By Mary Jo Coulehan
Pagosa Springs Area
Chamber of Commerce
The year is flying by and various contingencies are already organizing activities for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. We’re putting this information out now for your planning purposes. Here are a few activities to look forward to and plan for.
There will be a Fourth of July parade. Coverage of this event was mentioned in a previous SUN publication; however, we are still receiving lots of inquiries about this activity. The parade will be held on Saturday, July 3, at 10 a.m. Staging will occur at Pagosa Springs High School and lineup along South 6th Street. The parade will head out onto U.S. 160 and continue to Hot Springs Boulevard. The parade will then travel south along Hot Springs Boulevard and head back to the high school.
Applications will be available through the Town of Pagosa Springs’ website, www.pagosasprings.co.gov, or hard copies available at Town Hall. There is no fee; however, you will need to get your forms into the town in advance to accommodate lineup of the floats.
The Chamber is preparing for the three-day Park to Park Artisan Market beginning on July 2 and ending July 4. More than 50 vendors are scheduled for this year. The vendors will be located in both Town Park and the athletic field across from Town Park. There is an array of fabulous handcrafted and popular commercial items to shop for. The fair will be held every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Red Ryder Rodeo will be back this year with the 71st annual rodeo July 2-4. Evening performances begin at 6 p.m. on July 2 and 3. On July 4, the rodeo will be held starting at 2 p.m. The rodeo takes place at the Western Heritage Event Center off of U.S. 84 and Mill Creek Road. Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate or online at www.pagosarodeo.com. If you are interested in box seats, that information is also listed on the website.
Often the highlight of the holiday is the fireworks display. Barring any fire restrictions, the fireworks are scheduled to be held on the Fourth of July in the vicinity of Pagosa Springs High School. There are many places to observe the fireworks and we will present more information as the date and assurance of being able to shoot off fireworks draws closer.
The Pagosa Band, aka Pagosa Instrumental Society, will also hold its free patriotic concert on July 4 at The Springs Resort. People can view and listen to the music from Centennial Park (which is where the growing domes are located) or The Springs Resort property.
There is still plenty of time over the weekend to enjoy family and our great outdoors, along with servicing the many visitors that will be descending upon our community, as this is one of Pagosa’s busiest seasons of the entire year.
Numerous vaccination clinics available
There are numerous reasons why people haven’t been vaccinated or are still wondering if they should. However, availability of vaccines and clinics to issue the vaccine is not one of the reasons to put off getting vaccinated. As the public reduces wearing facial coverings and gathers in groups more, vaccinations are encouraged. There are several available clinics in the near future. The regular clinic on Thursdays will be moved to Pagosa Springs High School and run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will be a Pfizer clinic. While walk-ins are welcome, appointments are also taken by going to https://www.comassvax.org//appointment/en/reg/1596013201.
If your business is interested in hosting a clinic for your employees or even just at your place of business, please call the Chamber at (970) 264-2360 so that we can put you in contact with the appropriate San Juan Basin Public Health representative to schedule such an event.
There are also the following agencies offering vaccines by appointment: Pagosa Medical Group, Axis Health, Pagosa Springs Medical Center and City Market.
