Brews, Food and Family Activities

RIDGWAY – Spring in the Uncompahgre Valley is easy to love. It is a time of celebration after a long snowy winter. The trees are filled with fragrant flowers, and the long, warm evenings allow time to barbecue and hang out. On Saturday, June 14 you can celebrate spring and show your love and appreciation for our beautiful valley by joining the festivities at the 12th annual Love Your Valley Festival in Ridgway Town Park.

The festivities will begin at 9 a.m. with a 5K family run/walk and a sidewalk chalk art contest and face painting. Registration for the run/walk is at 8 a.m. These two family events are sponsored by Black Canyon Land Trust, an organization dedicated to the preservation of our valley and others in the region.

Second Chance Humane Society will sponsor several of the other morning events, including an animal parade at 11 a.m., an animal obstacle course at 11:30 a.m. and a dog tricks contest at 12:30 p.m.

From noon-6 p.m. there will be food, beer tasting and live music by Juba Juba, a Grateful Dead cover band, and The Last Bus, a jam band. These events are sponsored by the Town of Ridgway.

The beer tasting will feature microbrews from breweries throughout the region who have generously donated kegs for the cause. There is a $15 donation to sample the brews.

The Love Your Valley Festival started as a brew fest to raise money and awareness for the Valley Land Conservancy, now the Black Canyon Land Trust, and has expanded over the years to include music and family-friendly activities. The Black Canyon Land Trust is a nonprofit organization working to “promote and ensure conservation of private lands in the Uncompahgre, North Fork and Lower Gunnison watersheds.”

Greg Clifton, an organizer of the first event, said, “The festival has come a long way.” This is the first year that the town has hosted the event. Previously it was sponsored by the BCLT and other nonprofits, but due to expenses involved, the town took over to keep the event going. Clifton explained that “the town will support the event and then the profits generated by the festival will be passed on to BCLT and Second Chance Humane Society.”

Come to the Ridgway Town Park on Saturday, June 14 with the whole family (including those with four legs) and be prepared to run, walk, draw, drink, eat, and dance in celebration of our wonderful valley.