Residents and visitors in Southwest Colorado have a plethora of activities they can choose from this Fourth of July and holiday weekend.
They can celebrate time-honored traditions like the 71st annual Pagosa Springs Red Ryder Roundup Rodeo or the 67th annual Dove Creek Pick n’ Hoe. Or they can try something new, like the first-ever Durango Boxing Competition.
Other forms of entertainment include river activities, live music and fireworks.
Outdoor enthusiasts can rejoice because Southwest Colorado is forecast to have dry and clear conditions for the latter half of this week going into the weekend, with lower elevations enjoying highs in the mid-80s every day and slight chances for passing afternoon clouds.
Fireworks in this wildfire-prone region have been hit and miss over the years, but at least in Durango the official word is that fireworks are a go, thanks in part to the abundant rainfall during the past two weeks.
Here are highlights to consider this Fourth of July. A full schedule of events for Durango, Bayfield, Silverton, Cortez, Mancos, Rico, Towaoc, Dove Creek, Pagosa Springs and Farmington can be found here.
Blues? Reggae? Rock? Southwest Colorado has several live music options this holiday weekend.
Durango will offer a performance of the Southwest Civic Winds Jazz Band at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Rotary Park, featuring hits from the big band era to the present.
On Thursday, the rockin’ Viny Lust and bluesy James Kirk Band will play at the Building Homes for Heroes BBQ & Bands Picnic in Buckley Park. And later, the self-styled “new Americana” band Desert Child and the funk, soul and jazz fusion act The Motet will perform at the Transit Center.
Over the weekend, catch acoustic cover band YES, NO, MAYBE at 11th Street Station and the Stillwater Band before Movie Night in Buckley Park on Friday. On Saturday, enjoy guitar and mandolin duo Reeder and Spencer, and then one-man band I Am Hologram before finishing off with a DJ Dance Party all at 11th Street Station.
Durango doesn’t have a monopoly over the music, though. People can also sing along to patriotic songs at the Community Concert at the athletic field in Pagosa Springs’ town park. Or they can go to Ute Mountain Casino in Towaoc to hear the indie group Cathartika and the Native country star D. Johnson on Thursday. Or they can groove to reggae group Dem Roots Music and get another chance to catch the James Kirk Band at Mancos Brewing Co. on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
Pay tribute to the 248th celebration of American independence by cherishing some of Southwest Colorado’s other time-honored Fourth of July traditions.
Dove Creek is celebrating the 68th annual Pick n’ Hoe festival, the name inspired by the community’s mining and farming heritage, said organizer Theresa Martin. Fourth of July is synonymous with Pick n’ Hoe in Dove Creek, the festival comprising five consecutive days of live entertainment, competition and all-American fun.
The highlights of this year’s Pick n’ Hoe will be on Thursday, including a greased pole climbing and pig-catching competition, as well as the much-beloved Meat Pit and Cook Shack.
The Meat Pit is a hole dug in the ground lined with burlap and filled with meat stuffed in turkey bags. After the pit is full of meat, it is covered with dirt and a fire is started on top. Once the meat has been cooked, it is dug up and served fresh at the Cook Shack.
In what is intended to become an annual event, this year’s holiday weekend will feature the first ever Animus on the Animas, an amateur boxing event hosted by The Good Fight Boxing Gym and held Saturday at the Main Mall, 835 Main Ave.
The hosts anticipate 20 to 30 bouts complete with boxing officials, athletes, coaches and families from multiple states. The event also doubles as a fundraiser for the Good Fight Scholarship Fund, which helps cover the cost of boxing education and/or equipment for those who would otherwise struggle to afford them.
Katy Kopec, owner of The Good Fight Boxing Gym, said this will be the first USA Boxing certified match in Durango’s history, and the city’s first major match since future heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey knocked out Andy Malloy in 1915.
Kopec said about 40% of the gym’s members pay nothing or a reduced price thanks to the Good Fight Scholarship, which until now has been paid for out of pocket by Kopec.
“A lot of people come to boxing at their lowest movements, and it saves lives,” Kopec said.
This year’s Fourth of July is forecast to be sunny and in the high 80s for most of the holiday weekend.
Put on the best red, white and blue outfit in your wardrobe, hop in a raft or float (depending on water levels) and drift down the San Juan River to participate in Pagosa Springs’ Freedom Float Tubing Parade. The parade starts at the put-in downtown and meanders through the heart of Pagosa.
In Silverton and Rico, people can participate in the great American pastime of racing rubber duckies down swift-moving bodies of water.
In Silverton, duckies can be purchased from the Visitor’s Center before Thursday or in Memorial Park on derby day. Ducks will be launched into Cement Creek at 2 p.m. Thursday.
In Rico, the duckies can be purchased from the Rico Volunteer Fire Department for $10 each, and the duck drop will be from the North Rico Bridge at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Is there anything more American than the automobile? This symbol long associated with the country’s prosperous and freedom-loving people will be celebrated at the Cortez Car Show on Thursday hosted by Richard Terril president of the car club BumzAroden.
Terril said the name BumzAroden is a play on words combining hot-rod and his grandfather’s surname, Bumgarner, the man who Terril said inspired the love for automobiles that’s been passed through four generations of his family.
Terril said he loves cars and bringing other car lovers together, “because it’s art, no matter if it’s a rusty old pick-up or a shiny new Lamborghini, it’s all artwork, and everybody does their own individual stuff to the vehicle to make it their own.”
The car show will run from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Cortez’s Veteran Park and will also be accompanied by live music, food and refreshments. People are encouraged to talk shop with other custom-car owners from across the region, admire their craftsmanship and compete for the ultimate Fourth of July car show prize, the title of most “American Spirit,” with a trophy to boot.
nmetcalf@durangoherald.com
