The City of Montrose Development and Revitalization Team (DART) is kicking off the holiday season with a mix of shopping incentives, public art, and creative community projects — all aimed at energizing downtown as the holidays approach.
The city’s popular Montrose Bucks program begins a little earlier this year, moving from Small Business Saturday to an event called Montrose Bucks Monday on Nov. 17.
“Montrose Bucks Monday allows residents to take advantage of the same great promotion, but a little earlier in the season,” said Michelle Wingfield, the city’s community initiatives manager. “It also frees up Small Business Saturday for shoppers to hit the stores right away, helping our local businesses make the most of the holiday rush.”
For every $50 purchased, shoppers will receive $60 in Montrose Bucks — a $10 bonus — redeemable at local shops, restaurants, and service providers. The sale runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Public Safety Complex, 434 S. 1st St. Bucks are limited to $400 per household, and the promotion typically sells out within one day.
“Montrose Bucks is a great program for keeping our dollars local,” Wingfield said. “We have a lot of our small businesses signed up participating in the program, and purchasing Montrose Bucks is a great way to provide a gift that is unique to Montrose.”
Art that pops off the wall
Downtown visitors can also check out a striking new art installation by area artist Seth Weber on the side of City Hall. The permanent piece combines mural work and metal sculpture that appears to pop off the wall in a 3D style.
“We were hoping to get something iconic that was representing the area, and I think that goal was accomplished,” Wingfield said.
The design was selected after a community survey earlier this year, when “interactive” artwork received more than 50 percent of votes — ahead of “local shutdown” or “botanical” themes.
Wingfield said DART wanted a piece that was “3D work or things where you can pose for a photo,” adding that Weber’s use of metalwork creates “an illusion” that draws people in. “The way that Seth’s metalwork pops out and creates kind of this illusion, I think it really brings you into the artwork,” she said.
The installation is part of DART’s broader effort to cluster murals and sculptures throughout the downtown area. “It’s great that we’re in a one-block radius — we’ve got one, two, three, four, five murals that were added this year,” Wingfield said.
Statues show off their fall fashion
Meanwhile, DART is adding a seasonal twist with Statues with Swagger, a fall-themed project dressing up downtown sculptures in custom textile coverings.
“Statues of Swagger is currently happening,” Wingfield said. “They’re decorating statues like today. The goal is to have everything installed by Sunday, and then it’ll be up for about a month.”
The theme is Fall Fashion, with fiber artists designing colorful coverings using sewing, knitting, and crochet techniques. Among the first to get their outfits are the fox statue near the Visitor Center and the pig sculpture in Centennial Plaza.
Wingfield said the project is “part of the reason why we wanted to do that — because we are building momentum on all the interest there is in public art in Montrose. It’s been a very popular topic, and we have an interest in restarting getting some more sculptures in.”
DART is currently exploring adding more sculptures to downtown Montrose, and those efforts will begin soon, Wingfield said.
The current installations will stay up through Dec. 15, and DART is exploring ways to continue expanding public art offerings in 2026.
From Montrose Bucks to a new art installation and playful seasonal sculptures, DART’s projects are adding energy to downtown Montrose this holiday season.
For more information on Montrose Bucks, or to learn what locations participate, visit cityofmontrose.org/510/Montrose-Bucks.
Justin Tubbs is the Montrose Business Times editor. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 970-765-0915 or mobile at 254-246-2260.
