Hankering for an escape from the metro area? Head to the southern San Luis Valley on Saturday, September 9 for the annual Colorado Potato Festival in Monte Vista. The event fills Chapman Park (4 Chico Camino), 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with (mostly) FREE fun activities and events. The day includes the Tater Trot 5K Race, music, crafts, guided tours, kids’ games, chef demos using freshly harvested Colorado potatoes, the infamous Mashed Potato Dunk Tank and more. An affordable country concert follows.
Two tours give visitors a look at the big, beautiful valley that is one of the country’s top potato-producing areas. There’s a FREE four-hour bus tour of the valley’s potato farms and shipping centers, and two one-hour train tours, also FREE courtesy of the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad. You need to contact the Colorado Potato Assn. at 719-852-3322 to reserve spots on the bus, but you can just show up for the train. It departs from Fullenwider Park, so there’s a FREE tractor-pulled shuttle between the two parks.
At 5 p.m., a concert by country star Brooke Eden takes place at the Ski Hi Park Arena, 2331 Sherman Ave., Monte Vista. Tickets are just $15. Click here to purchase online. Do so before August 25 to be entered into a drawing for four tickets to the September 3 game between the Rockies and the Diamondbacks at Coors Field, including a parking pass.