Wild Wild West Festival stops after seven years

The event that normally kicks off the festival season in Pueblo is riding off into the sunset.

The Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce decided to stop the Wild Wild West Festival after seven years.

Chamber president Rod Slyhoff said the event never reached the chamber’s attendance and revenue expectations since the first one in 2009.

Slyhoff also said the chamber decided to stop the annual event in downtown Pueblo because of the weather. He said on a Saturday night during the event last year, the rain and wind hit, which chased away visitors.

John Russell, who owns a shop in downtown Pueblo, said the Wild Wild West Festival had a good run but it was bad for his business.

“Attendance was so poor last year, I think it hurt our business. We would have done more business with our regular customers,” he said.

Slyhoff said the chamber will go back to the drawing board to find another event to replace the Wild Wild West Festival.

Safety concerns were not a factor in the decision.