In November 2022, Bear Valley Trading participated in the Colorado Country Christmas Show in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ​

 

Tom presented turned bowls, weed pots, and platters of numerous sizes and shapes made from beautiful woods. Additionally, Bear Valley Trading offered a variety of finished wooden Christmas ornaments - gnomes of many types, icicles, and paintable gnomes people could take home for a family holiday project. Their booth was buzzing with attention and Christmas cheer the entire weekend. ​

 

The finished holiday ornaments came from recent winter kill and small trees harvested from neighborhood Fire wise protection efforts and Tom's inventory. Nancy's steady hand painted all the bearded gnomes, and the snowman icicle ornaments, each wooden icicle with a different smile and personality. Her vast talents extended to sewing all the gnome red pointy hats. A CNC machine cut each paintable gnome from high-quality, 5-ply plywood. ​

 

This Bear Valley Trading event was a family affair. Tom and Nancy's two granddaughters, Rivers and Winter, helped immensely throughout the weekend. Customers and passersby saw the girls in action painting gnomes uniquely and talked with them about their ornament designs. Rivers and Winter restocked and generally helped with the booth. When time allowed, they knitted with Oma (Nancy) or sanded a gnome on Beepa (Tom's) mini lathe, often to an audience!

 

For Bear Valley Trading's first significant event, Tom and Nancy's daughter-in-law, Danielle, hand-burned the event sign. This beautiful wooden sign reflects the company's philosophy – to make distinct art pieces from trees and wood destined for destruction. ​ Bear Valley Trading Company was honored to have some of its art pieces shown and discussed on the local television show "Loving, Living, Local." ​ During this event, we met wonderful people and made lasting memories. It was a grand time. Thank you to those who came and engaged with us.