The second annual Dolores Summerfest is set to take place Saturday, July 16, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Joe Rowell Park.
This family-friendly fest will feature live music, food, activities for children and a car show. Friendly dogs are welcome on a leash. The bands featured for the live musical performances are Jamie and The Dreamers at 11 a.m., Bentley Monk at 1 p.m., PFYT (Penny for Your Thoughts) at 3 p.m. and Flashback at 5 p.m.
The highly anticipated event came in response to the COVID -19 pandemic as a way to bring the community together again and enjoy live music, good food and a car show. Thus, Dolores Summerfest was born.
Organizer Susan Lisak said live music was one of the priorities for the festival since there weren’t many live music events in the Dolores and Cortez area. “The first one was actually last year in 2021,” Lisak said. “We created it because there wasn’t a lot of music opportunities out there and we wanted to have that available.”
One of the other perks of Summerfest is the car show, which is a big part of the event.
“There was a lot of car show enthusiasts going, ‘Hey, why don’t you have a car show in Dolores?’” Lisak said.
“It can be cars, it can be trucks, it can be motorcycles, doesn’t matter,” Lisak continued. Registration for the car show can be found at visitdolores.com under the Summerfest page. Registration is $10.
The public also has the opportunity to vote and determine the winners of each car show category. Trophies are presented to the individuals whose car garnered the most votes at the end of the day. The categories are best in show, best car, best truck, best motorcycle, best rat rod, best interior, best muscle car, best paint job, best ag vehicle and best engine.
Summerfest also will feature a kids’ zone, with games and a foam pile run by Dolores Fire and Rescue. The foam pile is created by the fire department using water and a large amount of dish soap.
According to Lisak, the foam pit was such a hit at last year’s Summerfest that instead of a one 5-gallon container of dish soap, they will create the foam pile with three 5-gallon containers this year.
Food and retail vendors also will also be present, with a tent featuring local beer, wine and cider.
Tickets can be purchased for $10 at the gate, and children 12 and under get in for free. Early birds can also purchase their tickets online at visitdolores.com to get 30% off their ticket order.
More than 1,200 people attended Summerfest last year, and organizers hope for another fun and successful event.
“It’s just a great family and community gathering,” Lisak said.
