COS 150 Downtown Celebration: Parade details, know before you go

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Saturday, July 31, marks 150 years since the official founding of the City of Colorado Springs. To commemorate this sesquicentennial anniversary, the City of Colorado Springs is hosting a parade on Tejon Street at 11 a.m. followed by a free-admission street festival on Vermijo Avenue from 12-8 p.m.

The festival features 25 food trucks, six local beer and cocktail vendors for the beer gardens, along with all the amenities that already exist downtown.

Food trucks include Amazing Kettle Corn, American Seoul Food, Big Papa’s Grill, Biggi’s Little Bavaria, Buffalo Gals, Conrad’s Flava Fusion, Cowgirl Kettle Corn & Lemonade, Flying W Ranch, Foxy’s Fajitas, High Grade Catering, Hot Box, K2 Cuisine, Kabob Kaboose, Kava Works, Kona Ice, Lori Lynn’s Cookies & Cream, Lucy I’m Home, Meltdown, Miggy’s Meltdown, Mile High BBQ, Munchies, Road-Tisserie, Rocco’s Mobile Food, Smokin’ J’s BBQ and The Fiesta Grill.

The local beer and distilleries are 300 Days of Shine, 1350 Distillery, Axe & The Oak, FH Beerworks, Pikes Peak Brewing, and Storybook Brewing.

EVENT SCHEDULE (Courtesy of City of Colorado Springs)

Parade (11 a.m.-noon)

The “parade through time” is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Tejon Street between Boulder and Costilla streets. It will feature more than 60 entries representing key moments throughout Colorado Springs’ 150-year history. Several organizations, including KRDO, have made floats and parade entries specifically for the celebration, and there will be a special “parade in the sky,” including a jump by the U.S. Air Force Academy Wings of Blue.

The parade will end at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, where Mayor John Suthers will help kick off the festival portion.

Festival (noon-8 p.m.)

Immediately following the parade, it’s time to #PartyLikeIts1871 on Vermijo Avenue, downtown’s new signature street. Stretching four blocks from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum in the west to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum in the east, the free, family-friendly street festival features five activation zones and two stages packed with live entertainment. The festival zones are as follows:

150 Years of Pikes Peak Regional History and Culture, located on the west and south sides of Alamo Square Park at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum at the corner of Tejon Street and Vermijo Avenue. Here, visit the Pioneers Museum’s newest exhibit, COS@150: Exploring Colorado Springs’ Story Through Objects; take on the 150th Adventure Passport Challenge; learn about the city’s flag; make your own birthday hat; meet the local author of Profiting from the Peak: Landscape and Liberty in Colorado Springs, Dr. John Harner; and discover how things change over time in the “Then and Now” Photography Exhibit and blacksmith demonstrations.

There will be live entertainment on the Gazebo Stage at Alamo Square Park throughout the festival. Programming kicks off at 12:15 p.m. with an opening ceremony followed by performances from the Colorado Springs Conservatory (12:30 p.m.), Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale (1 p.m.), Front Range Fables from the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College Theatre Company (1:30, 2, 2:40 p.m.), Sweetwater Plains Indian Dancers (3:10 p.m.), Ballet Folklorico de la Raza (3:40 p.m.), Panamanian Dance Group (4 p.m.), Manaya O Polynesia (5:10 p.m.), Sankofa African Drumming (5:40 p.m.), Tony Exum Jr. (6:10 p.m.), and the Tenderfoot Bluegrass Band (7:10 p.m.).

Tokyo Games Fan Fest, located on Vermijo Avenue between Sahwatch and Sierra Madre streets. In this zone, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum is hosting the Tokyo Games Fan Fest on its plaza. The free, four-day celebration will take place outside the Museum from July 29-Aug. 1. Among other activities, the following are scheduled for Saturday: USA Triathlon simulation (10 a.m.), U.S. Figure Skating learn to skate on a synthetic ice rink (11 a.m.), wheelchair basketball activation (noon), taekwondo demonstration (2:30 p.m.), and Olympic City USA and Xfinity hot air balloon inflations at 4 and 5 p.m., respectively. NBC’s live broadcast of the Olympic Games will be live-streamed from a 50-foot screen in the museum’s plaza until 10 p.m. Saturday.

