Saturday’s celebration for Colorado Springs’ 150th anniversary is planned to be full of music, food and fun, but the downtown anniversary bash could experience some hiccups due to high chances of rain in the forecast.
The free Colorado Springs 150 Festival is scheduled from noon to 8 p.m. downtown along Vermijo Avenue. A parade from 11 a.m. to noon will precede the event, traveling along Tejon Street from Cache La Poudre Street to Costilla Street.
The morning parade, themed “Parade Through Time,” will feature 60 entries from a variety of organizations.
The family-friendly events post-parade will feature two stages of entertainment, dancers and performers from cultural groups, 25 food trucks, beer gardens, a kids play area and about 75 booths showing facets of Colorado Springs.
Attendees can also visit the Pioneers Museum exhibit, “COS@150: Exploring Colorado Springs’ Story Through Objects,” which tells 150 stories through 150 objects.
Other activities include a bass fishing trailer from Colorado Parks and Wildlife; antique vehicles, carriages and firetrucks, as well as historic vehicles from the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb; slacklining with CityRock; and an electric race car by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Hyperloop Competition Team.
Colorado Springs Utilities will hold its Sustain-a-fest with a demonstration of its water filtration system, and the Fine Arts Center at Colorado College will present “Front Range Fables,” performances of short plays based on historical events in the Pikes Peak region written by local playwrights.
A fan fest for the Tokyo Olympic Games will also be in full swing at the plaza outside the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, featuring a 50-foot screen to watch the competitions.
Rain showers and thunderstorms, however, threaten to dampen the festivities.
“Widespread showers and thunderstorms with heavy rainfall are expected to affect the mountains and valleys on Saturday,” the National Weather Service in Pueblo predicted. “This activity could produce significant flash flooding.”
Forecasts from the agency indicate a 50% chance of rain before 1 p.m. increasing to 90% throughout the afternoon.
“We plan to continue with the festival unless there is lightning in the area or a threat to public safety,” city spokeswoman Jamie Fabos said.
The downtown Colorado Pioneers Museum and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum will be open during the event, but Fabos said large outdoor activities would pause in case of lightning.
“At this point, our fingers are crossed that that weather will hold off and we will be able to celebrate our city,” Fabos said.
The public can keep up with weather updates during the festival by texting COS150 to 888777.
This content was originally published here.
