Taste of Creede marks the start of summer

CREEDE— This year is a whole different ball game as Creede residents and business owners prepare for a birthday party and their annual events. The Mineral County/Creede Chamber of Commerce and City of Creede, as well as local organizations, business owners and many other have prepared a summer full of fun, live entertainment, historical recognition, the love of theatre and smashed it all together for a great adventure in southern Colorado. The 29th Annual Taste of Creede kicks off the summer on May 26, and the fun just keeps on coming from there.
This year, chamber members learned that long time sponsor Rick Inman with Shamrock Foods would be retiring and feared that the festival Inman helped launched would come to a sour end. The stars aligned and everything fell in favor of the beloved event, as Chamber Director Brad Ayers learned just this week that Inman’s predecessor not only loved the festival idea, but planned on keeping it alive and well for many years to come. Though Creede is sad to see Inman go, they are thrilled to have the Taste of Creede continue in his honor.
The idea for the festival bloomed out of a love for Creede and the desire to promote local culinary talent, as well as add an artistic flare to Memorial Day Weekend. Through the combined efforts of the chamber of commerce, Quiller Gallery and Shamrock Foods the festival kicked off a staggering 29 years ago and plans to continue well into the future.
So, without further ado, the Taste of Creede will begin with vendors and artists lining Main Street in Creede on Saturday, May 27. The town graciously closes the street for pedestrians for the remainder of the weekend so visitors can have free rein of the many shops and restaurants that are opening their doors and dusting off their goods for the coming season. Many business owners return to the area on Memorial Day weekend and will host opening sales and delicious food.
The day begins with the Silver Chef Competition, which is sponsored by Shamrock Foods who supply all of the necessary ingredients for the mystery dish. Chefs from around the area sign up for the event and vie for the top spot. A long table of fruits, vegetables, spices and other culinary goods is laid out underneath a large canopy right in the middle of Main Street. Shamrock Foods selects a main meat that is to be prepared by the participating chefs who will also have to complete two side dishes for the judges.
On Sunday, there will be the annual Artist Quick Draw competition where local and traveling artists showcase their talents and draw on the spot in the middle of Main Street. The event is sponsored by the Quiller Gallery in Creede and will feature Artist Charles Ewing and his feature painting Dialog with Integrity. For a full list of events, please visit www.creede.com or call the chamber at 658-2374.


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