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Mini Tour
Journey Through the Plainsby Margo Sloan
As spring approaches, this month's AAA Mini Tour celebrates the renewal of the season in the vast, yet quaint beauty of Colorado's northern plains, including the towns
of Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley.Begin the tour in Loveland. This town at the mouth of Big Thompson Canyon was named for W.A.H. Loveland, who supervised the building of the Colorado Central Railroad through the valley in 1877. Agriculture played a large role in the development of Loveland, as did stone quarrying in the hills west of town. Most notable, however, is Loveland's development in relation to the growth of its historic downtown. Today, Loveland thrives as a modern community, but downtown is still the heart of the community, with unique retail shops, antique stores and a myriad of restaurants.
With an extensive public art collection, Loveland's "one percent for the arts" ordinance, along with substantial private donations, has transformed the city into an arts and entertainment center. Home to many world-renowned artists, Loveland has several foundries that cast the work of the city's numerous sculptors. For a look at some of the town's public art, a trip to Benson Park Sculpture Garden reveals a picturesque setting with sidewalks that direct your stroll past more than 40 pieces of sculpture, while two small ponds provide a home for birds and geese.
Throughout the summer, various events take place in Loveland's downtown district. Included are concerts held in Peters Park, music and theatre outdoors at the Foote Lagoon and performances at the historic Rialto Theater by visiting musical or theatrical companies, as well as Loveland's own Choral Society, Chamber Orchestra and community theater groups.
During the weekend of August 11 and 12, two large annual sculpture shows (the largest of their kind in the United States) take place simultaneously in Loveland. One is the 18th Annual Sculpture in the Park, held in Benson Sculpture Park on 29th Street and sponsored by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council. The other accompanying show is the 10th Annual Loveland Sculpture Invitational, held in Owens Field adjacent to Loveland High School. It is sponsored by the Loveland Sculpture Group, a non-profit corporation that donates a large portion of the proceeds from the Invitational to the city of Loveland for public art display, and to Loveland area schools' art education programs. These internationally renowned sculpture shows attract approximately 15,000 people from all over the world every year.
Another event held in conjunction with the sculpture show is an annual arts and crafts fair at the North Lake Park (also located on 29th Street). Including works and crafts from four surrounding states, the variety is practically limitless. The fair, sponsored by the Thompson Valley Art League, runs all day Saturday and Sunday.
Leaving Loveland, the next stop on the Mini Tour is Fort Collins. Head north on Highway 287, which turns into College Avenue within the city limits. Commerce along the Overland Trail and nearby farms and ranches initially supported Fort Collins's economy. Agriculture is still an important economic influence in the area, but more recently the city has emerged as an industrial, technological and educational center.
For a bit of nostalgia, make sure to visit Old Town Square (after which Disney's Main Street USA is modeled) in downtown Fort Collins. This triangle-shaped area, bordered by College Avenue, Mountain Avenue and Jefferson Street, was restored in the mid-1980s and is now a National Historic District. Plan to take at least an hour or two to wander through this charming red-brick square and sample its retail shops, galleries, restaurants and microbreweries. During the summer months, free concerts are held in the square every Thursday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., featuring everything from bluegrass to reggae.
From Old Town, visit the Fort Collins Museum at 200 Mathews St., two blocks south of Mountain Avenue Housed in a 1904 Carnegie Library building, this museum displays fossils, Plains Indian implements and artifacts from the city's beginning. The Heritage Courtyard houses three historic cabins, plus an original 1905 one-room schoolhouse.
Touring restored Victorian homes and buildings is another great way to get a feel for daily life in Fort Collins's past. For a self-guided tour of these historic buildings, pick up a free guide booklet from the Visitor's Bureau at 3745 E. Prospect Rd., Suite 200. The Avery House, custom-built in 1879, highlights this tour. Restored in 1962 and turned into a museum, this beautiful home contains many pieces of the original furniture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Beginning September 1, a special exhibit of the Treasures of the Russian Tsars will be on display at the new Colorado International Museum, located at 363 Jefferson St. in Fort Collins. Brought from the Preserve Kremlin Museum in Moscow, this 266-piece exhibit includes paintings, jewels, armor, weapons, royal robes and ambassadorial gifts to the Tsars from the Russian Orthodox Church. All tickets for the exhibit will be reserved for specific dates and times; they will go on sale in the early spring. For more information, call 970-419-8900.
As you start heading toward Greeley, travel east on Harmony Road (at the south end of town), which turns into County Road 74. Follow this road about seven miles to the small and quirky town of Severance (population, 106). Here you'll find the world-famous Bruce's Bar at 345 1st St.-at the only stop sign in town. Bruce's infamy is noted in their motto, "Where the geese fly and the bulls cry," as the restaurant serves legendary Rocky Mountain oysters.
Continue east on County Road 74 toward the town of Eaton and follow US Highway 85 south approximately eight miles into Greeley. This is where a group of New England teetotalers went in response to publisher Horace Greeley's famous exhortation, "Go West, young man!" The location, near the confluence of the Cache la Poudre and South Platte Rivers, allowed it to be one of the first settlements in the area to use irrigation systems. Crops and cattle remain two of Greeley's mainstays today, although the town boasts many attractions and events throughout the year.
Centennial Village Museum, located at 1475 A St., is a five-acre showcase of architectural and cultural settlement history from 1860 to 1920. It features Victorian and adobe homes, a church, depot, fire station, schoolhouse, homesteader's shack, and operational blacksmith and print shops. The $3.50 admission fee also includes admission to the 1879 Meeker home at 1324 9th Ave. Fully restored in 1995, this two-story adobe house belonged to the Meeker family, one of the founders of Greeley. In it you will find personal belongings of the family, as well as period home furnishings and decorative arts. Both the Centennial Museum and the Meeker Home open April 18 and offer a AAA Show Your Card & Save® discount. Call 907-350-9220 for further details.
Greeley is also home to the University of Northern Colorado, which hosts various events, concerts, performances and art exhibits. Just in time for Spring, the university is sponsoring a Jazz Festival April 26-28, which includes three evening concerts from performers such as the Kurt Elling Quartet; the Russell Malone Quartet; and the U.S. Army Field Band & Jazz Ambassadors. Contact the UNC Performing Arts box office at 970-351-2577 for more information.
Rooted in agriculture, summer in Greeley just wouldn't be the same without its signature event-The Greeley Independence Stampede, which runs from June 22 to July 4. Dating back to the late 1800s, this is the country's largest Fourth of July Rodeo and western celebration, with over 440,000 people in attendance last year. Included in the festivities are PRCA rodeos; country and classic rock concerts; fireworks; a demolition derby; family activities; barbecues; flapjack feeds; art exhibits and more. From Greeley, take US Highway 34 west out of town and straight past Interstate 25 to US Highway 287, wrapping up this month's tour of Colorado's simple beauty in the northern plains.
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