As everyone gets ready for the experience that is the Wings Over the Rockies Festival, Pynelogs and the Columbia Valley Arts Council are determined not be left behind as their annual WIngs Over the Rockies and Lil’ Peeps art shows hit the gallery all this week.

Starting April 24 and 26, the two shows feature pieces from local artists, or in the Lil’ Peeps case, from children as young as 18 months old. This year’s theme centres around the Bugaboos, an idea that Jami Scheffer, CV arts manager and administrator, says was a natural fit thanks to a presentation by Pat Morrow on the same topic during the WIngs Festival in the following weeks.

“I just love to see the kids interpretation of what the theme is, and what it looks like,” Scheffer said. “It’s guaranteed to bring a smile, a chuckle, and an admiration for how kids can be so out of the box.”

The two shows will run side-by-side in the gallery, as both shows center around the Bugaboos theme. The children that participate hail from childcare programs from around the region, and artists for both shows will be submitting pieces ranging from painting, glasswork and ceramics to a special 3-D piece that Scheffer says one of the daycare programs have been working on.

“What their interpretation of the Bugaboos is — I have no idea,” Scheffer laughed. “It could be a bug for all I know.”

Scheffer says that since the arts council has regularly done shows for adults and teens  in the past, it only made sense to include the youngest artists in the valley when they started the Lil’ Peeps art show a few years ago.

Auction items will also be available to look at during the duration  of the shows, before the pieces are claimed at a gala May 12.