Also in this zone, the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation is providing live music; autograph sessions, and panel discussions with Tokyo 2020 Paralympian in shooting McKenna Geer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Famers Bonnie Blair and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, courtesy of Comcast; sports performances and exhibitions; a beer garden; and more. The festival’s main stage is located here and will feature Hickabee (noon), the Flying Aces trampoline group (1:15, 3, and 5:15 p.m.), WireWood Station (1:45 p.m.), Denver Taiko (3:30 p.m.), athlete Q&A (4 p.m.), and Martini Shot (6 p.m.).

Kids & Family, located on the northeast corner of Alamo Square Park at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum. Try panning for gold, crafting or even riding a mechanical bull.

Outdoor Recreation, located on Vermijo Avenue, between Tejon Street and Cascade Avenue. Learn about the outdoor activities our forefathers (and mothers) enjoyed and try bass fishing or slacklining for yourself. Outdoor recreation partners will be on hand to share the principles of Leave No Trace and help us all be better stewards of the outdoors.

Science & Technology, located on Vermijo Avenue, between Cascade Avenue and Sahwatch Street. In Colorado Springs, innovation knows no bounds! Check out an electric race car, learn about sustainable practices and how you can implement them in your own home, and enjoy free tastings of soda made with purified water.

Other Sesquicentennial activities

The COS 150: Downtown Celebration is one of several activities in the yearlong celebration of Colorado Springs’ sesquicentennial anniversary. For more information on all the ways to celebrate, visit ColoradoSprings.gov/150.

Additional event information is available at ColoradoSprings.gov/COS150DowntownCelebration and on Facebook at fb.me/e/16BojJ9M7.

There are several road closures to note. Organizers say to plan ahead to avoid the following closures, in conjunction with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum’s Tokyo Games Fan Fest (July 29-Aug. 1), Premier Lacrosse League tournament at Weidner Field (July 30-Aug. 1) and COS 150: Downtown Celebration (July 31).

Wednesday, July 28-Monday, Aug. 2 (Tokyo Games Fan Fest)

5 a.m.-2 a.m.

• Sierra Madre Street from Cucharras Street to Costilla Street
• Vermijo Avenue from Sierra Madre Street to Sahwatch Street

Friday, July 30-Sunday, Aug. 1 (Premier Lacrosse League)

8 a.m.-10 p.m.

• Sahwatch Street, from Cimarron Street to Moreno Avenue

Saturday, July 31 (COS 150: Downtown Celebration)

6 a.m.-10 p.m.

• Vermijo Avenue from Sierra Madre Street to Nevada Avenue
• Sierra Madre Street and Sahwatch Street from Cucharras Street to Costilla Street
• Cascade Avenue and Tejon Street from Colorado Avenue to Costilla Street

10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

• Tejon Street from Cache la Poudre Street to Vermijo Avenue
• Dale Street, Monument Street, Willamette Avenue, St. Vrain Street, Boulder Street, Platte Avenue, Bijou Street, Kiowa Street, Pikes Peak Avenue, Colorado Avenue and Costilla Street from Cascade Avenue to Costilla Street

City parking garages will have a regular rate of $1 per hour. These garages are located at the intersections of Nevada and Colorado avenues, Bijou Street and Cascade Avenue, and Kiowa Street and Nevada Avenue. Additional El Paso County-owned garages, surface parking, and metered street parking is also available. Handicap accessible parking is marked in the garages and select metered spots. Additional downtown parking information is available at DowntownCS.com/Parking.

Another option is biking to the event and valeting for free with PikeRide. Ride your own bike or ride PikeRide to the bike valet tent at Tejon Street and Vermijo Avenue and your trip will end with no cost.

Several volunteer opportunities remain in the afternoon and evening hours Saturday to support event operations. All volunteers receive a free t-shirt and meal at the event. Apply here.

The parade is organized in partnership with the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum (USOPM).