Memorial Day weekend conjures variety of activities

Ah, Memorial Day weekend, the official start of summer. For many,
it’s time to fire up the barbecues and maybe get away for a little
camping or boating.
But some of the region’s business and community leaders mark their
Memorial Day holiday weekends with their own unique traditions to
kick off the summer season.
For Rich Harter, executive director of the Fort Collins Convention
and Visitors Bureau, Memorial Day weekend is synonymous with The
Bolder Boulder. Every year for the past five, Harter has race-walked
the 10K that attracts nearly 50,000 competitors annually.
“A friend of mine talked me into trying it right after we moved
here, and I didn’t know what I was getting into. I got sick from the
altitude – it was bad,” he said.
Still, somehow the experience hooked Harter on race-walking and he’s
been doing it ever since. Harter said he enjoys the big-event
atmosphere of the Bolder Boulder, and the opportunity to spend some
time with his “good buddy and race partner,” Norm Skadburg.
While Harter said he relishes the opportunity for some guy-time, the
rest of the Memorial Day weekend is reserved for his wife, Maureen,
and their two teenagers, three cats and three dogs. “We’ll probably
take a long hike up the Poudre, take the dogs to the dog park –
really just enjoy a nice long weekend as a family,” Harter said.
“Like a lot of other people, over Memorial Day we’re thinking, ‘Why
travel somewhere else when there’s so much to do here?'”

Mountain music man
That thought coincides with J.J. Johnston’s plans for the holiday.
“Gosh, I’d like to tell you we’re doing something exciting this year,
like taking a cruise or something, but we’re not,´ said Johnston,
president and CEO of the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp.
“We’re going to a friend’s house for a party in Golden on Saturday,
and maybe go for a hike in Estes Park, but that’s it.”
That’s a departure from Johnston’s usual Memorial Day weekend
routine. Work responsibilities are keeping him closer to home this
year, but as a rule, he and his wife, Beverly, would likely be found
heading for the mountains to enjoy some music.
“Most years, we try to find a concert at an outdoor venue, whether
it’s Snowmass, or Aspen or Telluride or Red Rocks,´ said Johnston, a
trombone player himself, who describes his taste in music as
eclectic, ranging from rock & roll to jazz to classical.
“We are so lucky to live in Colorado,” he said. “When you think that
people fly from all over the place to come and play in our backyard,
you think, ‘Why go anyplace else?'”
Northern Colorado residents seem to love being Northern Colorado
residents and taking advantage of what’s close to home.

Time at home is precious
“I’d love to tell you that my family and I go to some exotic
location,´ said Jeannine Truswell, executive director of the United
Way of Weld County. “But we’re such workaholics and we both tend to
be so busy that time of year, so we just really value the three-day
weekend at home.
“I can actually cook a meal, and it’s nice to imagine that I could
even read a book,” Truswell said.
Home improvements and gardening keep Truswell and her husband, Bob,
busy and content throughout the weekend, she said. And with her son
home from college, Truswell said it’s a great opportunity to spend
time together as a family, going out for dinner or catching a movie.
“He’s got quite the social life,” Truswell said of her 19-year-old,
“so just getting to spend a couple hours of quality time with him is
a treat.”
Lucille Mantelli, public-relations director for Eastman Kodak Co.’s
Windsor plant, said she, too, enjoys the opportunity to spend time
with her family.
“We try to get all the kids over for a backyard patio barbecue,”
Mantelli said. “If it doesn’t rain, we’ll go to the swimming pool,
but basically we just enjoy a couple relaxing days.”
As a member of Greeley’s Rocky Mountain Stampede Committee, Mantelli
said much of her free time in the summer is monopolized with planning
the two-week rodeo that wraps up on the Fourth of July.
“That starts up right after Memorial Day, so after that, my summer’s
pretty much over until the fifth of July,” she said.
For Bill Neal, partner with Wheeler Commercial Property Services
LLC, Memorial Day is just another excuse to get on his bike and ride.
Now don’t get the image in your head of this 58-year-old man
strapping on leather chaps and revving up his Harley. No, Neal is a
die-hard bicyclist who prefers the self-propelled form of travel.
Over Memorial Day weekend, Neal said he likes to get together with a
few friends, meet up for breakfast in Fort Collins, then ride some
40-odd miles to Estes Park through Big Thompson Canyon. They stop for
lunch in Estes, then it’s back on the bikes to complete the roundtrip.
“It’s a great way to greet the summer and get geared up for the
summer riding schedule,´ said Neal, who typically rides 150 to 200
miles every week. “The shoulder through Big Thompson is nice and
wide, and by that time of year most of the snow and ice and sand is
off the road.”
With so many local opportunities, Neal said he doesn’t feel the need
to get on the interstate and battle Memorial Day traffic.
“The most wonderful riding for road bikers is in the mountains of
Northern Colorado,” he said. “It’s hard to beat.”
And what does Neal do with the rest of the three-day weekend? “I’ll
probably drink some beer and eat some hot dogs,” he said.

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