The streets downtown were a gathering place for the First Friday Art Walk and launch of the Woodland Park Art Gallery, a project of Gayle Gross.

Founder of Reserve Our Gallery, Gross had designs on expanding viewer space throughout the downtown area — with each business part of a continuous gallery.

From the looks of things that Friday evening in October, it worked.

“This a fun event that gets people out to the local stores where they might not go without the walk,” said Julie Matthews, speaking at Great Outdoors Adventure. “For the local artists, their work is seen.”

Matthews had just taken the shuttle to Great Outdoors which is just west of the main downtown area, through the busy intersection of US 24 and CO 67.

On the shuttle Matthews said she had a conversation with two women from Chicago who heard about the gallery walk and went for it.

For Angelica Stoll, co-owner of the store with her husband Drew Stoll, the walk is more than just exposure.

“This is being part of the community, of being involved,” she said.

On down the road at Reserve Our Gallery, the walk headquarters, artists and viewers were oohing-and-ahhing the art while chit chatting over goodies prepared by Thom Seehafer’s Secret Desires Dessert Company.

At Zebz Outfooter, First Friday was good for getting the word out about the store’s athletic merchandise.

“There was definitely a lot of traffic in here today,” said Jill Emerson, a store employee.

For Lynn Jones, who owns the store with her husband George Jones, the art walk was a long time in coming.

“I’m glad to see this come to fruition,” Jones said. “It’s generating a lot of excitement.”

At the Cowhand, the gallery fits right in with the store’s artistic inventory.

“Our jewelry is all art, Native American art,” said Merry Jo Larsen, co-owner with her daughter Marty McKenna of the city’s oldest business.

And both types of art were viewed that evening.

“We are having lots of people looking at the merchandise, the paintings and the two bronze sculptures,” Larsen said.

Taking a breather on the bench outside The Cowhand, Debe McEnelly and Patricia Brannan were enjoying the walk as well as the fall colors of Woodland Park.

“I feel like this art walk is trick-or-treat for adults,” McEnelly said.

Other businesses on the tour: Sold Gr