Organized by the MSV, Free Coloring Contest Runs Through December 28 Submission deadline has been extended! Entries must be returned to the MSV Guest Services Desk by Friday, December 30 at 3:30 p.m.
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Submission deadline has been extended! Entries must be returned to the MSV Guest Services Desk by Friday, December 30 at 3:30 p.m.
Winchester, VA 11/02/16…The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) and First Night Winchester invite artists of all ages to participate in the 2017 First Night Winchester Coloring Contest. Organized 
by the MSV and sponsored by Beyer Volvo and VW of Winchester, the free contest runs through December 28.
Drawn by Shenandoah Valley artist John Burns, this year’s coloring contest picture celebrates the 30th anniversary of First Night Winchester and the MSV exhibition And Still We Rise: African American Story Quilts. A traveling exhibition on a national tour, And Still We Rise presents 69 contemporary story quilts illustrating significant moments in African American history.
One lucky participant from each age group competing in the coloring contest—child (7 and under), youth (8–12), teen (13–17), and adult (18+)—will win a one-year family Membership to the MSV ($75 value), a family four-pack of buttons to First Night Winchester ($40 value), a package of McDonald’s® gift cards ($25 value), and two tickets for a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse Winchester, including free popcorn at the theater. Contest winners will be contacted on December 29. The four winning entries will be on display in the MSV lobby on December 31.
According to MSV Community Programs Manager Autumn Gray, this is the sixth year that the MSV has sponsored the coloring contest and served as a daytime entertainment venue for the First Night Winchester celebration.
On New Year’s Eve, the MSV will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. offering free admission to the MSV galleries to all wearing a First Night Winchester 2017 button, ages 12 and under, and MSV Members. For all others, regular admission rates apply ($10; $8 senior/ages 13–18).
Visitors may take part in a hat-making craft from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., enjoy face painting by Glitterbugz from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and see balloon creations being made from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional First Night entertainment at the MSV will be announced in early December.
Along with offering family-oriented First Night activities, New Year’s Eve at the MSV is also significant as December 31 is the final opportunity 
for visitors to see And Still We Rise at the MSV and to tour the Museum’s Glen Burnie House and gardens before they close for the winter season.
Those interested in participating in the coloring contest may pick up free coloring sheets at the MSV Guest Services Desk. Coloring sheets may also be downloaded from the MSV website www.theMSV.org. To be eligible to win a prize in the contest, participants must bring (or mail) completed coloring sheets to the MSV by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 29, 2016.
A regional cultural center, the MSV is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV includes galleries, the Glen Burnie House, and seven acres of gardens. The galleries and exhibitions are open year-round; the house and gardens are open April through December. 
Admission is $10 or $8 for seniors and youth ages 13 to 18. General admission is always free to youth ages 12 and under and to MSV Members. Thanks to sponsor Howard Shockey & Sons, Inc., admission is free to all every Wednesday. Additional details are available at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235. –END–
About First Night Winchester:
Founded in 1986, First Night Winchester is an alcohol-free New Year’s celebration of the arts in Old Town Winchester that features dozens of entertainers. The mission of First Night Winchester, Inc. is to bring friends and families together to unite our community in all its diversity through the visual and performing arts. More information about First Night Winchester is available online at www.firstnightwinchester.com.
About And Still We Rise: African American Story Quilts:
On view in the MSV Changing Exhibitions Gallery only through December 31, 2016, And Still We Rise: African American Story Quilts narrates 400 years of African American history through the display of 69 story quilts. A traveling exhibition on a national tour, And Still We Rise is presented by the Women of Color Quilters Network in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center and National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The exhibition’s display at the MSV is sponsored by BB&T and Shenandoah Country Q102 and presented in collaboration with the Winchester Area NAACP. Following its MSV display, And Still We Rise will travel to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
