By Mary Jo Coulehan
Pagosa Springs Area
Chamber of Commerce
Coming off the heels of a very busy Fourth of July weekend, the Chamber would like to extend its thanks to so many organizations that made the weekend successful. Please see our ad in next week’s SUN publication for more specifics, but first and foremost, a big thanks to all our businesses and those who work in those businesses. This is one of Pagosa’s busiest weeks of the year. Without all the people who work hard and give up time away from family to take care of visitors and those of us who do have the holiday off, we thank you. Not only the businesses, but the government agencies who worked to make the parade successful, those who try and keep traffic under control, those who answer medical emergencies and so much more. We are one successful village.
The Chamber is moving forward with two more events for this year. In August, we will hold the 12th annual Pagosa Springs Car Show. The event will take place on Aug. 13 and 14 on Lewis Street. On, Aug. 13, the Street Party will begin at 5 p.m. We will be alerting neighboring businesses that Lewis Street will be closed down at noon on that day to access and parking. The Street Party will feature the San Juan Mountain Boys playing an array of musical favorites as spectators get a preview to the full slate of cars that will be attending on Aug. 14. There will be food vendors, a beer and wine garden, the live music and, of course, the cars.
On Aug. 14, the Show and Shine will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. People can view the cars and vote for their favorite vehicle. In addition to the festivities from the night before, there will be additional vendors, a kids’ car craft area and music provided by the Retro Cats.
After the votes are tallied, the awards will take place at about 2:30 p.m. on Lewis Street. Trophies will be awarded in each category as long as there are multiple entries. Additional activities this year include a Slow Cruise on Friday night after the Street Party. Please note the term Slow Cruise and don’t expect burn outs or racing. This is an opportunity for people to come out and catch the cars as they cruise the highway. Then, on Saturday after the awards, there will be another cruise to the west side of town where the participants will cruise to the Pine Ridge and BeeHive areas and then enjoy an after-party at one of our west-side establishments (TBD). This just gives people another chance to view these classic cars.
Registration for the Car Show can be found at www.pagosachamber.com on the home page. Free T-shirts will be given to the first 100 entries and free dash plaques to the first 150 entries.
The details for the annual ColorFest celebration are also getting finalized. This extremely popular weekend of hot air balloons, wine and local food, and craft beer is a big attraction for many to come visit Pagosa at a cooler and colorful time of the year. ColorFest 2021 will take place Sept. 17-19. The Passport to Pagosa Wine and Food Festival will be held that Friday night, Sept. 17. Local restaurants, caterers and specialty foods along with delicious wines will satisfy the attendees in their pursuit of the “Best Of” foods.
That Saturday afternoon, from 4 to 7 p.m., craft brewers from around the states of Colorado and New Mexico will be the focus at the Bands and Brews celebration. We already have some new breweries that will be in attendance. In addition, we will also have hard cider and other tasty beverages to add to the craft beer experience. For all you non-beer drinkers, wine by the glass may be purchased and nonalcoholic beverages can also be obtained. The music is also being finalized with one performer secured. That is Lisa Saunders and her Caborado Band coming in from Cabo San Lucas. A balloon glow is also scheduled at about 7:30 p.m., after the beer festival. There will also be activities for the children, including a bounce house. Tickets for both the Passport and Bands and Brews will be available by mid-July through the Chamber’s website. Stay tuned as that date is announced.
The pilots are returning to Pagosa for two days of hot air balloon demonstrations. Colorful and special shaped balloons are on tap. They will launch from the downtown area on Sept. 18 along Hot Springs Boulevard.
The Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership (GGP) will again host its Saturday morning Breakfast with Balloons at the GGP site in Centennial Park. Tickets for this event will be available on its website, www.pagosagreen.org.
If you feel the need to get in a little exercise in the morning with a view, new promoters Aspen House Services will host the annual Color Run/Walk along the Riverwalk also on Saturday morning. On Sunday, the balloons will move to the west side of town, where the mountain and lakes backdrop make for some gorgeous photos.
As with all events, our need for volunteers is important. If you would like to volunteer for one of these events, please contact Elizabeth at (970) 264-2360 for details. There is work to do prior to the event, at the event helping serve food or pouring wine, working registration, directing traffic, set-up/breakdown and so much more. Event benefits come with volunteering. We could not put these events on without the support of the community. Let us know your level of engagement.
