Bring on the Summer Outdoor Festival by Anne Janik

School is finally out and it’s time to celebrate summer! Kick off your summer fun with a day of outdoor games, art, and music at the Bring on the Summer Outdoor Fest. The activities begin at 11:00 am at River Bottom Park in Montrose, and continue until 5:00 pm. The outdoor festival is to give kids and families ideas of sports, camps, and activities they can participate in at the festival and throughout the summer. The event is hosting a regional skateboard competition, a disc golf contest, cornhole games, and a pick-up basketball tournament, as well as an assortment of activities for kids including a bouncy house, bubble station, dinosaur fossil dig, wild bird games, art projects, nature activities, and more. At the top of the hour, there will be ducky races, a frozen t-shirt contest, a life jacket scramble, and a pie-eating contest. “A Time to Dance” will feature a hip-hop dance demo, and Montrose Surf and Cycle will be nearby on the river demonstrating the skill of wave surfing. An outdoor festival isn’t complete without music, food and drinks. Benny Boom will host the event with DJ-AK1 and live music by “One Takers.” Local youth are invited to play a set during the youth jam session. Several food vendors will be serving delicious food, and for the thirsty folks there will be a beer garden with generous donations from local breweries (Colorado Boy) and High Country Beverage. Of course, there will be prizes and awards for all contests and tournaments. 

“This is an opportunity to bring our community together and be outside enjoying games, food, and music. There is something for everyone and every age group," said Edgar Quiroz of the nonprofit LFMG Music Academy, one of the event organizers. LFMG will feature students from the music academy at the youth jam session.

The festival is the primary fundraiser for the nonprofit Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN). All proceeds will help FOYAN cover the cost of getting more kids outside to support mental health, resilience, and outdoor education in coordination with staff from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Montrose Recreation District, and other partners. “We want the festival to highlight all the activities, summer camps, and sports available for our youth to try out this summer. We are so lucky to have so many local options for kids in the summer as well as so many surrounding public lands for our communities to explore and enjoy,” adds Anita Evans, Chair of FOYAN. Time outdoors has been proven to help kids build confidence, resilience, healthy lifestyles, and skills for problem solving. One of FOYAN'S goals is to remove the barriers for our local youth to participate in nature experiences that build these traits.  FOYAN helps cover the cost of bus transportation for many school district field trips, provides scholarships for underserved youth and other community youth for camps, assists with costs associated with field trips and nature learning events, and will expand items in the free outdoor gear library available for youth partners of FOYAN in Montrose and Ouray Counties. 

Some of the groups that will be providing activities for our youth at the festival are: Colorado Parks and Wildlife (Archery Trailer), Bill Heddles Recreation Center, the Montrose Recreation District, The Ute Museum, The Museum of Western Colorado - Dinosaur Museum, Montrose Art Guild, Mexican American Development Association (MADA), Hispanic Affairs Project, Audubon Society, Metaphorse (riding Instruction and therapy), Montrose City Youth Council, Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club, Partners West, Haven House, CASA,  Great Old Broads of the Wilderness and Second Chance Humane Society (puppies!).

“As a first annual event, we are hoping for a great turnout! It’s the start of Memorial Day weekend, a great day to celebrate the onset of summer,” said Anne Janik, FOYAN board member and event co-organizer. “We are lucky to have some great sponsors so far who support FOYAN’s mission: Kampe Foundation,  Community Health Foundation, Western Colorado Community Foundation, Montrose Community Foundation,  Montrose Hardware, Alpine Bank, and the City of Montrose, as well as in-kind donations from Montrose Daily Press, High Country Beverage, and Colorado Boy,” she added. 

If you want to help get more kids outside to reap the benefit of a nature fix, please consider sponsoring this event. Visit our website for more information and sponsorship packages!