Anthony Guerrero
The Paw Print
Tired of Alamosa? Well rest-assured you are not alone. However, the San Luis Valley is home to some of the most beautiful and scenic communities in Colorado. Driving around the San Luis Valley, you will soon come to a small city known as Monte Vista. It seems small and uneventful at a first glance, but some deeper research will prove it is an ideal location for college students to let out some stress and steam.
Monte Vista is home to the annual Ski Hi Stampede and Rodeo held towards the end of every July. There are three days of parades, with Saturday being the biggest, with the ever-popular Shriners visiting the parade with an assortment of floats, cars, motorcycles, and bands. The Monte Vista High School Marching Band is also a popular feature of this parade; they are multiple time Colorado Bandmasters State Marching Band champions. In addition to the parade, there are several events throughout the community. There is a rodeo with world class rodeo champions and competitors. There is a concert and dance with big name country music stars, past attendees have included Blake Shelton to name only one. If rodeos aren’t your style, then on the other side of town there is a car show and music festival. All events are highly attended and popular with the community and tourists.
There is only one Drive-In Movie Manor still in existence in the entire world. It is located in Monte Vista, Colorado. The manor regularly screens the most popular and successful movies being offered around the country. They can be watched from inside your car, outside, or inside one of the luxurious rooms at the Best Western Movie Manor. This is quite a fun experience for attendees.
`If you would simply like peace and quiet and the opportunity to watch or photograph nature, then simply take a drive out to the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge. It is habitat to some great wildlife, and it not uncommon to be able to photograph some animals or beautiful scenes of nature. It is also home to the annual Monte Vista Crane Festival. The festival is held in mid-spring, when the Sandhill Cranes make their migration through the San Luis Valley. If you look up you will see the cranes on their annual trip; they also commonly stop on the land of the wildlife refuge. During the festival, there is also a fair setup at the Ski-Hi Stampede Grounds. This is a unique experience for those who may be interested.
Monte also has a deep agricultural heritage. Many of people are employed in the agricultural industry or owners and partners to some sort of agriculture based business. As a result of this, there is an annual Potato Festival held at Fullenwider Park. The festival has many arts and crafts, live bands, and food competitions and tastings. The Monte Vista Merchants also hold a Sidewalk Sale down the business district. This year Olympic gold medalist Lindsay Vaughn attended the festival and posed for pictures and signed autographs. In addition to the town’s agricultural heritage, it also is rich in Spanish tradition. There are lots of families of Hispanic descent which adds diversity to the community and that which is offered. It is also not uncommon for influential individuals from the Spanish community to visit Monte Vista. This year for Halloween, Spanish music legends Al Hurricane and Al Hurricane Jr. held a concert and dance in Monte Vista.
So next time you feel just a bit overwhelmed with college life and want to take a quiet but fun break, jump in your car and see what’s happening in little old Monte.
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