"ColoradoTown.com KEYWORD A Taste of Colorado "
This year marks 25 years of A Taste of Colorado, an end-of-summer Labor Day Weekend celebration of community pride and spirit in the Denver region. Originally named Festival of Mountain and Plain and established in 1895 as a carnival similar to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, the Festival was created to boost the city’s morale and vitality following the silver panic. The event, unsuccessful in ending Denver’s depression and declining in attendance, folded in 1902 when organizers were unable to obtain financial support. In 1983, the Downtown Denver Partnership decided to bring back the spirit of the original Festival to commemorate the opening of the 16th Street Mall. The following year, A Taste of Colorado was added to the Festival of Mountain and Plain name and concept and moved back to Civic Center Park in Downtown Denver, where the event first began.
In addition to the Qwest Main Stage, five other entertainment stages located throughout the Festival will serve up a continuous menu of music, featuring rock, country, jazz, classic rock, blues, and ethnic groups.
More than 50 of Colorado’s favorite food establishments will be selling a wide variety of sample- and full-sized portions, ensuring that there is something for every palate. The Fine Dining area, sponsored by Sub-Zero and Wolf, will host some of Denver’s finest restaurants. The culinary showcase features local and nationally renowned chef demonstrations creating simple, yet elegant meals.
Festivalgoers can shop in the more than 250 Marketplace booths for original arts and crafts, home and gift items, furniture, jewelry, imports, and more. Shoppers can also explore the Home & Lifestyles area, which features a variety of exhibitors displaying products and services such as window installation, kitchen remodeling, cookware, basement refinishing, and salons and spas.
There will be plenty of music, magic, clowns, and puppets on the Party City KidzStage and the KidZone has play equipment and hands-on craft activities. Kids can write a poem about freedom (to be displayed in the KidZone), create a U.S. flag pin and learn about the history of the flag, make a President’s placemat, create a patriotic pinwheel, and more, as Denver celebrates the upcoming Presidential election. Kids and adults can also enjoy carnival rides and games Saturday through Monday.
Families can journey back to the roots of Colorado and have fun learning about the state’s pioneer past, nature, and the environment. In the Festival of Mountain and Plain area, featured artisans will demonstrate Navajo weaving and culture, spinning, rug braiding, lace crocheting, papermaking, and quilting along with the popular blacksmith demonstration. At the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program exhibit, children can learn about birds, their environment, and their interactions with humans. Free gold panning and educational materials on dinosaurs, volcanoes, rocks and minerals, and energy production and conservation are available at the Colorado Mining Exhibit. Sponsors of this year’s Festival are: 9NEWS, All Copy Products, American Satellite – An Authorized DIRECTV Dealer, Aquafresh Extreme Clean, Bally Total Fitness®, Blue Moon, Cold Front Distribution, Colorado CARSTAR Collision Repair Stores, Coors Light, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Eldorado Natural Spring Water, Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que, Grand Lodge On Peak 7, Kia Motors, Levinson Eye Clinic, Microtech-Tel, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Molson, The Organic and Natural Experience, The Other White Meat Tour, Party City, PEPSI, Qwest, Redwood Creek Wines, Residence Inn Denver City Center, Rocky Mountain News, Sharp AQUOS, St. Pauli Girl, Sub-Zero & Wolf, Town and Country Foods, and VIVA® Paper Towels.
Festival hours are Friday, Aug. 29, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 30, and Sunday, Aug. 31, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Monday, Sept. 1, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Festival of Mountain and Plain … A Taste of Colorado is a community celebration that is produced by and benefits Downtown Denver Events, Inc., the Downtown Denver Partnership family’s community events non-profit organization. The Festival is an opportunity for people throughout the region to come together to experience and appreciate our diverse cultural traditions, and to learn more about our state’s Western heritage. The Festival highlights visual and performing arts in addition to featuring educational programs and culinary demonstrations.
Visit www.ATasteofColorado.com, or call (303) 295-6330 for more information.
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