Mancos residents will salute military service members with this year’s Mancos Days festival, which features the theme “Honoring Those Who Serve.”
The Mancos Colorado Days Association has taken over planning the event from the town, and president Daria Sparks said the transition has gone well.
“I think it’s going well, but we can always use some more people,” she said. “It’s truly an event celebrating the town.”
The committee chose the theme at a meeting last month. Sparks said it was a “no-brainer” to choose that theme. Mancos Days takes place during the last week of July, so they wanted to begin and end the month with patriotic events, she said.
Most of the events held in previous years will continue, Sparks said. The committee hopes to add a basketball tournament. The Mancos High School football team will play a game to kick off the first night of the festival.
A disc golf tournament at Cottonwood Park is possible, but details haven’t been finalized. The committee is looking to add small events such as cornhole and washers, Sparks said.
Sparks said she’s looking forward to the volleyball and softball tournaments. She hopes to see softball teams from as far as Telluride and Farmington join the fun.
The Mancos Schools PTA is organizing the Mancos Days fun run this year, which will be a color run, she said. Funds from the color run will go to the PTA so they can put it toward school programming, she said.
Sparks also said she’s excited to see how creative people are with the theme during the parade.
There are lots of people in the Mancos Days Association who want to help grow the event as much as possible, she said.
“I don’t know what I would do without these awesome volunteers who are stepping up,” she said. “We want to see new activities blossom, and we just want growth.”
The goal for the committee is to get as many people as possible involved in the festival.
“We want everyone to have a say in the town,” Sparks said. “We want the town to be happy.”
People who want to get involved can send an email to mancosdays@gmail.com for more information.