CREEDE— Festivities for the Fourth of July celebration in Creede began early Monday morning as the annual mining competitions kicked off in the Days of 92’ arena behind Basham Park. Competitors from around southwest Colorado and beyond signed up for different categories that included hand mucking, jack leg drilling and much more. The day was bright and clear as visitors flocked to the area to begin the fun.
Throughout the day, several vendors began to set up in the parking lot behind the Kentucky Belle Market, enticing guests to come and wander through the many homemade goods and tasty treats. Some local organizations like the Creede Repertory Theatre and the Creede Community Foundation as well as Willow Creek Reclamation Committee had booths to help promote fundraising and educate the public on current projects within the community. The theatre’s booth offered face painting and a chance to win free theatre tickets.
The day came to a close with live music by Baxter, Goss and Speake at Kip’s Grill, where the music flowed as much as the beverages and food. Later in the evening, the Elks Lodge held their annual dance with live music provided by the Dano Weston Band.
Tuesday morning bloomed bright and clear as preparations for the day’s activities began to take place. Vendors and business owners opened early to welcome guests who came piling into town for the parade. Hundreds of guests gathered along Main Street to watch the festivities and celebrate 125 years of Creede. Colorful floats made their way down the main corridor, waving to the crowd, throwing candy and small treasures for the young and young at heart.
The ballpark south of town was full of family activities that people could come and enjoy on their own- everything from lawn twister, football games and lawn tic tac toe provided by the Creede Parks and Recreation department.
Mining competitions continued throughout the day while visitors wandered through town enjoying live music, art displays in the small art park or taking a break in the shade and enjoying some ice cream from local establishments. The day’s competitions included team machine drilling, spike driving, machine mucking and more.
As the day wore down to a close and the anticipation for the coming firework display drew ever closer, guests could be seen finding their spots on the lawn in Basham Park or venturing up to the cemetery. Sparklers were sold at the Creede Community Foundation booth and many stopped by to grab some as the sun sank low behind the mountains.
The firework display was one to match the celebrations with a colorful array of designs that lit up the night sky. Local resident Jenna Ford was responsible for the epic display, taking over for beloved resident Paul Stone. Creede went out with a bang and celebrated Independence Day with style!
See next week’s Mineral County Miner for parade winners.