As some take shelter from the storm others collect rain and hail samples during one of the squalls that moved through Durango on Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango. The fundraiser for Manna Soup Kitchen raises about $20,000 annually.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Lewis Michell prepares Goat Curry Stew during the Taste of Durango on Sunday.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Evelyn Giordano, 2, tastes the available treats during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday while catching the view from mom’s, Katie Giordano’s, lap.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
As crowds take shelter from rain and hail during Sunday afternoon’s Taste Of Durango, Gideon Engh, 1, stares out at the happenings from Stone Fired Pizzeria with his parents Teila and Aaron Engh from Albuquerque, N.M.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
As food lovers take shelter from rain and hail that moved through Durango during Sunday afternoon’s Taste Of Durango celebration, 1-year-old Gideon Engh stares out at the happenings from Stone Fired Pizzeria with his parents Teila and Aaron Engh from Albuquerque, N.M. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Rain and hail moves through Durango Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Elder Grown performs Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
As some take shelter from the storm others collect samples of the rain and hail that moved through Durango Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Jamey Mossengren performs Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango along Main Avenue. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Jenn Derosa serves ice cream from her truck during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Lewis Michell prepares Goat Curry Stew for guests during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Flatiron steaks are cut and prepared by staff of the Ore House during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Crowds stroll Main Avenue on Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
James Urias, left, and Carlos Miguel of The Yellow Carrot prepare a dish for guests during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Mitchell Lipska, left, and Malcolm Kelly, both with Ken and Sue’s, prepare a treats for guests during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Nick Tachery flips flatiron steaks for the Ore House during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Evelyn Giordano, 2, tastes the treats available during the Taste Of Durango on Sunday from her mom’s, Katie Giordano’s, lap. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
As rain and hail moves through Durango on Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango, some buy tokens to purchase food and beverages as others bring out umbrellas. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Jamey Mossengren performs for the crowd Sunday afternoon during the Taste Of Durango along Main Avenue in Durango. Photo by Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald.
Heavy downpours, sporadic lightning and three rounds of hail were not enough to deter foodinistas at Sunday’s
For most of the afternoon, the food festival went off without a hitch as more than 45 local restaurants, breweries and other retailers filled Main Avenue from the 700 to 1100 blocks.
Then, around 1 p.m., the skies opened up.
Crowds ran for shelter and huddled under canopies as general mayhem ensued.
Yet not many left.
“You know what’s cool?” asked Mandi Davis, board secretary of the Colorado Restaurant Association. “There’s less people here, but if you look down the street, there’s still thousands of people here. They’re committed.”
Davis said even repeated bouts of hail couldn’t steer away the food enthusiasts.
“It was crazy,” she said. “When that second round of hail hit, everyone was cheering. It gives us that community feeling. And it sure is Colorado weather.”
In its 18th year, the Taste of Durango benefits Manna Soup Kitchen, raising nearly $20,000 annually.
Davis did not have exact numbers Sunday afternoon, but said it “felt busier” than last year. A lot of that stems from return vendors, as well as some new restaurants in the mix, she said.
One of those is Lorenzo’s Lovable Latin, which opened in December at the site that once housed Cocina Linda in the Albertsons parking lot. Large lines waited outside Lorenzo’s tent to try the new food.
“We’re holding our own,” said owner Jose “Lorenzo” Sanchez, a native of Cuba who moved to Durango in 2000. The event offers for a great chance for exposure for a new business, he said.
“We knew we’d get a bunch of customers, but once people started trying it, the lines got bigger and bigger.”
Even after the rains tapered off around 2:30 p.m., crowds still finished up final rounds of beers, ate their last plates from local eateries, and danced to funk band Elder Grown.
Davis said official numbers wouldn’t be tallied until Monday.
