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As temperatures rose on Saturday, attendees to Taste of Fort Collins beat the heat with cold drinks, treats and by hanging out in the shade of the trees.
Taste of Fort Collins is an annual event in Old Town when visitors can enjoy live music, craft vendors and, of course, local food. The event marks the start of summer and festival season and attracts over 80,000 attendees, according to The Coloradoan.
With a high of 87 degrees, staying hydrated was essential for anyone hanging out at the event. There were several shaded areas set up around the festival, including one with fans scattered around where people could relax with their drinks.
On Saturday the vendors opened, and so people walked around the streets looking at handmade clocks, art and clothing from local booths.
“We make all Colorado-based apparel and posters,” said Jonathan Foos, owner and artist of High Altitude Apparel. “Pretty much everything has a Colorado theme. We do Colorado Star Wars, Star Trek and craft beer designs.”
The folks at High Altitude are just some of the many vendors using the festival as an opportunity to get their art and hard work out to the public. Kevin Weinreich of Someday K is a local who has been attending Taste for several years.
“It’s my hometown, and I love it,” Weinreich said. “I love the love, and it’s good to be home.”
Weinreich creates striking art using spray paint and other mediums to craft paintings with colors and blacks that seem to draw you in.
On the note of drawing you in: the food at Taste of Fort Collins. Food trucks line the street, each offering its own take on some unique food. Included in this list is The Waffle Lab, whose Liège waffles are a little taste of heaven, and Umami Food Truck, who offers unique takes on tacos that leave your taste buds both curious and excited for more. Taste of Fort Collins would not be the same without the food offered, and so it is often worth getting small samples from as many of the different trucks as possible.
“The Silver Seed is an amazing food truck,” said Michael Cheeseman, a graduate Colorado State University student studying atmospheric science. “And we’re super excited to see St. Lucia tonight.”
Although the headliners are often the concert that attendees are most excited for, the rest of the musical acts are all worth watching on their own. Bands such as Vynyl, Modern Suspects and Waterloo Revival offer music all day that fans can enjoy as they sit on the grass in front of either stage. Behind the scenes, many of the band members hang out backstage and chat about the craft that they all love.
As the evening starts to roll around, crowds gather to watch local band Slow Caves take the stage. Unlike the casual show that many of the other bands brought throughout the day, Slow Caves has the high energy that one would expect of an opening band. The group, which was formed in Fort Collins in 2014, has the role of getting the crowd ready for St. Lucia, and their unique brand of synthetic rock does just that.
And so, when St. Lucia takes the stage to the large crowd that has gathered, the event feels less like a lazy summer festival and more like a concert. The band plays into the night, supported by cheering fans and some young girls sitting at the front of the stage with hearts and the band’s name written on their faces.
Collegian Reporter Chapman Croskell can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @Nescwick.
