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Pueblo West Water Parade

On a sunny, 90° Independence Day, what does a town of 30,000 do to stay cool? The answer: they throw a giant water party. The Pueblo West Water Parade occurs annually on the 4th of July and is arguably the proudest tradition that the small metropolitan district offers. Attendees prepare by filling any receptacle they have with gallons of water, including storage containers, truck beds, and trash cans. Squirt guns are rounded up, and vehicles are parked days in advance along the roughly 2-mile section of Joe Martinez Boulevard that acts as the parade route. On Independence Day, chaos ensues as parade-goers spray anything that moves with endless streams of water. Rather than sporting traditional floats, the participants of the parade construct elaborate blinds to hide behind and pedestals from which to snipe those in the crowd. Firefighters use the hoses on their trucks to spray droves of giggling attendants.  The parade itself owes its inception to firefighters. The tradition ...

Pueblo Businesses Riddled with Accessibility Violations

The appropriate signage for accessible parking spaces includes the iconic international symbol for accessibility.   The American Disability Act (ADA) was enacted in 1992 to prevent individuals with disabilities from being marginalized. The accessibility guidelines, which number in the hundreds, allow those who are blind, in wheelchairs, or disabled in other ways to experience public fixtures and businesses like everyone else. From the standpoint of a small business owner, conforming to all of the ADA's requirements is difficult and expensive. It's much more costly, however, to face litigation for failing to abide by the rules. It happens often; in fact, one Florida man sued over 1,000 public businesses and government entities for not complying with the ADA, according to WFTS Tampa Bay. Typical ADA violation lawsuits cost business owners around $15,000 in court costs and attorney fees. On the other hand, business owners can expect to earn up to $15,000 in yearly tax credit...

Pueblo Spotlight: John Wilbar, artist at Sculpture @ 222

John Wilbar flunked out of art school and dropped out of architecture school at CU Boulder just shy of graduating. It doesn't make sense that he's a nationally-renowned artist that sells sculptural coffee tables for nearly $2,500 a piece, but he is, and he does. Born in Florence but initially drawn to Pueblo due to the low costs and sunny weather, Wilbar's studio is located in Mesa Junction, the heart of Pueblo and extremely close to the city's downtown art district. John himself is partially responsible for Pueblo's vibrant art scene. As one of the founders of First Friday Art Walk, a gallery exhibition that takes place on the initial Friday of every month, he is also the "John" in John Deaux art gallery, along with his partner, fellow artist Radeaux. However, most of Wilbar's work is too large-scale to be displayed in a gallery setting; instead, his sculptures can be viewed outside of his home studio and in front of several of his patrons...