Concrete River Festival not in summer plans

With the departure of former Colfax City Administrator Mike Rizzitiello and a lack of volunteers, the traditional Concrete River Festival in Colfax may be scratched this summer.

City councilwoman Whitney Aguilar told the Gazette last weekend the annual festival is likely not going to happen, and the city will instead focus on supporting the Colfax Chamber and Downtown Association’s First Thursday events.

“There’s just not someone there to do that,” Aguilar said of organizing Concrete River Festival. “As long as no one is willing to step up, and as long as the Chamber has a lot of great events going on, it’s not going to happen.”

Aguilar, who heads the economic commission committee on the city council, said the goal of the commission was not to be the group in charge of Concrete River Festival.

“It was to plan economic development and promote tourism,” she said. “There is no event planning mentioned in the ordinance, and we haven’t been seeing tourism from Concrete River Festival.”

Aguilar also noted the commission does want to spend its time focusing on events that will bring tourists.

“We want events that will draw in visitors that will spend the night,” she said. “Events that make a difference in Colfax.”

Aguilar said plans for Concrete River Festival are not 100 percent scratched, though.

“If there was somebody who wanted to take on the event and see it through, it could still happen,” she said.

Aguilar said the city will put in some efforts to support First Thursday without Concrete River Festival.

“I’m excited for what the Chamber is planning,” she noted.

Concrete River Festival was brought to Colfax in 2013 as a revival of the former Crazy Days, which was the summer festival from the 1970s through the 1990s.