A soured economy, good weather and plenty of food helped to make the 2009 edition of A Taste of Colorado one of the most successful in recent years.
Festival officials said this year’s four-day event brought in roughly 525,000 people, besting 2008’s overall total of 500,000.
“We are up slightly from past years,” said Sarah Neumann, spokeswoman for the Downtown Denver Partnership.
The festival’s increased popularity this year was due, in part, to families choosing to stay closer to home rather than traveling elsewhere for fun, Neumann said.
“I think of lot of people saw the Taste of Colorado as a good bargain,” she said. “(Admission is) completely free — you can walk right in — and there are great activities for your children.”
Festival attendance was further buoyed by consistently warm weather, she said.
People responded by consuming prodigious amounts of food, including 40,000 ribs, 50,000 ears of corn, 1,200 gallons of barbecue sauce, 15,000 tortillas, 11,000 pounds of ground beef and 800 pounds of cheddar- cheese sauce.
Denver police reported few problems at the festival. “I think people behaved very well,” said police spokeswoman Sharon Avendaño.
The festival Monday provided Erik Jessen a chance to show off his vocal skills. Jessen’s mother, Sheri, watched him belt out “Soul Man” at the Kolorado Karaoke and Mobile DJ booth.
“This is just great,” Sheri Jessen said. “This is a great end-of- summer celebration.”
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
