What used to be a facility for treating water now facilitates the arts in Winkler.

The new Winkler Arts and Culture Centre held its first arts classes this week. Classes will run for the next two weeks as well, and WAC Executive Director Wendy Klassen says of the 144 available spots more than 70 percent have been filled.

She notes it is a gratifying feeling to finally see the centre in use after years of planning and dreaming by the WAC Board.

"They have put so much planning into this building so for me to be able to come here and do classes for kids, it's exciting," Klassen says.

She notes the art centre has big plans for Harvest Festival weekend including holding its first art show, "there's a lot of really amazing art work that has been submitted already," Klassen says. "So we're very excited to hang it."

The centre will open afternoons and evenings during the August 10-12 weekend, along with live music Saturday night.

Students tried their hands at sculpting and painting clay figurines this week