The launch of the 2015 SculptureTour Salina was a mix of smiles, rain showers and conversations about the twenty-five new works unveiled in downtown Saturday.

Laurel Talley of Salina marveled at the craftsmanship in “Daughters of Peace,” a sculpture that depicts the daughter of a white settler and daughter of a Native American mother sharing a doll.

“You wonder how the artist ever managed to get such small intricate things like the braids or the little beads on the moccasins,” she said.

The kickoff of the walking tour, which is now in its fifth year was highlighted by live music in Campbell Plaza, and scrumptious fair provided by the many restaurants on Santa Fe Avenue.

Saxen and Sawyer Walker of Salina both climbed up to take a closer look at “Flora Grande II” a work of steel and copper sprouting out near the corner of Sante Fe and Iron Avenue, “They look like flowers,” Saxen said.

His brother Sawyer added, “I don’t know how they made something so high.”

Exhibit jurors named “Zenith” as Best in Show this year. Crafted by the mother-daughter team of Marianne and Scy Caroselli in bronze, the work represents a woman reaching upwards to her zenith.

The outdoor exhibit runs from May until April of 2016, with the public voting for “The People’s Choice Award.” The winning piece will then be relocated to a permanent site somewhere in Salina.

A new rotation of sculptures will be unveiled next May. Sculpture Tour Salina ballots can be found downtown near the crosswalks and deposited in one of six marked ballot boxes. Voting closes December 31, 2015