CREEDE—The weekend bloomed bright and clear for the 29th Annual Taste of Creede, with a few rain showers served on the side. Even though the weather was off and unpredictable, it did not deter the large crowd of travelers that attended the event. Several hundred people came to Creede to enjoy a weekend of fun, food and artistic delight. Local businesses dusted off their open signs and welcomed guests from all over the nation and received a great start to another busy season.
According to Creede and Mineral County Chamber of Commerce staff member Pam Hahs, the weekend was full of tasty good fun. The Silver Chef Competition kicked off on Saturday with the mystery ingredients provided by Shamrock Foods being revealed to participating chefs. Along with several other fresh ingredients, winning chef Blake Bond with the 4UR Ranch cooked up the winning dish using flat iron steak as the main course.
Long-time Shamrock Food manager and founder of the Taste of Creede Rick Inman will be retiring this year. Through the combined efforts of artist Steve Quiller, the chamber and Inman, the event has continued to be a success. Shamrock Foods has stated that they will continue to be in support of the event in Inman’s absence and would like to see the festival continue well into the future.
As the town filled with the heavenly smell of barbeque and sunshine, patrons took to the streets to watch as artists from near and far worked on masterpieces in the middle of Main Street. Throughout the years of the event, several area artists have created works of art for guests on the spot and is something that can only be described as simply amazing.
This year’s feature artist Charles Ewing was among the many artists, using the crowd as his inspiration for the quick draw event which helped raise funds for the future of the Taste of Creede. All funds raised during the event will go towards the future of the festival.
Creede Repertory Theatre joined in on the fun and showed off their talents by offering face painting. CRT intern Stella VonDedenroth showcased her skills and made the day for several visiting children and even a few adults. The theatre also opened their doors to host their family friendly comedic musical Pants on Fire throughout the weekend.
Coming up next will be the 125th anniversary of the town with celebrations beginning of June 10th. Everything from burro races to gun fights will be taking place downtown and everyone is invited to come join in on the fun. A full list of events is available on the chamber’s website at www.creede.com.