It’s Strawberry Days time in Glenwood

GLENWOOD SPRINGS The last time Ellen Quigley, 94, waited for the famed berries and ice cream at Strawberry Days, the crowd was a little bigger than she remembered.The line was from here to Timbuktu! she exclaimed.But, as she sees it, not much more has changed since she first started going, sometime in the 1940s.This weekend, 111-year-old celebration boasts carnival rides, food, art and entertainment of all varieties. Saturday morning, as always, a parade will roll through downtown, followed by the traditional, free offering of strawberries and ice cream. Ask anyone, and theyll say that this thing is timeless or its Glenwoods premier event or a place to have fun.Dig a bit deeper, and they might just tell you their favorite Strawberry memories, too.Glenwood native Bob Zanella, 70, has been going for as long as he can remember. He recalled the excitement of being a kid, when all the festivities were right downtown. Back then, the area surrounding Glenwood was chock full of real cowboys and ranchers, and so many of them would ride into town for the big shindig.It was just a reason for people to get together, he said.His most vivid memory stems from sometime back in the 60s or 70s, when he was one of a handful of volunteers helping put the bash on (he was even the chairman from 1974-79). At some point, they held a beard-growing fundraiser for the festival complete with a kangaroo court jailing clean-shaven fellows. Zanella is still proudly sporting that facial hair.I didnt take it off. I just shaped it up, he said. I wore it ever since.Tonya Nieslanik, 40, says her fondest memory is definitely not competing in the Miss Strawberry Days Queen competition in 1989. It wasnt her thing, she said, and she was pushed into it. Instead, what really sticks out for her are memories of living near Sayre Park, close to the action, as a teenager. These days, that warm, social interaction still brings her out every year.When I think of summertime in Glenwood, I think of Strawberry Days, she said.Though shes been in the parade more times than she wanted to count, Quigley only laughed over the notion of winning the festivals beauty contest herself.I never was a beauty queen. If I was in the parade, as a beauty queen, Id probably remember it, she said with a hoot.Instead, what she loved about the festival was bringing her two daughters to the parade when they were little. Years ago, she used to watch her late husband, Dean, in the procession, too. Nowadays, she still gets a bang out seeing the floats and bands and the little ol cars, she said.Its still fun, but its a lot bigger than it was in the olden days, she added.Marianne Virgili, 60, the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association president and chief executive officer, is a veteran of the event for more than 20 years, she she still gets excited when Strawberry Days rolls around.I think that its historical. Its a real homecoming, she said.She organized this years features, from the collection of bands set to play, to the car show, now in its second year. This time around, the parades grand marshall is Gayle Mortell, director of the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts. This years parade will also include several government officials on bikes, paying homage to the recent opening of the Rio Grande Trail between Glenwood Springs and Carbondale.But more than these new additions, Virgili focused on what was staying the same. Like always, Strawberry Days is a place for folks to come together. Recently, this quest for community has brought out about 50,000 attendees each year to the events.The main thing about the festival is the people, she concluded.And thats not likely to change.

FRIDAY9 a.m. Valley View Hospital Auxiliary Pie Day, First United Methodist Church3 p.m. American Furniture Warehouse Carnival opens4 p.m. Food court opens, Sayre Park ball field4 p.m. Coors Beer Garden opens, Sayre Park ball field4-6 p.m. Miss Strawberry Days Fundraiser Silent Auction at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park4-5 p.m. The Magic of Chad Juros at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas Kids Fest Stage, Sayre Park4-5:15 p.m. Glenwood Dance Academy: Alice in Wonderland at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas Main Stage, Sayre Park5:30-6:30 p.m. Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts Dance performance at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park5:30-6:30 p.m. Crowning of Miss Strawberry Days at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park 7 p.m. Main Stage giveaways at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park 7-10 p.m. Soul Sacrifice at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre ParkSATURDAY10 a.m. Strawberry Days Parade, Grand Ave. between Eighth Street and Sayre Park10 a.m. Food Court opens, Sayre Park ball field11 a.m. American Furniture Warehouse Carnival opens11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 101st Army Band Ensembles, Open Range, Rough Riders, Mile High 101 & 101st Jazz Band at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre ParkNoon to 1 p.m. Strawberry Days Ice Cream Social (free) at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park12:30-1:30 p.m. The Magic of Chad Juros at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool and Spas Kids Fest Tent, Sayre Park2-3 p.m. Russ Chapman – The Madhatter at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas Kids Fest Tent, Sayre Park2-4 p.m. Village Inn Pie Eating Contest at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park3:30-4:30 p.m. The Magic of Chad Juros at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas KidsFest Tent, Sayre Park3:30 p.m. 2nd Annual Classic Car Show Awards Ceremony at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park 4:30-6:30 p.m. Hezzaray at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park4:30 p.m. Main Stage giveaways at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park5-6 p.m. Russ Chapman – The Madhatter at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas KidsFest Tent, Sayre Park6:30 p.m. Main Stage giveaways at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre Park7-10 p.m. Good Morning Maxfield at the Jack FM/US Bank Main Stage, Sayre ParkSUNDAY7-11 a.m. Rotary Annual Pancake Breakfast at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park7-10:30 a.m. 31st Annual Strawberry Shortcut Race 10:45 a.m. Main Stage giveaways at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park10:45-11:30 a.m. Earthbeat Childrens Choir at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park11 a.m. American Furniture Warehouse Carnival opensNoon to 1:30 p.m. Crowlin Ferlies at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park12:30 -1:30 p.m. The Magic of Chad Juros at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas KidsFest Tent, Sayre Park1:30 p.m. Main Stage giveaways at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park1:30-3 p.m. Big Daddy Lee & the King Bees at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park2-3 p.m. Glenwood Dance Academy: Alice in Wonderland at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas KidsFest Tent, Sayre Park2 p.m. Kiwanis Great Ball Race, North Hyland Avenue3:30-4:30 p.m. Russ Chapman – The Madhatter at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas KidsFest Tent, Sayre Park3:30 p.m. Main Stage giveaways at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park3:30-5:30 p.m. Atomic Brass Project at the Jack FM Main Stage, Sayre Park5-6 p.m. Chad Juros – Illusionist at the KUUR Radio/Ajax Pool & Spas KidsFest Tent, Sayre Park