The 14th Annual Cortez History Preservation Day will take place with events Thursday, May 2 through Saturday, May 4.
The day is sponsored by the City of Cortez Historic Preservation Board, Cortez Cultural Center, Montezuma County Historical Society, Cortez Public Arts Advisory Board, Cortez Retail Enhancement Association and the LOR Foundation.
Starting Thursday, May 2, the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market St., will host a community art showcase for all the Historic Cortez Coloring Book submissions. The art showcase will run through Saturday, May 4.
On Friday, May 3, an artist reception will be held from 4:30-6 p.m. to give recognition to all the artists who participated in the coloring book. The formal recognition will take place at 5:30 p.m. All who are interested in the community are welcome to attend.
Also on Friday, the State Historic Preservation Office will give presentations on designating significant properties as historic properties.
The presentations are titled “Debunking the Myths of Historic Preservation” and will go from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The presentations are free and open to the public, and will be held at the Cortez Cultural Center. The presentations are meant for local property owners, business owners and real estate agents.
For those who aren’t able to attend, a recording of the presentation will be available after the event, in an effort to provide “continued education for property owners with historic or eligible properties.”
The events on Friday will correspond with the First Friday Cortez of 2024, which is being put on by the Cortez Retail Enhancement Association.
The Historic Cortez Coloring Book will be available for purchase starting in May at the Cortez Cultural Center and the Montezuma Heritage Museum. A digital version of the coloring book will be available for free download at the city website.
The coloring book is a project in partnership with the city of Cortez, the LOR Foundation, Cortez Retail Enhancement Association and the Cortez Public Arts Advisory Committee and Historic Preservation Board.
During May, the city of Cortez and the Cortez Historic Preservation Board are also creating a selfie scavenger hunt. Participants who find the five “history mystery” locations in Cortez using historic photographs and taking a selfie at each location will be entered to win a prize.
Selfies can be submitted on the city website at https://www.cortezco.gov/910/Historic-Selfie-Scavenger-Hunt or by using the hashtag #HistoryMysteryCortez. Entries can be made on Facebook and Instagram.
The first National Preservation Week was celebrated from May 6-12 in 1973. In 2005, the event was extended to the entire month of May.
According to the city, the Cortez Historic Preservation Board was formed in 1996 to protect historic signs on Main Street. The board helps advise the City Council on matters that pertain to historic preservation in Cortez city limits.
There are more than 50 commercial and residential properties in Cortez that are registered, and they can be found on the city website, and the properties are eligible for state tax credits and for grants from the State Historical Tax Fund.
Registered properties can be found at https://www.cortezco.gov/408/Historic-Structures-and-Preservation.
More information on Historic Preservation Day can be found at https://www.cortezco.gov/909/Historic-Preservation-Days and more information at Shop Cortez can be found online at www.shopcortez.com/first-friday-cortez/.
