Colorado Mesa University, in conjunction with Rockslide Brewery, welcomed the community once again for the annual Tour de Rock.
For the third year in a row, the CMU alumni team put together a festival that was filled with laughter, dancing and music by local bands and competitive giveaways. Rockslide, in a show of CMU pride, released an honorary Maverick Ale. It was the perfect night to celebrate with students, faculty, and the community.
For a limited time, the Maverick Ale will be at Rockslide Brewery.
The festival brought in a wide range of characters, all packed into one setting. Signature brews and music abound, the atmosphere invited participation.
Following the Market on Main, music, festivities and bikes punctuated the night. Colorado Mesa University’s radio station KMSA helped to put on the event.
Arriving downtown, food trucks and a beer garden were available, with various musical acts taking the stage for the night.
Tour de Rock comes from the idea of Tour de Fat, which encourages people in the community to ride their bikes downtown for this event. Riding downtown, the twinkling lights reflecting off bike tires, the community showed off Grand Junction pride, in a show for spectators.
Not to be outdone by the bikes, loads of costumes flooded the streets. Seeing a costume of Mike Meyers, his white mask glinting bright, walking down the street echoed the fall season coming up.
The swing dancers made it a night to remember as well. There was also a dance contest onstage, with five people invited up. Dances featured the shopping cart, the worm, handstands and a half-shirtless man, among others.
For the night, the bands played high energy music, mostly bluegrass and rock. Going from eating cheesecake and peaches while listening to local bands Black Lab and the Banjo and Southside Highway at the Market on Main, to a sea of people in the crowd, dressed in costumes with Maverick Ale and other Rockslide Brewery specialties, was an opportunity for the community.
With the music and crowd celebrating the night, they put the ‘grand’ into ‘Grand Junction.’
