Denver area restaurant guards trapping, trading & Spanish Colonial heritage with weekend festival
I’m a big fan of The Fort for its food, its ambiance, its second-generation family ownership (the late Sam Arnold and now his daughter, Holly Arnold Kinney) and its commitment, via the not-for-profit Tesoro Cultural Center, to the traditions, arts and culture of the West. The Fort Rstaurant is a recreation of Bent’s Fort, a frontier trading post along the Arkansas River. The National Park Service rebuilt the the original fort out on Colorado’s Eastern Plains, and Sam Arnold’s restaurant west of Denver is also part of Colorado’s lore and legend. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it house artifacts and is the site of historic interpretation and encampments. The Fort hosts two major festivals — the annual Indian Market & Pow Wow in spring and 1830′s Rendezvous & Spanish Colonial Market in fall –that represent its commitment to honor and preserve the past.
If Santa Fe’s Indian Market and Spanish Market interest you, you’ll enjoy the events at The Fort, which are Santa Fe in microcosm, with historic re-eactors and interpreters, music, dance, an opportunity to meet artists and buy works directly from their creators. This weekend is the 10th annual 1830′s Rendezvous & Spanish Colonial Market. My husband and I went to yesterday evening’s preview. A seasonal rain shower dampened the event, but today (Saturday, September 17) — with its (so far) cool dry weather should be ideal. Not to take anything away from the two big Santa Fe markets, but they take place in midsummer when it is really hot most of the day. Yesterday, I was glad to have a jacket.
Here are just a few images from the market at The Fort (open 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. today and tomorrow; admission $6, $3 for seniors and students, free for 12 and under), and if you can’t make it, there’s always 2012:
Margarito Mondragon's polychrome retablos and bultos are examples of one of several woodcarvers' works. This one depicts St. Gertrude of Nivelles, patron saint of cats, travelers needing lodging, gardeners and herablists.
Not all items are major pieces of award-winning caliber. Some are small, inexpensive examples of folk art. I bought a tiny printed "kitchen Madonna" mounted on wood from Roberto Gonzalez.
Examples of works in progress are also on display.
The crowds diminished after the rain and wind picked up, but covered artists' stalls not only provided shelter but also the opportunity to chat with the artists themselves.
