Gunnison Tunnel 100-year celebration (Montrose)
Saturday, September 26, 2009
They’re billing it as the “Celebration of the Century” and residents of the Uncompahgre Valley — including Montrose, Olathe, and Delta — are well aware of the impact made in the 100 years since a 6 mile tunnel was dug through hard rock allowing some of the water from the Gunnison River to “escape” the Black Canyon and flow into the fertile but extremely dry valley.
Come join the fun in Montrose with a Turn-of-the-Century Parade down Main Street, special displays by blacksmiths, boot makers, and other trades from 100 years ago, enjoy horseshoe, tug-og-war, and pie-eating events, or check out a demonstration with mules and draft horses digging a canal.
There will be a re-enactment of the 1909 Tunnel Opening Celebration which featured President William Howard Taft ringing a bell (and others ringing bells across the valley), plus a “Grand Pyrotechnical Display” (now generally known as a “Fireworks Display”).
In addition, both Black Canyon National Park and Ridgway State Park are offering free admission on this special Saturday. And if all this isn’t enough to get you to visit Montrose, there is also the Black Canyon Car Club Car Show in town (Centennial Plaza downtown), and a Volunteer Fair at the Library.
More history on the Gunnison Tunnel can be found here.
You’re never too old to enjoy a visit to the zoo! And you can prove it on your next birthday with free admission on your special day, a free souvenir button (woohoo!), a free Jr. ice cream cone (yum!), a free spin on our Conservation Carousel (whee!), and, if you can make that someone special you’ve brought along feel guilty about not spending any money on you yet for your birthday, there’s even a 10% discount on a purchase at the zoo gift shop. Yes!!
Feeling down about your newly-acquired age? Consider this: the oldest documented tortoise lived to be 188. And there was a koi (you know – one of those carp you see in ponds in Japanese gardens) which lived to be 226. I’m sure the Denver Zoo must have some tortoises and koi around for you to visit.
Isn’t this summer flying by! It’s time once again to think about how we’ll celebrate our nation’s birthday. There are hardly any towns in Colorado that don’t have some sort of festivities for Independence Day 2009, so I’ll just give you a sampling of choices.



Saturday, May 2, 2009

December 31, 2008 
