One of the best things to do in Salida is attend one of the quirky and unique events at Riverside Park. The park is a gorgeous riverside venue with tree-lined walkways and a small playground that includes a mini climbing wall.
This September, Salida will host its 10th annual Fiber Festival. The festival will bring local vendors as well as fiber workshops, youth activities and a beer and wine garden. And just to clarify, this is not fiber like the vitamin (Mike's guess), but a festival promoting local producers of yarn and finished products made from natural fibers.
As a lover of fiber crafts myself, I am very excited to attend my first Fiber Festival! These vendors caught my eye as "must-sees" at this year's festival.
2 B Ewe - Located in the San Luis Valley, 2 B Ewe is a local ranch and farm raising a variety of sheep breeds. I love the natural simplicity of these natural yarn bundles and am already thinking about pulling out those crochet hooks to put these beautiful fibers to use!
Lana Dura - Lana has a fascinating backstory: she was a documentary filmmaker, policy maker, and Peace Corp member before settling in Taos, NM. She uses only wool from Navajo-Churro sheep which she has raised herself for more than thirty years. I love the elegant simplicity of her finished products!
Phoenix Fiber Mill - Every Coloradan knows the wicking benefits of a natural fiber sock while exploring our mountains! Phoenix Fiber Mill delivers alpaca socks, but in a much larger variety of patterns than what you will find at REI! The company is owned and operated by a family of 14, and everyone plays a part in raising alpacas and creating these fun socks.
Luverú - This vendor has a wide variety of felted Merino Wool apparel, jewelry and paintings. Originally from Russia, this artist started her career in oil painting but has found a new passion in felting! I love the colorful and unique shawls and scarves featured on her website.
These are just a small sampling of what you might find at the Salida Fiber Festival!
The festival will take place at Riverside Park on September 11th (9 am - 5 pm) & 12th (10 am - 4 pm).