SOUTH FORK—The warm summer sun shined down on a line of hundreds of people ready to catch a taste of the South Fork Fire Department’s annual catfish fry as the Third of July celebrations kicked off Monday morning. The department hosts the event as their annual fundraiser and welcomed guests as they came through the door.
Vendors lined up just outside of the department with a variety of homemade wares, food and crafts, all of which tempted the avid summer shoppers. A band played classical music in a large tent, adding to the festivities with light joyful tunes. The fire department staff gathered behind a huge pile of cornmeal as they battered and then fried the delicious catfish to perfection. Several guests waited for their turn in line at the serving table and talked about the many years they have been coming to the area just for the feast.
A silent auction with donated items, trips, theatre tickets and much more was available for guests as they filled their plates and their stomachs. The day was off to a wonderful start as traffic piled up in town and guests spread out among the many activities available for families. A local market set up on the lawn of the visitor center with even more vendors from all around the Valley and neighboring communities offered fresh vegetables, in season fruits, homemade jellies and jams and much more.
The Rio Grande was packed with rafting trips and avid fishermen as the day wore on to the early afternoon and the real festivities yet to come. At 3 p.m. guests lined the frontage road to the north of Highway 160 to see the annual parade. This year the theme was in honor of the town’s 25th anniversary and was packed with colorful floats, ATVs and horse drawn carriges.
Several members of the community could be seen promoting the next big change for South Fork with banners urging people to vote yes on a ballot question to make the town a home rule community while the fire department, having cleaned up their fish fry playfully sprayed the crowd with their water guns on the fire engines. The crowd cheered and clapped as they came by, some dashing out of the way so they would not get wet. Some lucky guests were tossed 25th anniversary commemorative coins provided by the town.
In celebration of the town, an intergovernmental agreement with CDOT marked the first day of having a legal route for ATVs to ride through town. Many came out on their ATVs and OHVs just because they could. It was a day full of fun and food, shopping and celebrations for all that attended.
The main attraction came at just after dark as the sun sank low behind the San Juan Mountain Range. Crowds ventured back out after enjoying a brisket dinner that served well over a hundred people provided by the South Fork Kiwanis. Fireworks shot out across the wide Colorado sky in honor of the Fourth of July holiday and brought another year to a close for the small mountain town.