CREEDE — Memorial Day weekend will kick off on May 27 in Creede and with it comes a delicious array of activities for the Taste of Creede festival. This year, Creede is pulling out the red carpet with openings from Creede Repertory Theatre, will be welcoming guests to watch and enjoy a new community cookoff and artists will be lining the streets to show off their various medias of art.

Local resident and world-renowned artist Steve Quiller began the event 35 years ago after deciding that the one thing Creede needed in the spring was a festival featuring local and visiting artists as well as a smattering of delicious food served up community style by local amateur chefs from different backgrounds in culinary art. The results from this idea created one of the most frequently attended events in the small mountain town that never disappoints.

The event begins the morning of May 27 with artists on Main Street working in full view of the public. Artists from all different media gather along the main drag in town while local businesses dust off their welcome mats and open for the summer. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to come out and welcome warmer weather into the San Juan Mountains while enjoying fun activities abound.

For the first time this year, local grocery store the Kbelle will be cooking up unique tastes from local contestants representing several local businesses. Guests are encouraged to wander downtown throughout the day. There will also be children’s activities, live music, and the opening of the Creede Arts Council’s Small Print Show at Creede Repertory Theatre in the evening right before the opening of “Mountain Octopus.”

The premiere of “Mountain Octopus,” a play that will intrigue, transform, and bring reality to audiences. “Mountain Octopus” follows with an opening during Memorial Day weekend and the start of the busy season in Creede. Written by Beth Kander and directed by Betty Hart, “Mountain Octopus” brings perspective with a side of comedy. The May 27 showing will include a Q&A with Quiller who helped create a painting the play is set around.

“One year after a tragic loss, a small town full of quirky characters gathers together to patch up what’s broken. Nothing goes quite as planned…but ultimately each person finds something unexpected within their old familiar world or something that feels like home in a new and unfamiliar place. Funny and heartwarming with a touch of magical realism, ‘Mountain Octopus’ will remind you of the simple power of a good story. This world premiere by Beth Kander (‘Hazardous Materials’) features CRT favorites Christy Brandt and Kate Berry.”

It will be a weekend packed with fun, art, and delectable treats for the whole family. For a full schedule of events, visit www.creede.com.