Bring On The Summer Festival Fills Riverbottom Park With Families by Abram Herman

(Top) Meet Wilder! Get Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) brought their mascot Wilder. Wilder is half yeti, half mountain goat.  He is encouraging kids to explore what's outside their backdoor! Helping more Colorado youth get outside. Youth at the outdoor festival got a chance to hug, knuckle and high five this fun creature! (Bottom left) It's not a summer festival without a pie and watermelon eating contest.  (Bottom right)  FOYAN Board members Trig and IvAnn paddled several short trips down the Uncompahgre River with a raft full of kids waiting for the big splash! (Photos/Monica Voehringer-FOYAN)

Saturday, May 30th turned Riverbottom Park into a hub of activity as Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN) hosted its third annual Bring On The Summer Festival. From 11am–4pm, families from across the Western Slope came out for a free afternoon of outdoor games, music, food, and friendly contests. Last year's festival drew more than 3,000 youth and family members, and this year's crowd was only slightly tempered by cloud cover and other nearby events.

FOYAN connects local youth to the outdoors, and the festival is a chance to show families just how much fun that can be close to home. Kids floated rafts down the Uncompahgre, scrambled to unwrap and don frozen t-shirts and lifejackets to win prizes, raced in relays, and tested their aim in gelly ball. There were watermelon and pie eating contests, strider bikes for the littlest riders, yard games, and skill-building clinics for soccer and basketball. Free haircuts courtesy of Finesse Barbershop and free face painting proved popular, with dozens of eager kids and families lining up to take part. The library's book bike rolled in with summer reading ideas, and Wilder—the larger-than-life mascot of the GOCO-funded Generation Wild program—roamed the park reminding everyone that the best adventures start just outside the door. Part goat, part yeti, and all friend, he was a hit with attendees young and old. Wilder's visit was a fitting nod to FOYAN's role as a founding member of Generation Wild of the Uncompahgre, a regional coalition originally launched in 2023 and led by the Montrose Recreation District to connect more area youth and families with the outdoors.

DJ MLOD Pro kept the music going while bilingual host Angel D, known around town as "El Maza," kept the energy up between contests. Kids and adults alike were dancing and enjoying the day, bringing smiles to the faces of every passerby.

​Behind the fun is serious work. FOYAN leads the Together for Resilient Youth (TRY) coalition, a partnership of local organizations that helps young people facing real barriers get outside, build confidence, and connect with mentors and one another. Time in nature is one of the most accessible tools we have for youth mental health and resilience, and events like this one open the door for kids who might not otherwise get the chance.

A day this size only happens through significant community support. FOYAN extends deep gratitude to the sponsors who made the 2026 festival possible: headline sponsors The Colorado Health Foundation and The Kampe Foundation, as well as the Marston-Lehmann Family Fund, Western Colorado Community Foundation, The Colorado Trust, Colorado Outdoors, Delta Montrose Electric Association, the City of Montrose, the Montrose Community Foundation, Enstrom Candies, Alpine Bank, I Matter, Delta County Federal Credit Union, ANB Bank, and Renewal by Andersen. Special thanks to Finesse for free youth haircuts, The Montrose Lifestyle for marketing support, Rocky Mountain Ice, and all of the partner organizations who brought fun activities and games to the park for kids to participate in.

​Every sponsorship dollar goes right back into getting more area youth outside, covering the gear, transportation, scholarships, and year-round outings that make up FOYAN's work across Delta, Montrose, Ouray, and Mesa counties.

​If you missed this year's festival, or want to help make next year's event even bigger, FOYAN welcomes volunteers, activity partners, and donations. Learn more or give at foyan.org.