By Mary Jo Coulehan
Pagosa Springs Area
Chamber of Commerce
September will be a month filled with season-end events celebrating music, food and the fall season. After a year’s hiatus from some of the community’s most popular events, people are excited to get back out and enjoy some entertainment.
Labor Day weekend brings the Four Corners Folk Festival. The location is still the same, Reservoir Hill, from Friday, Sept. 3, to Sunday, Sept. 5. Tickets are available at www.ksutpresents.org.
A modification in attendance this year is the requirement for a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination within 72 hours of arrival at the festival and a photo ID. This requirement will be required for ticket holders, staff, volunteers, vendors and performers.
First time to the Four Corners stage will be performers such as Valerie June, Ron Artis II and the Truth, and Rising Appalachia. There will also be some returning favorites such as Darrell Scott and the Tim O’Brien Band. Tickets are available for a day or the whole weekend. Enjoy this Pagosa mainstay of events as it celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Four Corners Folk Festival.
The Chamber brings back the ColorFest activities with hot air balloons, a wine and food festival, and a beer festival from Sept. 17-19. More than 35 hot air balloons will fill the sky on Saturday from the downtown area and on Sunday from the west side of town around the North Pagosa and Park areas. Mass ascensions will take place at about 8 a.m. in the morning.
The weekend kicks off Friday night with the Passport to Pagosa Wine and Food Festival. General admission tickets are available for this tasting.
On Saturday afternoon, regional and state breweries will come to town for the Bands and Brews festival. Lisa Saunders and the Caborado Band and Felix y Los Gatos will provide the lively entertainment while breweries, cideries and even a bloody mary mix vendor provide the samples for tasting.
The traditional hot air balloon night glow will take place at dusk, after 7 p.m. It is certainly a magical evening. Tickets for this event may also be purchased online for beer tasting or just general admission. There will also be a bounce house for the kids and food vendors for all that are hungry. Visit https://pagosachamber.com/colorfest/ for more information.
The Breakfast with Balloons event will not take place this year; however, the ColorFest Color Run/Walk will take place in the downtown area on Saturday morning beginning at 7 a.m. Participants will get splashed with colors as they walk or run the downtown course. Visit https://aspenhousepagosa.org/ to register for the event.
Rounding out September will be the annual Mountain Chile Cha Cha and the Patty Aragon Green Chile Classic. Competition for amateur and professional categories will be available, including meat and vegetarian options. There will also be Mexican quaffs and a margarita contest with some of Pagosa’s best restaurants and bars competing for this coveted award. Food vendors will be on hand as well as live music by award-winning band Sangre Joven. There will be the Mountain Chile Cha Cha Trail Race, which includes a 5 and 10k run as well as a half marathon. You can register for the race or find out more about entering the cook-off at www.mountainchilechacha.com.
Also on Sept. 25, Rise Above Violence will celebrate its 25th year as an organization with their Art Above Violence live event at the Tennyson Building Event Center. Tickets for the event are either by general admission or VIP reserved. Enjoy appetizers, beverages and live entertainment. The art included is not just visual, but musical, dance, literary and more. It is a magnificent event to attend at a wonderful venue. Tickets can be purchased by visiting https://www.riseaboveviolence.org/art-above-violence.html#/.
This is a beautiful time of year in Pagosa, and residents and visitors alike often comment that it is one of the best seasons to enjoy here in southwest Colorado. If you have family or friends coming to visit, there will probably be a weekend when something fun and exciting is going on. For more information, visit the Chamber’s website at www.pagosachamber.com or the individual event websites.
