ALAMOSA — About 50 people turned out for the unveiling of 13 murals on Saturday at the Colorado Visitor Center in Alamosa.

The festivities began with the unveiling of a heart-shaped work, "We Love our National Park," by artist Casey McCoy, who said, "You can't spell heart without art." McCoy told those gathered that as a child he was struck by a mural he saw of the Valley and said, "I remember when I was little I told myself, 'I want to create something great like that someday." Moments later he and Kale Mortensen, executive director with Visit Alamosa unveiled his artwork.

Elizabeth Sumner with Visit Alamosa, said that while there are week-long celebrations of national parks throughout the country, Alamosa celebrates our national park for the entire month of April. The "Share the Love Community Mural Project," is led by artists Katie Dokson and Bianca Maestas.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Superintendent Andrea Compton said, " I'm so glad to be here, we appreciate the invitation from visit Alamosa and this partnership between the whole community, the whole valley, and Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. "Every day I wake up and marvel at the beauty of this place. I think about the snow-capped mountains in the park and ring the Valley as well... The hummingbirds are back."

In other art related national park news, Compton told the Valley Courier that composer Stephen Lias is working on a symphonic work to celebrate the park. Lias has composed several works to honor parks including Rocky Mountain, Denali, and Glacier. Compton said the work is scheduled to premiere in January by the Boulder Philharmonic.

Regarding the mural of a large trout Bianca Maestas worked on she said, "We wanted to focus on animals and landscapes, so we did this fish and as you can see the hook so it indicates that someone is fishing without having a human background. We wanted to have these elements of nature from throughout the Valley. We have fish, trees, and stars everywhere."