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Photo by Bob Pennell Rosie Jenkins and her fabric creations will be on hand Saturday for Prospect's Arts Appreciation Day, which gives residents and visitors a chance to see artists in action and also visit an artists' co-op that has flowered in an old gas station. Prospect art co-op flourishes 20 sign up for Appreciation Day Don't miss it WHAT : Arts Appreciation Day WHEN : 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. WHERE : Prospect Community Center, 305 Red Blanket Road, and The Old Station, on Mill Creek Drive next to the Prospect Historic Hotel. WHAT : See artisans at work at the center, then visit The Old Station. By MELISSA MARTIN PROSPECT -- Baskets woven with pine needles, wreaths made out of pine cones, designer quilts and canvas saddlebags that fit over the saddle horn. These are a few of the items that will be sold during this logging town's first-ever Arts Appreciation Day, set from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. There will be braided rugs, notecards with photographs of local landscapes, wooden rocking horses, obsidian jewelry, cross-stitched table runners, stained glass, pottery and T-shirts. "We have 20 artists signed up," says quilter Rosie Jenkins. Her most recent creation depicts the historic town of Jacksonville. She is a member of a newly created artists cooperative that has remodeled an abandoned gas station into a shop called The Old Station. Artists will take turns running the shop and selling local art and hand-crafted items to summer tourists. "We get people from all over the world who come here to stay at the Prospect Historic Hotel. And after they've had their meal and showered, they can go shopping at The Old Station," Jenkins says. To kick off the grand opening of The Old Station, the artists will demonstrate their talents in the community center Saturday. There will be a children's craft table run by Jaime Smith, obsidian jewelry made by Terry Barker, deerhide lamp shades made by Imma Gean and fabric bears sewn by Jo Paxton. Fixing up the gas station became a community event, says Jo Turner, the Prospect Hotel owner who is leasing the building to the arts group. Artists scrubbed and painted the floor, washed the windows, hung curtains and added a wallpaper border. "This is a way to help Prospect, because the economy has been slow," says former logger Les David. He now builds power poles. David creates saddlebags that fit over the saddle horn, making it possible for riders to reach for a water bottle or a snack without dismounting. The Arts Appreciation Day is one of several events financed by a $3,000 Arts Build Community grant, says Dianna Dunning, a parent volunteer at Prospect School. The grant was matched by a $3,000 combined donation from the Prospect Lioness Club, PacifiCorp and the Ford Family Foundation. "We have a wealth of artists in this community and they share the same vision," Dunning says. "We want to show school children that you can excel in art, as well as in academics and sports," she says. Besides the Arts Appreciation Day, the grant paid for a poetry class for elementary students featuring poet Dave May; a music workshop with folk singer Denise Johnson; a middle school play produced by Prospect director Richard Dickenson; and a class with Prospect photographer Sandy Cathcart. "She will work with a high school language arts class to develop a historic book about Prospect," Dunning says. The grant is also paying for a fall visit by an Oregon Shakespeare Festival cast. They will perform plays for Prospect and Butte Falls students. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA