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Record crowds attend 4th events

Complaints made about burning rubber

Whether it was because the Fourth fell on a Saturday, lower gas prices enticed travelers, or folks were just in a patriotic mood, this year’s holiday weekend may have been an attendance record-breaker in Southwest Colorado.

“Our parade was exceptionally well-attended,” said Tim Walsworth, executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District, which organized the Durango parade. “One change I would make for next year would be to ask the city for help with barricades to keep the crowd a little safer.”

If there was a complaint about the Durango parade, it was the final entry presented by Durango Harley-Davidson. Some families were upset about a motorcycle strapped to a trailer burning rubber, both for the noise factor and the odoriferous cloud generated.

“It had mufflers on it, and wasn’t any noisier than floats in other parades with big speakers,” said Lt. Ray Shupe of the Durango Police Department. “My main concern is for safety, not noise, and I didn’t see anything dangerous there.”

The police department received some complaints, but mainly for the smoke, he said.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of a complaint,” Walsworth said. “The parade entry says floats can’t be excessively loud, but that’s a city rule. As for the odor, horses smell, and no one complains about that.”

Shupe said DPD plans to speak with both BID and Harley-Davidson.

“Typically, we don’t intervene during a parade, we usually address any concerns afterward,” he said. “This probably would have fit better in the motorcycle parade (on Labor Day Weekend) rather than a parade with families and small children.”

Harley-Davidson did not return a call asking for a comment.

Silverton, renowned for its Fourth of July festivities, also had a larger-than-normal holiday crowd.

“Three years ago, we had 18,000,” said San Juan County Sheriff Bruce Conrad, “and I would say we were definitely in that ballpark or higher this year.”

DeAnne Gallegos, director of the Silverton Chamber of Commerce, said two things confirm the bumper crowd – the Rhubarb Festival, a fundraiser for the Silverton Public Library, sold out, as did the Ducky Derby, a fundraiser for the chamber.

The weekend is an important one for Silverton businesses, where many do a week’s worth of business in one day, she said. The biggest problem merchants faced is one they face every year, she said, intermittent cellphone and Internet access because cell towers overload.

Anyone hoping to attend Silverton’s festivities for the 240th birthday of the U.S. in 2016 should make their reservations now, Gallegos said. Reservations are already coming in for the RV Parks, campgrounds and hotels, which all fill up starting a week before the holiday.

abutler@durangoherald.com



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