By Patric Hedlund, with archive research by Marcy Axness and Shaina Della Rocco, TME

Before we let August slip away into September, take a moment to remember that for 53 years—since 1967­­—every August began with Fiesta Days.

It was a joyful, three-day reunion in a 72-hour party to say “Good-Bye to Summer” in these Mountain Communities the week before kids returned to school. It was a celebration of family, friends, neighbors and community. But social distancing to stop the spread of coronavirus brought an…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

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Despite covid-19, let’s remember who we have been as a community, and will be again. Here are flashbacks. Above, the grand finale celebration of the “Color the Mountain 5k Run” in October 2013 sent fountains of color soaring, and raised funds to send teens to Leadership Camp for a Drug Free Community. Right: Anna Hart hugs her high school buddy, Sarah Ryan, at the June 2016 Mountain Communities Relay For Life. They raised $35,000 to help our neighbors fight cancer.

Memories of a homegrown lollapalooza of fun,food, music and laughter….

Those memories help define who we are on this mountain. Those days will return again.

By playing together, we build community together. Above, images from Fiesta Days of the past, delighting children of all ages, while raising funds for greater emergency medical safety.

Fiesta Day favorites, face painting and Pet Parade will be back one day!

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This is part of the August 28, 2020 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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