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Fiesta Days flourishes

Everybody welcome to celebrate Southwest culture this weekend

The 79th annual Durango Fiesta Days kicks into high gear Saturday with a royalty contest followed by barrel races, rodeos, chuck wagon cook-off, pancake breakfast and a downtown parade during the week to embrace Durango’s Spanish, Native American and cowboy heritage.

Fiesta Days continue Sunday with a pancake breakfast and another rodeo.

The first Fiesta Days, originally called Spanish Trails Fiesta, dates to 1935.

The events surrounding the celebration provided a way for the diverse cultures in the Four Corners to gather and create an atmosphere of cultural awareness, said Cindi Brevik, president of the Durango Fiesta Days committee.

While the appearance of Fiesta Days has changed, Brevik said the base of the celebration has remained.

In 1935, Fiesta Days was a time for people to come and visit with others who shared a common interest of ranching heritage and the events involved in the celebration, she said.

“That is still what Fiesta Days is about, even though we’re much broader now,” she said.

The celebration has evolved, incorporating new events such as the Mixed Rescue race, the Snow Top Exceptional Rodeo and the Cody-Phil Memorial team roping event.

Dinah Jones, a local who has been attending Fiesta Days since she was a young girl, said she has always enjoyed the celebration.

“All of the horse events are what make fiesta,” Jones said. “My favorite part is seeing the horses and watching the people ride and also watching the parade. I enjoy it all.”

Many of the horses competing are American quarter horses, said Carlan Maynes, a Fiesta Days volunteer.

People put a lot of time into training their horses; they are bred to compete, she said.

Contestants from California, Florida, Wyoming, Kansas, the Four Corners and Indian rodeos participate in the sanctioned rodeo, Brevik said.

“It is still a chance to visit and see people that we don’t get to see all the time, and it is still a way for our ethnicities to blend,” she said. “Its just that the radius has expanded exponentially.”

This year has proved to be one of the biggest gatherings Fiesta Days has ever had, she said.

With more than 650 contestants and a base of 40 volunteers, Brevik said the Fiesta Days rodeo is one of the biggest rodeos in the Four Corners.

“We have a huge crowd here. It’s great,” she said.

Kelly Hill, owner of Kelly’s Cowboy Co., has set up a vendor booth at Fiesta Days for five years. Hill says the celebration always is a community-oriented event filled with fun.

Thousands of people from all around come to see the events, Maynes said.

“I think a lot of tourists enjoy it. I don’t think local people go as much because there are so many things to do in the area now that weren’t here when Fiesta Days was the big event of the year,” Jones said.

“It’s great to see this many cowboys here, and it’s great to see this much of our heritage on display,” Brevik said. “The celebration is a great part of our history and heritage.”

tferraro@durangoherald.com

Durango Fiesta Days Schedule

Most Fiesta Days events take place at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. For more information, call 749-4960 or visit http://durangofiestadays.com.

Today

9 a.m. Slack.

7 p.m. First rodeo performance.

Saturday

8 a.m. La Plata County Cowbelles Chuck Wagon Cook-off will start under the trees south of the fairgrounds.

8:30-10 a.m. Parade staging will take place in downtown Durango.

10 a.m. The Durango Fiesta Days Parade will take place on Main Avenue.

1 p.m. Military Appreciation rodeo performance.

5:30 p.m. The chuckwagon supper will be held under the trees south of the fairgrounds.

6:30 p.m. 2014 Queen Coronation.

7 p.m. Tough Enough To Wear Pink rodeo performance.

Sunday

9 a.m. Cowboy Church will be held at the fairgrounds’ grandstands.

10 a.m. Pancake breakfast.

1 p.m. Championship rodeo performance.

The Rough Stock Challenge will immediately follow the rodeo.



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