Teton geotourism center the downtown driggs association took on management of the teton geotourism center in april of 2024. "the geo" was established as a teton scenic byway visitor center and gateway to idaho along the 69-mile drive that runs from swan valley on hwy 31 to teton valley through victor, driggs, and tetonia on hwy 33, through felt to ashton on hwy 32. The byway, built in 1977, parallels the western edge of the teton mountains and the wyoming state line and offers breathtaking views and historical markers along the way. The building benefits the byway traveler with amenities including a rest area, public restrooms, access to retail shops and restaurants, and byway and visitor wayfaring information including maps, brochures, local newspapers and magazines marketing area attractions. With the support of eight well-informed community volunteers, dda offers personal tourism support and valley cultural and historic information for byway visitors and community members alike. The geo also contains a substantial interpretive gallery, with themes and stories reflecting teton valley's history, culture, ecology, and economy. Among the objects on display are mountain man clothing and tools, chevron trade beads and a flint-lock trade gun, a dogsled, a taxidermy grizzly bear and sandhill crane, a beaver skin top hat, native trout species, shoshone beaded moccasins, finely-chipped arrowheads, backcountry ski gear, a hot air balloon, and much more. Total program audience: 12,700 total geo attendance: 10,312 total artists: 187