The city of Durango is going to be short on hotel rooms and high in tourists during the week of July 4, Independence Day, according to the city of Durango.
The city is hosting “4 Days of the Fourth” from July 3-6, with parades, biking and running events, barbecues and – weather and fire conditions not forbidding – a fireworks show the evening of July 4.
“The window of when people are booking is much shorter. It's more like 24 to 48 hours. But what (hotels are) seeing with their bookings right now looks like it’s going to fill in fully that Fourth of July,” said Ellen Babers, community events specialist for the city of Durango.
It appears as if many Durango residents plan to stay in town through the holiday weekend, she said. The city is partnering with nearly 30 organizations, including the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4031, the Rotary Club of Durango and the youth cyclist group Durango Devo to make the holiday weekend memorable.
“We’re looking at a lot of people doing rain dances,” Babers said of the prospect of a fireworks show.
Fireworks will largely depend on whether fire restrictions are in place.
Durango Fire Protection District Chief Randy Black said despite a relatively wet spring, the rest of June is looking to be dry, hot and windy.
“We've had a number of rain storms, and each storm buys us about a week of delaying (concerns for) the fire season,” he said. “Back in even early May, we were talking about fire restrictions, and that hasn't happened yet. So that’s a good sign.”
But the forecast is “not looking good,” he said.
Temperatures are expected to reach 90 degrees next week, he said, and time will tell what conditions will be like leading up to July 4.
The city contracted Zambelli Fireworks to host a fireworks show, which is planned to launch from Durango’s off-leash dog park southwest of the DoubleTree intersection. The city budgeted $36,500 for the spectacle, Babers said.
This is the second year the city plans to use the dog park as the launch site instead of Greenmount Cemetery, west of downtown, that was used in previous years.
Regardless of whether fireworks launch on July 4, there will be plenty of entertainment for residents and visitors.
The city’s annual Fourth of July Parade is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Main Avenue on Independence Day.
This year’s theme is “Wet & Wild,” and the city is offering prizes for the best floats:
- The first place float will take home $300.
- Second place will net $200.
- Third place will pocket $100.
At 5:30 p.m. July 3, the Fort Lewis College Community Concert Hall is putting on a show at Buckley Park at 1250 Main Ave.
The Rotary Club of Durango and the Daybreak Rotary Club is hosting a scrumptious breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. July 4. The delicacies include scrambled eggs, green chili eggs, sausage, pancakes, fruit toppings, and biscuits and gravy.
That is a ticketed event, and ticket prices are as follows:
- Tickets for adults are $15 before July 1 and $20 after July 1.
- Tickets for children ages 6-12 are $8 before July 1 and $10 afterward. Children under the age of 6 may receive a meal free of charge.
- First responders can purchase a ticket for a flat $10.
On July 5, the second Annual Durango Boxing Competition dubbed “Animus on the Animas” will be held near 10th Street and Main Avenue, “under the Jack Dempsey Mural,” where a full-size boxing ring will be erected to showcase boxers of all ages and backgrounds. The bouts will be held from noon to 9 p.m. About 20 bouts will be presented by The Good Fight Boxing Gym and is a USA Boxing-sanctioned amateur showcase, according to the city of Durango.
More events from July 3 through July 6 are listed at durangoco.gov/1260/4th-of-July-Events.
Bayfield is holding a fireworks display at Memorial Park at dusk on July 4, according to the town.
Silverton also plans a fireworks display after dusk on July 4, said Deanne Gallegos, Visit Silverton executive director.
“We plan on doing the same amazing show that we’ve always done,” she said
She said the evening of July 4 will be “booming in the hamlet and valley” of Silverton, including during the day leading up to the spectacle with family-focused activities such as a fun-run, parade and other activities.
Gallegos asked visitors to go to silvertoncolorado.com for more information. If people want to book lodging, they shouldn’t wait, because it fills up fast, she said.
cburney@durangoherald.com
