Warmer weather and longer days have arrived, which means it’s time for a Mancos tradition: Grand Summer Nights.
The festivities are sponsored by the Mancos Creative District, and take over downtown streets and businesses once a month from May through August, featuring music, dancing, food, and art.
The first Grand Summer Night of 2019 took place May 18. Despite chilly weather, the event saw a high turnout, according to Creative District director Anne Beach, with many locals joining for music, food, and activities, including carriage rides and demonstrations at the Mancos Common Press.
The next event in the series will happen from 4 to 8 p.m. June 15, with a varied line-up in place. This event will also have carriage rides and downtown galleries will feature live models displaying “vintage lace creations,” Beach said.
Outlier Cellars will host a few performances, with music by Bliss Mob Collective from 5 to 7 p.m., and a Raven Narratives live storytelling slam will be held at 7:30 p.m.
Art shows will also be featured at galleries along Grand Avenue, including at Olio Food Wine Art, the Kilgore American Indian Art Gallery, and the Veryl Goodnight Gallery.
Olio will host an opening art reception from 4 to 6 p.m. for Margaret Hunt, the executive director of Colorado Creative Industries, and from 4 to 7 p.m., Kilgore will showcase “Painting the Dream, A Retrospective on the Life and Art of David Chethlale Paladin.”
At 6 p.m., Colorado landscape and wildlife painter Ralph Oberg will unveil his piece “Mountain Monarch” at the Veryl Goodnight Gallery.
Future Grand Summer Nights are set to happen July 20 and Aug. 17. The July event will feature a “burro fiesta” and the grand opening of the Mancos Common Press.
ealvero@the-journal.com