“Wild women” clad in pink boas and other art walkers had a chance to see everything from pressed flowers to faux finish wall designs Friday evening at Art Walk 2005.

Nice weather and this year’s first Wild Women’s Weekend helped to attract a steady crowd of about 300 to the Main Street Cultural District.

Rosemary Mitchum, a Boone resident and an employee of Beverley’s Gift and China Shop, 209 Main St., says the turnout was similar to last year’s Art Walk.

“Last year we had good weather, this year we’ve got good weather again,” she says. “We did at least 300 [people] last year, and we’ve almost done that in bottles of water tonight, so that kind of gives us a head count.”

Debbie Landuyt, a Huxley resident, and Peggy Riecken, an Ames resident, attended the Art Walk to kick off their participation in Wild Women’s Weekend.

“It was a fun girls’ night out because we don’t do it very often,” Landuyt says.

The women say watching an artist at work became a very memorable experience when Greg Lamont, a local pottery artist, demonstrated his craft for them at the Main Street Cultural District Office, 526 Main St.

“He was throwing a pot right there in front of us and explained the process,” Riecken says. “He gave us a brief lesson.”

“Yes he did, because I made the mistake of saying I could never do that because I’m not artistic,” Landuyt says.

Wild women were easily identified by business owners and employees by their distinctive pink boas, which helped create a light-hearted atmosphere.

“The Wild Women Weekend, I think, was a fun addition,” Mitchum says. “It enhanced it for both.”

Marla and Mike Miller, owners of Gallery 319, 314 Main St., say the added traffic from Art Walk through the downtown area helped make customers aware of what the downtown has to offer.

“I like talking to the people and having so many new people come through,” Mike Miller says. “I think we’ve picked up new clients from it. We specialize in local art and local artists, and it gives them a lot of exposure.”

“We have some people that purchase things tonight, but then we’ll have a lot of people that will come back because we do custom picture framing,” Marla Miller says.

Kris Konrady, manager of the Octagon Shop, 427 Douglas Ave., says the most positive aspect of the evening was “the interactions between the artists and the public and the interactions between the business owners and the public.”

Irene Pope, an Ames resident and one of the local artists, displayed her pressed flower greeting cards in Worldy Goods, 223 Main St.

Pope says she first started pressing flowers from her garden when her sister got her into the craft 15 years ago.

“I’ve always been a gardener,” she says.

Pope uses a very simple technique, something she learned in an article about one of her favorite movie stars, the late Grace Kelly, who also was interested in the craft.

“I press in large telephone books,” she says. “One time, I sent her a couple of my things, and she sent the nicest letter back thanking me.”

Clare Bills, an Ames resident and an artist specializing in faux-finish wall designs, displayed her glazing techniques on the walls of Kitchen, Bath and Home, 201 Main St.

This year’s art walk was the first she has participated in since her business, ColorFaux Designs, opened in August.

Bills says it took her the five weeks prior to Art Walk to finish the walls of the store.

“I think there’s a lot of interest too in this building because it’s a historic building,” she says.

Bills says although her business has been booming, Art Walk provided something more for artists than just being able to sell their work.

“I think it’s wonderful to promote all kinds of art and for me personally, to have people be able to come out and see it, physically walk around and touch it — it’s just priceless,” Bills says.