Cinco de Mayo Festival Brings Fun to Downtown Saguache

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Photos courtesy of H.E.A.R.T of Saguache/KV and Jacob Chavez H.E.A.R.T of Saguache/KV hosted the 7th annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in Saguache on May 7.  The Chili Cook-Off was hosted by Adventure Awaits with eight competitors vying for first place. Maritza Arroyo came in first, followed by Heather Lawson in second place, and Phyllis Christensen in third. The Range hosted the San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery on May 7 during the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in Saguache with more than 200 people coming to celebrate the artists. The event drew visitors from across Colorado and New Mexico, with attendees traveling from as far as New York, California, and Ecuador for the occasion.

SAGUACHE — H.E.A.R.T of Saguache/KV hosted the 7th annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in Saguache on May 7. The event consisted of activities provided by H.E.A.R.T of Saguache/KV, Adventure Awaits (Mountain Valley School), The Range, and The Cozy Castle Cinema (The Village Pub).

The car show portion of the festival was held in front of the Saguache County Court House with a total of 16 cars on display.

According to Jacob Chavez of H.E.A.R.T of Saguache/KV, Jim Kernodle took first place with his 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T along with the Best Interior Award.

Pat Eastmon took second place with his 1965 Ford Thunderbird along with the Peoples’ Choice Award. Martin Garcia took third place with his 1987 Mazda pickup.

Emilio Lujan won the Best Paint Award with his 1968 Plymouth GTX. Brad Atencio won the Best Custom Award with his 1972 Chevy Chevelle. Dale Harrison won the Best Wheels Award with his 2008 Dodge Challenger Srt8.

The Chili Cook-Off was hosted by Adventure Awaits with eight competitors vying for first place. Maritza Arroyo came in first, followed by Heather Lawson in second place, and Phyllis Christensen in third.

H.E.A.R.T of Saguache/KV hosted four contest drawings at the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta along with a fifth one at the Oasis Afterparty. Kaelyn Taylor won the Laser Tag Package. Harley McGee won the Splash Pad Package. Colton Murphy won the $600 value Blackstone Grill Package. Dale Harrison won the Car Cleaning Package. Arthur Garcia won the Car Lift and Creeper Package. Dave Martinez won the Fishing/Camping Package.

The Range hosted the San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery on May 7 during the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in Saguache with more than 200 people coming to celebrate the artists. The event drew visitors from across Colorado and New Mexico, with attendees traveling from as far as New York, California, and Ecuador for the occasion.

Saguache resident Lorraine Lopez led a special storytelling gathering for the artists to share stories about their lives and their artwork. The exhibition featured 65 artists and more than 130 artworks.

On May 8, artists Julia Gomez of Santa Fe, N.M., Annette Gutierrez Turk of Albuquerque, N.M., and Ric Rao of Las Cruces, N.M., led a packed all-ages Mother's Day colcha embroidery workshop, with three generations of San Luis Valley families learning together.

The San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery will be on display until June 19 at The Range, 307 4th St. in Downtown Saguache. The support for San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery was provided by a Colorado Creative Corps ARP grant funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and a Saguache County sales tax grant.

Partner organizations participating in the exhibition include the Alamosa Public Library, the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC), the Chicano/a Murals of Colorado Project, H.E.A.R.T of Saguache/KV, History Colorado, MSU Denver Chicana/o Studies, the Northern Saguache County Library District, the Sangre de Cristo Heritage Center, and Sisters of Color United for Education.