Kathryn Hasley, right, of Grand Junction eyes the selection of chocolate while Clare Murray of Wasilla, Alaska, samples a piece at the Blue Pig Gallery during Saturday’s fourth annual Art and Chocolate Walk in downtown Palisade.

Barber Brandon Piper shaves Esto Paniagua at Niko’s Barbershop on 1st Street.

Lenora Schmitt, 2, holds photos of Lance, a boy with cerebral palsy that her family is hoping to adopt from an Eastern European country. With her are, from left, her sister Elliana, 7, mother Melissa, and brother Louis, 4 months.

Grand Junction musician Dennis Woodrich plays the piano for the residents at the Mesa View Retirement Residence, 601 Horizon Court Friday afternoon.  Woodrich was playing holiday tunes to the crowd.

Work to remove the mill tailings pile near Moab, Utah, continues. The snow-covered La Sal Mountains are seen in the background.

A drill rig on the Roan Plateau in Garfield County.

Ten-month-old Brayden Gemberling, left, of Grand Junction and his sister Leah, 4, enjoy a feast at the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving dinner held Thursday at the Elks Lodge, Fourth Street and Ute Avenue.

A man, second from right, suspected of burglarizing a Little Park Road home and stealing the homeowner’s car is taken into custody after a four-hour standoff in the Riverside area Wednesday. Officers fired several cannisters of tear gas into the structure in which the unidentified man was hiding, and arrested him several minutes later.

A S.W.A.T. officer communicates with girl and a woman trapped in a house within the perimeter as officers surround several homes in Riverside trying to arrest a man wanted for burglary and auto theft Wednesday. Both the girl and the woman were later evacuated in the Sheriff’s Department ‘s Tactical Rescue vehicle.

Couty Sheriff’s deputies man a perimeter around a structure in Riverside where man is presumed to be hiding after burglarizing a home on Little Park Road and stealing the homeowner’s car Wednesday. The man was believed to be in possession of multiple firearms missing from the residence, according to a sheriff’s deputy at the scene.

While Sally Lowe watches, David Morgan stirs the cranberry sauce as yams cook on the stove in preparation for today’s (Thursday) community Thanksgiving dinner at First Christian Church, 1326 N. First Street.

Sally Lowe, right, and Verda laugh as they chat while putting Thanksgiving Day napkins at each place setting on the tables set for Thursday’s community dinner in the fellowship hall at First Christian Church, 1326 N. First St., this morning. The public is invited to parktake of the turkey dinner, which lasts from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Three-year-old Wyatt Mollack of Grand Junction catches a tiny bit of air as he rides his two-wheeled bicycle over a jump at the Lunch Loop Bike Park. Wyatt, who just turned three earlier this month, was at the park with two friends and their dad.

Lori Ellis with Johnson House of Flowers, 1350 North Avenue setting up the green house with poinsettia.The poinsettia is a culturally and commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family that is indigenous to Mexico and Central America. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays.

Pascual Guerrero empties a commingled container of recyclable materials while Kevin Anway mans the controls inside the truck as the two work their recycling route in northeast Fruita. The right bucket on the front of the truck is for paper and cardboard, while the left holds such items as glass and plastic. Both men are employees of Waste Management.

Lisa Ritland, a Consumer Advocate with the Colorado Public Interest Research Group demonstrating the choking hazard that a small toy can cause Tuesday during a news conference at Community Hospital.

Matthew Dokoupil, Sodexo district manager, carves a turkey alongside volunteer Jackie Crawford in the Colorado Mesa University cafeteria kitchen on Monday. The turkeys will be donated and served at Elk’s Lodge from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. as part of a free Thanksgiving day feast. 130 turkeys were provided by the Salvation Army.

The start of the stage 2 race of the USA Pro Challenge Bike Race in Montrose on August 10, 2012.

The red rock cliffs are reflected in the Colorado River just up river from the town of Moab, Utah on a warm fall day.

12-year-old Dylan Meeder of Grand Junction hits one of the jumps at the skate Park at Long Family Memorial Park Monday afternoon. 11-year-old Creighton Carey looks on. They and fellow students in School District 51 are out of school this week for Thanksgiving.

Stephanie Johnson dances down the runway to the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” as she models an evening dress during this year’s Hospice Fashion Show held Sunday at the DoubleTree Hotel.

Laurie Irions dances to the music as she models a blouse and pants at this year’s Hospice Fashion Show at the DoubleTree Hotel on Sunday.

Fabric artist Nichola Moss of Grand Junction knits at her booth while wearing one of her hand-painted silk scarves on the third and final day of the 41st annual Art Center Art and Craft Fair.

Joan Graham of Grand Junction rocks a babydoll beside a crib at the Hugging Grannies for Orphans booth at the Alternative Christmas Fair held Sunday at the Lincoln Park Barn.

Store manager Jeff Long holds up the Black Friday ad for Sears in Mesa Mall. Sears will open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, making it the first store in the Grand Junction area that will open for Black Friday shoppers with doorbuster deals.