FORT GARLAND-—History Colorado invites the community to the Fort Garland History and Heritage Festival, a special celebration at the Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center on Saturday, Sept. 7.

The museum will offer free admission all day long, as well as a wide variety of demonstrations, presentations, and interactive activities for all visitors. The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The History and Heritage Festival is a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area, and honors the history, culture, and heritage of Fort Garland and the region. 

The festival will include a wide variety of demonstrations and activities for visitors, hosted by the museum and by community partners from around the San Luis Valley. Interactive workshops will include adobe making on the museum grounds, fiber arts demonstrations and tours in the fiber studio, and a special scavenger hunt for children. There will also be a special display and demonstration by the Colcha Embroidery Group of San Luis. Colcha embroidery is an important heritage skill that has been practiced in the San Luis Valley for generations. 

Two documentaries will be shown during the festival. The first, “Colcha Circle,” highlights the history of this traditional art form. The second, “Hello Neighbor / Hola Vecino,” examines early Mormon settlement of the San Luis Valley.

Also present at the festival will be a living history reenactment groups, the Fort Garland Memorial Regiment, who will offer in-character presentations and demonstrations to provide information on what life was like at Fort Garland for both soldiers and civilians during the earliest days of settlement in Colorado.

Throughout the day tours will be given of the Fort Garland Research Library, including a sneak peak of the Terry & Ann Marshall Collection of San Luis Valley, Northern New Mexico and Chicano publications.

Entertainment will be provided by the Apache Creek Fiddlers and Los Cancioneros del Valle, local musical groups of Southern Colorado. Lunch will also be available for purchase from local food trucks.

This event is a collaboration between History Colorado and the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area. The festival is free and open to the community and includes museum admission. 

About Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center

Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center is a museum of History Colorado, located in historic Costilla County. Fort Garland was established in 1858 as a United States Army post in the San Luis Valley. It consists of five adobe buildings original to the fort and is an integral part of the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area. Visit the museum at 29477 Hwy. 159, Fort Garland, Colo., or call 719-379-3512 for more information.

About History Colorado
History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving the places, stories and material culture of Colorado through the History Colorado Center and statewide Community Museums, educational programs, historic preservation grants, research library, collections and outreach to Colorado communities. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information.