With a mouthful of snow cone, purple-lipped Drake Jorgensen, 7, was ready to hit the rides and find a hot dog. Chris Vendegna, 21, searched for more beer.
Meanwhile, a nutrition specialist doled out healthy food samples and recipes.
The 31st annual A Taste of Colorado festival serves up an equal-opportunity feast for the young, the old, the junk-food junkies and the health-conscious.
The Civic Center event, which runs through Monday, drew about 50,000 fairgoers Friday, according to officials. An estimate of the Saturday crowd wasn’t available.
The festival features food and drink booths, music, a marketplace and amusement rides.
Denver resident Edith Glass said the variety keeps her coming back year after year.
“I’m normally a homebody, but there are so many things to see and eat here,” she said.
On Saturday, a white tent housed a stage, and rows of vacant chairs beckoned fairgoers to take shelter from the heat. The fair’s culinary showcase brought local and national chefs to participate in food demonstrations.
From a stage, Patty Moore, nutritional health coach and regional manager of Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, talked about the benefits of healthy eating while whipping up a gluten-free coffee cake and sharing samples.
“Is anyone surprised by how good it tastes?” she asked a crowd of nodding heads.
Gluten-free cake might not seem like typical fair food, but Moore said it is all about balance. “If you go to a fair and you want a corn dog, eat it and don’t feel guilty. Food is meant to be enjoyed,” Moore said. “You might find that you’re not enjoying it as much as you thought.”
As fairgoer Tim Cullen took a big bite of his chicken leg, he sure seemed to savor what was left of it.
“This was formerly a large chicken leg,” he said. “It was delicious.”
While the festival boasted old standbys such as corn dogs, ice cream and French fries, visitors with a more adventurous palate could try things such as vegetarian Indian tacos, chicken cilantro dumplings, pierogies and frozen cheesecake on a stick.
Vendegna was more concerned about washing everything down.
“It’s 11 a.m., and I’m down for another beer,” he said. “I want to drink a little more, eat a little more and see what’s all going on here.”
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or twitter.com/literally_lizzy
Interested?
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday; 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday
Admission: Free, but food, drink and amusement tickets are $10 for 15. Meals cost about at least 12 tickets, water four to six, beer seven to 12 and mixed drinks 10. Carnival rides require four to 10 tickets. Tickets must be purchased with cash, but ATMs are scattered throughout Civic Center park.
Getting there: With downtown road closures due to the festival, the Downtown Denver Partnership suggests using public transit or bicycle.
