Meet Wilder-our Kids’ New Best Friend at Bring on the Summer Outdoor Fest by Anne Janik

(Top Left) Meet Wilder- GOCO Generation Wild's mascot. Wilder is half yeti- half mountain goat and your kids best friend to encourage them to step outside their door to explore nature, and engage in new outdoor activities. (Top Right) Which kid is going to win the watermelon eating contest at the Bring on the Summer Festival? (Bottom Left) This is your chance to test your aim at the Gelly Ball Game. (Bottom Right). Partners-West Mentoring has their ducks in a row for your family to compete with their best rubber duckies in a race down the creek at Riverbottom Park. 

​Have you met Wilder yet? Half yeti and half mountain goat, Wilder is your kids' new amazing outdoor friend! As GOCO's Generation Wild mascot, he is on a mission to help your kids rediscover all the benefits waiting for them just outside your door, where things are a little wilder, a little happier, and a whole lot healthier.

Friends of Youth and Nature (FOYAN) will be hosting Wilder at a summer fun kickoff celebration in Montrose on May 30th. Bring on the Summer Outdoor Fest is an afternoon of outdoor games, sports, nature exploration, art, and music! Activities begin at 11:00 am at Riverbottom Park in Montrose, and continue until 4:00 pm. This is your chance to encourage your kids to try a new outdoor activity or a nature challenge. Starting at noon, there will be ducky races, soccer and basketball skills sessions, strider bike instruction, multiple short river paddles, a life jacket scramble, gelly ball games (similar to paint ball), art projects, relay races, disc golf, and pie and water melon eating contests. The Montrose Regional Library book bike will be there with an assortment of youth books for summer reading. Once again, Finesse will be offering free youth haircuts for the summer! All these activities are free, so bring the family to Riverbottom Park for the afternoon. 

An outdoor festival isn’t complete without music, food and drinks. MC Angel D "El Maza" and DJ MLOD Pro will keep up the energy. Delicious kid-friendly food and a selection of drinks for the thirsty folks will be available. “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 Anita Evans, Chair of Friends of Youth and Nature. 

The festival is the primary fundraiser for FOYAN. All proceeds will help FOYAN cover the cost of getting more kids outside to support mental health, resilience, healthy lifestyles and outdoor education in coordination with staff from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Montrose Recreation District, and many other partners. 

"It isn’t always easy to get kids to turn off the computer or put down the game controller, so this festival is a way to show your kids what's outside for them. We are lucky to have a variety of local options for kids to do in the summer as well as so much public land surrounding our communities to explore and enjoy,” added Evans. One of FOYAN's goals is to remove barriers for local youth to participate in outdoor experiences. FOYAN helps cover the cost of school district field trips including bus transportation, provides scholarships for kids (particularly underserved youth) to attend camps, helps offset school costs associated with nature learning events, and continues to expand outdoor gear items for the free gear library available for youth partners in Delta, Montrose and Ouray Counties. 

​"This will be the third annual Bring on the Summer Festival. In the past 2 years the event has drawn between 1,500–3,000 youth and families so we are hoping for another great turnout!" added Anne Janik, FOYAN event organizer. We are very fortunate to have generous sponsors who support FOYAN’s mission including Colorado Health Foundation, Western Colorado Community Foundation, Colorado Outdoors, Colorado Trust, City of Montrose, and many more.
Are you still wondering why your kids should play outside? Their curiosity grows stronger. Their self-reliance grows stronger. And so does your kid! Please consider supporting our mission of getting more kids outside.
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Bring on the Summer Flyer 2026
​Schedule of Events 2026