About The Valley: City of La Junta Tarantula Festival Plans Begin

Description: SECO News talks about the first La Junta Tarantula Festival with La Junta City Manager Rick Klein in this About The Valley Interview...

About The Valley: City of LJ Tarantula Festival Discussed

About The Valley Interview Sponsored By:Podcast Dialogue:

SECO News: This is Adrian Hart with your Southeast Colorado News on seconews.org and this is "About The Valley," our community service program dedicated to The People of Southeast Colorado and I'm the publisher of seconews.org and I'm proud to present our restoration and modernization of La Junta's classic business-oriented television program, "About The Valley."

We're going to roll it out as both some video programming coming up around the corner, and we're going to start it off on our podcast channel, of course you can find our programming on our Youtube, Spotify and seconews.org.

This is an important episode to me because it feels like we are coming full circle with the City of La Junta.

We've got City Manager Rick Klein, and we're going to be talking about some exciting stuff about what's going on with the City of La Junta. They had their council meeting last night (1-18-22) and conducted their business and of course we share that livestream on the Facebook Page for SECO News. The city has been a great supporter of us supporting our community by getting the word out. So, we have coordinated some events in the past. I've got to open up and say, "Thank You to the city of La Junta for supporting our First La Junta Light Ball Drop that we did on New Year's Eve down at The Armory."

Klein: Thank you for doing it.

SECO News: Yup, it was a big deal to us and a big deal to the community.

Klein: That's right.

SECO News: ...and starting something new is kind of what I'm into doing.

Klein: That's right. It's a new day out there Adrian.

SECO News: It is.

Klein: ...and it's time for everybody to step up and get with the times. We're American's not Ameri-cant's. Let's figure it out and let's make La Junta and "About The Valley" the best. Because, you know, we are the Canyons and Plains Region, and that's the best area in the whole United States.

SECO News: There you go. I do love Southeast Colorado.

Klein: Me too.

SECO News: ...and I do live here for the people.

Klein: For the people.

SECO News: ...and it's a great place to be.

Klein: That's right.

SECO News: City of La Junta, the first thing I want to mention because I'm so excited to hear, there was some discussion with Tax and Tourism and you reported back regarding a possible Tarantula Festival?

Klein: Yes! 

SECO News: Okay, so the target time for that is probably going to be September or October, is that the case, do you know yet?

Klein: We don't know yet. That was part of the discussion because when you start looking at a festival and stuff with the tarantulas, you know it's weather dependent.

SECO News: Right.

Klein: When can we do it?

SECO News: Yup.

Klein: Do you try to tie it to something like Early Settler's Day? But now it comes later and later we're finding out. 

SECO News: Right.

Klein: So, we've realized we've started the main street, you know, and now we're up to level three of the four levels, pretty soon we graduate. 

SECO News: How cool is that?

Klein: Then they made us a creative district just like Trinidad and Salida and we know there's a bunch of creatives out there, and we know we need to do a better job. We've got the Livewell Park coming up and you know I've been hearing about people going down to Lamar's Pocket Park and playing and stuff and that's what we're hoping for here too.

SECO News: Yup.

Klein: ...and just like in Pueblo, just like in other cities and stuff. You know we can build it, but you guys have got to utilize it and then help us keep it clean and don't vandalize it. 

SECO News: That's right, be respectful and realize that we're coming together as a community to bring our culture out.

Klein: Yes.

SECO News: ...and that's what we want to share with the people when they pass through town.

Klein: Guaranteed. So, a Tarantula Festival? Yes, that's going to be a great deal. 

SECO News: I'm excited.

Klein: We're going to roll that out and contact me if you want to get on a committee and stuff because you should be pretty excited. 

SECO News: Very cool, we can put some city contact information in the article body with this interview, so it will be easy to click on at the bottom and contact City Manager Rick Klein.

Klein: That's right.

SECO News: ...and let him know what you think about the Tarantula Festival.

Klein: I think one of the people that said how about tying it more to Halloween time and stuff. So, it was the first meeting, everybody had a lot of good ideas and stuff and we're going to start vetting them out and seeing what we can do, but it has to be the multi-deal. Let's get some people in tarantula costumes for Early Settler's Day, let them know what's coming.

SECO News: Right.

Klein: You know, we need to start celebrating our wins better.

SECO News: This "About The Valley" program has been a presentation of La Junta Trading Company. Right on the Corner, Right on the Price, 2nd and San Juan Ave. in La Junta.

City of La Junta, City Manager's Office: (719) 384-2578

This Week's "About The Valley" Interviews:

About The Valley: Bethany's Birthday in a Bag

About The Valley: Grunt Bladez Represents SECO on Forged in Fire

Tweet