Santa Fe Trail Days Festival 2003!

"2003 Festival Highlights"

Plan a trip to Trinidad for a living history activity that you're sure to remember! Three days of fun and excitement, experiencing life as the pioneers did are planned in the El Corazon De Trinidad National Historic District. The annual event is sponsored by the Trinidad/ Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce. This years festival accommodated more than 100 vendors with booths from Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and from as far away as Alabama.

Businesses picked their favorite era from the Santa Fe Trail Days and dressed as the characters of their choice. They decorated their stores to reflect the era in time of their choice. Pioneers, Indians, Victorian merchants, fur trappers and traders, soldiers, out laws and lawmen were at the event. Long time merchant families presented pictorials of the life and times of their ancestors. Windows and stores reflected the "Snapshot In Time" theme.

The Chili Cook Off displayed some of the most mouth watering Chili in the Southwest. The splendidly costumed strolling Mariachis will provided cultural entertainment throughout the day, giving you the feeling that you actually went back in time and to another country.

Continuous music throughout the 3-day festival was provided at the bandstand in Coal Miners Memorial Park. Friday's entertainment included the Chuck Cusimano Band and Vientos. Saturday's entertainment included Colores de Tiempo Dance troop, Dynamix, the Mariachi Rio Grande, Waitless, Mark Gardner's blue grass performance , Roberto Mondragon, the Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre and Whiskey Creek. Sunday's entertainment lineup included the Dance Connection, Robin Barker playing the bagpipes, Joe Van Loon Band and Bad Habitz.

Santa Fe Trail Days festival hosted a car and bike show. Old and new were represented in a glittering display of color.
A special children's area with a climbing wall, super slide, skateboard demos, and an alpaca petting zoo was provided. Trinidad History Museum complex offered presentations of living history activities throughout the day. Professional actors re-enacted historical characters of the Santa Fe Trail. For kids of all ages there was apple bobbing contests with prizes, pioneer games and activity handouts to take home were provided. Kids made adobe bricks, learned the how the pioneers dyed wool and had hands on activities in weaving as it was done in the good old days.