As the locals know, there is never a lack of things to do in Durango. May always starts off events season in town, and there are several things coming up in the next month that you want to get on your calendar now.
Today, please join us downtown for a new event the Durango Business Improvement District has created, The Spectacular Spring Red Balloon Event! Think of this as a Noel Night-type of gathering, with fun things to do in many downtown stores. Since Mother’s Day is the next day, many of the activities are geared towards mom. Here are a few:
At the Durango Farmers Market, the first 50 moms get a free flower. At Yess the Book Hutch, mom’s can get 10% to 40% off books. Make a free Mother’s Day card and get a free lotion for mom at Urban Market. At Pine Needle Dry Goods, there will be an outdoors-themed Mother’s Day arts and craft project. Joyful Nook also has a Mother’s Day gift-making activity. Take mom to a free tasting at Four Leaves Winery, or get a free gelato for mom when you buy one at Magpies Newsstand.
There are also many non-Mother’s Day activities as well. Browse the sale racks at Dolce and There’s No Place Like Home. Get discounts at Ashley HomeStore, Brown’s Sports Shoes, Lively, The Sparrow, Durango Rug Company, and Old Barrel Tea Company. Free lemonade is available at Bank of the San Juans. Scenic Aperture is offering a discussion on how to decorate your home with fine art nature photography.
There is a passport program with $1,000 in prizes for those that get stamps from at least 10 participating businesses. Plus the event ends with a balloon drop in the Main Mall. Four hundred balloons will fall from the ceiling, and 100 of them have prizes in them. Collectively, those prizes add up to nearly $2,000 worth of goods and services. Learn more at DowntownDurango.org/SpectacularSpring.
The Taste of Durango is May 19. This is the premier event in Durango for foodies, and it runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Durango. Tickets cost $1 each, and the food items available typically cost between 3 and 7 tickets. Beverages are 4 to 8 tickets. You can skip the ticket lines by purchasing your tickets in advance at TasteOfDurango.com. Scroll down and click on the “Purchase Tickets” button.
The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic will be held May 24-26. This is the 48th year of cyclists racing the train to Silverton. This year, the Iron Horse will center its activities at Buckley Park. Friday at Buckley is the packet pickup and late registration party for racers. Saturday is the race to Silverton. Sunday has kids races downtown, the mountain bike races that go through Steamworks and tons of fun at Buckley Park all day long.
Last but not least, don’t forget that tickets for the 21st San Juan Brewfest go on sale June 1. The Brewfest will be held Saturday, Aug. 24. Information about this year’s event is at SanJuanBrewfest.com.
I hope to see you out and about this May.
Tim Walsworth is the executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District. Contact him at timw@downtowndurango.org.
