DENVER, (7/01/2014)  In honor of Colorado’s 138th birthday, History Colorado museums will be FREE to the public  August 1st through the 2nd* offering visitors two days of free fun to celebrate Colorado’s wild, colorful, historical, traditional and modern culture. 

The two-day Colorado Day celebration at the History Colorado Center (HCC) will include food, music, dance and hands-on activities as well as a chance to recognize how Colorado’s past has shaped who we are as a state and people today. “No other organization can help Coloradans understand the present in the context of the past, the way we can,” said Kathryn Hill, History Colorado COO. “We celebrate Colorado’s places, stories and cultures of Colorado everyday, and this is evident the minute you enter our museums. On Colorado Day, we offer even more for visitors of all ages to spark imaginations and stimulate conversations about our state’s issues and future.”

Beginning at 8 a.m. on August 1, History Colorado and its partners, the Department of Agriculture, the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and Visitor Services will meet on the west steps of the Capitol to honor the occasion. The Capitol will be decorated for the event, and will feature square dancing, Colorado candy and birthday cake, living history preservation and other special programs, followed by a procession from the Capitol to History Colorado. Colorado Proud will hold a press conference at the History Colorado Center immediately afterward to recognize August 1 as Colorado Day and to launch the Colorado Proud Choose Colorado Tour– a month-long, statewide road trip to celebrate food and agricultural products that are grown in Colorado. The Choose Colorado Tour, scheduled from August 1–27, integrates 10 agricultural communities, celebrates farmers who help our state thrive, and educate and influence consumers along the journey.

History Colorado Center festivities include an indoor/outdoor farmers market featuring local farms and Colorado Proud products, getting dirty with adobe brick making, craft and food demonstrations, and live performances all day long. These festivities are presented in partnership with the Colorado Tourism Office and AngloGold Ashanti North America Inc.. In addition, the much renowned traveling exhibit Food: Our Global Kitchen will be open throughout August—the last chance Coloradans will have to see, touch, and taste this exhibit before it travels cross country.

Statewide Celebrations
Not in Denver on August 1 and 2?  Make sure to visit one of History Colorado’s regional properties for free museum admission. *The Healy House Museum & Dexter Cabin will be free on August 1st only and the Georgetown Loop & Railroad will be operating under their usual ticketing prices. For a complete list of our regional properties, their hours, and locations visit www.HistoryColorado.org/museums.

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About History Colorado
History Colorado, a Smithsonian Affiliate, inspires generations to find wonder and meaning in our past and to engage in building a better Colorado. Headquartered at the History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203, you can find us on Facebook.com/HistoryColorado and on Twitter@HistoryColorado. For more information visitwww.HistoryColorado.org, www.HistoryColoradoCenter.org, or call 303-HISTORY (447-8679).

About Colorado Proud
The Colorado Proud Program was created by the Colorado Department of Agriculture in 1999 to promote Colorado food and agricultural products that are grown, raised or processed in the state. One of the goals of Colorado Proud is to make it easier for consumers to identify and purchase Colorado products by labeling them with the Colorado Proud logo. In 1999 the program started with 65 companies, and now the Colorado Proud Program has more than 2,000 members that include growers, processors, restaurants, retailers and associations statewide.

About Visitor Services at Colorado Legislative Council
Visitor Services at Colorado Legislative Council
For more information about Capitol Tours please visithttp://www.colorado.gov/capitoltour or call 303-866-2604

Media Contact: 
Shannon Haltiwanger, Preservation Communications Manager
(303) 866-2049