Arts and Entertainment

2016 is a golden year for John and Kathleen Davis of Evergreen in two ways:

First, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in March.

Second, they are celebrating their 50th anniversary as volunteers with the Evergreen Players this month.

Those who have worked with the Davises agree wholeheartedly that the couple are worth their weight in gold.

Despite not receiving a certified creative district designation from the state, members of the Evergreen arts community say working toward the certification for the past two years has paid off for the arts and local businesses.

“I think it made a lot of the arts organizations and a lot of community members aware of what we have here,” said Beth Riser, who has been heading the effort for the past few months. “The arts organizations came together and really started working together. … We have really cross-promoted each other.”

Mirada Fine Art in Indian Hills has been named the best art gallery in the Denver area as part of the 2016 Denver A-List awards. Five years after it was a finalist for the award, the gallery bested more than 100 other galleries from across the state, including the Space Gallery and Robischon Gallery in Denver.

According to co-owner Steve Sonnen, the honor is a validation of the gallery’s efforts since it opened in 2009.

StageDoor Theatre is bringing the search for the Great Pink Sea Snail to the stage with a production of “Dr. Dolittle, Jr.,” which will be performed by the middle school company May 6, 7, 13 and 14.

Director Mike Kinnie has been a fan of the original movie and its soundtrack since childhood.

“The story has a nice message: take care of the animals, don’t forget about the animals, animals are people too. So it’s a great story; it’s a great message.”