The Dolores River flowed low and calm Saturday afternoon, rushing over rocks and occasionally splashing a swimmer taking a cool dip under hot sun to the backdrop of music as festival goers settled in Joe Rowell Park to celebrate.
Greater Dolores Action hosts the River Festival annually to pay tribute to the waterway sustaining fishers, farmers, and recreationists as it winds through the town’s hillsides showcasing scenic serenity. The all-day event brought visitors and residents live musical entertainment on two stages, food and retail vendors with plenty of grass to lounge on. Around mid-afternoon, a small group crowded near the main stage, swaying to the rhythm.
“Hey, I want to thank everybody for coming out,” festival coordinator Scott Clow told the early-afternoon crowd while onstage.
The blazing sun and cloudless sky did not deter audiences, who came prepared with shade tents and lawn chairs with portable canopies.
“This is the 21st year, and it’s really here to honor the river,” Clow said.
While final attendance figures were not yet available, organizers said the daytime crowd appeared smaller than some previous years. Clow said he believed it may be driven by higher tickets costing $50 per person at the entrance. He said after the pandemic, a price increase was necessary to keep up with rising production costs, saying they did not want to sacrifice quality.
Eight performances offered wide-ranging sound – a little something for everyone – from funky grooves and heavy rock to old-school hip-hop. The afternoon kicked off strong with the Native Jazz Quartet, which offered a little more than a musical performance.
As festival goers settled into lawn chairs, lead bandmember Ed Littlefield introduced audiences to the Tlingit language. He explored traditions of the Tlingit Nation of Southeast Alaska, translated lyrics and explained the meaning behind children’s songs in shared stories while preserving the Indigenous culture through music.
“If you don’t use something, it becomes dead,” Littlefield said in an interview, recalling advice passed on from his father. “So my little way is ... to keep community with me at all times, I like to do these songs.”
At one point, he asked listeners to imagine hearing the same notes heard centuries ago, accompanying the demonstration with traditional instruments, specifically a hand drum that has been with him for nearly three decades.
“We take Native melodies and they're exactly the same as I learn them but they're with different chords behind them, different rhythms behind them, but you could take all of that away and it would still be the same melody. So, that's an important part,” he said.
The event saw strong turnout from volunteers with over 100 people helping to answer questions, direct traffic, check wristbands and troubleshoot any issues.
Emily Budd and Jonnie Ryan, longtime residents, joked that as volunteers, they had the best seats to river stage entertainment. They checked wristbands at the riverside gate where attendees came and went, cooling off with short plunges in clear water and – for those with a little more time – drifting downstream in a watercraft.
Last year, Jack Geran and Tina Puckett wandered through River Fest as attendees.
Before leaving, they noticed a sign encouraging volunteers to return the following year. On Saturday, the couple found themselves behind the cashier’s table. They swapped a few hours of work for free admission and a chance to support the community event.
“We didn’t know the musical lineup at first but its been a good time,” Puckett said.
What began as a one-night Halloween tribute performance in 2012 turned into a band that’s been together for years and played a couple of hundred shows. Sabotage, set to take the stage at peak golden hour nearing sundown, aims to capture the beloved Beastie Boys’ style.
The Fort Collins-based group evolved in 14 years into a long-term project characterized by lineup changes and members switching musical instruments. The musicians emphasized how their rock and metal backgrounds allow them to infuse the original hip-hop tracks with a high-energy guitar performances.
While they are devoted to recreating the atmosphere of the live Beastie Boys performances, the mindset is incorporating their own flair and intensity, and to – always – have fun.
awatson@the-journal.com
