The question of what exactly occurred in Buena Vista this past July 4 is still open to interpretation, one month on. The answer to that question appears to lie with the beholder. Who you are and what you believe appear to have determined what you thought and how you felt about the events that transpired.
While some celebrated, others felt threatened (and some say they received death threats). Some referred to it as an innocent expression of personal beliefs. Others objected to the intrusion into their quiet neighborhoods. Some pointed out that with no permit and no approval from public health, in their view the “something” should never have been allowed to happen. Several objected to the politicization of what in their view should be purely a national holiday.
The Chaffee GOP Facebook page featured this photo of parade lineup on July 5, but the photo is clearly from the town’s 2019 4th of July event: note the renovation in progress on the historic cupola of the Buena Vista Heritage Museum courthouse building, which was restored last summer.
Facts as Reported:
- The Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce canceled the traditional Norman Rockwell-style 4th of July parade due to the public health risks of the coronavirus pandemic known as COVID-19. The move coincided with the cancellation of hundreds of events across Colorado in the face of the pandemic threat.
- The county’s COVID-19 public health orders restricted events that would cause large crowds to gather and Public Health orders were in place. Any reopening of businesses or planning of events, from the county fairgrounds to any public event, is supposed to be reviewed and approved by the Department of Public Health.
- What was originally pitched on June 9 to the Buena Vista Trustees as “just a simple color guard … we’re talking about a Buena Vista July 4 freedom parade”, became a massive “something”– variously described as a parade, a protest, a Republican party rally, a Trump rally, and ‘an expression of free speech’.
- While organizers of the “something” did check in with the town’s permitting process (which runs through the BV Recreation Department) the group apparently decided that they didn’t meet – or didn’t need – or didn’t want to pay – for a permit. So the “something” had no permit.
- The “something” on the morning of July 4 included around 90 cars and trucks and trucks with floats attached, flags, and political posters flying, filled with people. The loud caravan traversed the entire town, back and forth on quiet residential streets and into cul-du-sacs, where surprised homeowners wondered what on earth was going on.
- At the corner of U.S. 24, although the organizers had specifically told the town of Buena Vista that they didn’t need traffic stopped, witnesses reported several “Something” trucks and cars passing back and forth repeatedly, one of them, “rolling coal” (intentionally spewing black diesel smoke) which is illegal.
- Included in the parade were several decorated floats, including one by Lighthouse Ministries, promoting Republican candidate for county commissioner Hannah Hannah. This would appear to be a questionable blurring of the lines between church and state.
The float containing Lighthouse Ministries also included political candidate campaign materials. Image courtesy of the Chaffee County Republic Party social media.
Following the “something,” the candidates riding those “floats” gathered at the BV Event Center (BVEC) stage behind the Roastery for “another thing” – a candidate forum, sans the facemasks required by the county’s public health order. At least two candidates were packing guns and ammunition.
The “something” and the “other thing” elicited reactions ranging from pride and enthusiasm by “something” organizers and enthusiasts, to incredulity, confusion, fear, and anger from independent onlookers. Some who commented about the “something” on social media say they were threatened – one with a death threat — and only agreed to talk to Ark Valley Voice on condition of anonymity.
“How come this is a secret Republican Trump rally?” wrote another on the social media site. He added that it “looked like they conned the town into letting them have a Trump rally. We were excluded. Then they threatened me and my wife and then the site administrator shut it down.”
Homeowners such as Nancy and Scott Anderson said “something” descended on their quiet street as “some kind of unannounced parade” … adding that it “was immediately evident that a political rally poorly disguised as a parade was injecting itself into our quiet morning.”
The Andersons observed not just a raucous caravan – but the “something” was joined at the end by official public safety vehicles; a Chaffee County Sheriff’s squad car and two Buena Vista police cars – all with full lights flashing and sirens blaring “which appeared to be part of the parade” – giving rise to an impression that the event was both county and town-sanctioned.
BV says the “something” wasn’t town-sanctioned
Image: Chaffee GOP Facebook page
Asked what this “something” was – the Town of Buena Vista issued the following statement:
The traditional July 4th celebration has been organized in the years past by the BV Chamber of Commerce. In June all events and activities traditionally sponsored by the Chamber for the 4th of July were canceled.
In response to the cancellation, a citizen [Kathi Perry] spoke during public comment at the June 8 Board of Trustees meeting requesting the Town of Buena Vista’s “blessing” for a number of citizens to have their own ‘parade’.
Since the ‘event’ did not meet the criteria of a Buena Vista special event permit, there was no permit issued. Additionally, there were no street closures, no barricades, no liquor on Town property, no amplified noise, no vendors, and was forecast at less than 200 participants and was not organized by the BV Chamber. The only recommendation to the organizer was to stay in good communication with the BVPD with regards to their times, potential routes, and the overall pulse of the activity.
BVPD was present only with regards to their normal activities and did, in fact, use their lights during a normal traffic stop. As long as the participants were observing traffic laws there was no reason to intervene.
This gathering was not ‘blessed’ by Town nor was it organized or regulated by Town. None of the signs, flags, or opinions were sanctioned by Town. It was simply a group of citizens wishing to exercise their right to free speech and as such were not prevented from that expression.
Public Health Not Consulted
Asked whether “something” organizers had consulted Chaffee County Public Health at what was clearly an event involving a significant number of people, Chaffee County Director of Public Health Andrea Carlstrom said “I was not consulted with that set of events and most of those requests are going through me. If someone called and spoke with my team, I’d know.”
“We had both outdoor and indoor aspects of the ‘Safer at Home’ rules in place,” she added. “I’d say it’s sneaky if they decided to go through us rather than their board, but we’re not screening them. We review and give them guidance, but we wouldn’t endorse or overstep what our role is.”
Another pointed out that on the same day, Turner Farm, a property of the Buena Vista Heritage Museum, was used for a Republican political rally. Earlier this year due to the pandemic and public health event size guidelines, the Board of the Heritage Museum voted to cancel all events for the rest of the year in all its historic properties, including already contracted weddings. So the use appears to go against stated policy.
Other people attending the BVEC candidate forum commented they felt unsafe among so many candidates not wearing facemasks. Some were further incensed by candidates making political statements with weapons and ammunition on the stage.
Clearly, “something” was – and is – a big deal. As to what to call it, the Chaffee County Republican Party social media site officially referred to the “something” as a parade, which would seem to require some official oversight.
The national election is less than 90 days away.
Editor’s note: it was incorrectly reported in this story, based on two sources, that the event at the Turner Farm was a Republican political event.
Buena Vista Heritage President Vic Kuklin provided a clarifying statement: “The BVH board voted at the time of the shut down to cancel all planned events. That was not a cancellation for the next 100 years. It was a vote to comply with the rules. Once the County Health Department loosened the rules, our events committee met to decide how to move forward. That complied with our bylaws. No board vote was needed. We reopened our properties with strict COVID rules compliance. RailFest was done via Zoom with a small outdoor tour. A small, outdoor wedding was scheduled. The July 4th concert was scheduled as a small fundraiser. We have now scheduled 8 more. I am at the Turner Farm concert right now and you are welcome to come join us to see masks and social distancing. If anyone is wearing a political badge, I will ask them to remove it or leave.”
Nothing less factual and biased than a self rightous religious zealot with a gun! Every comment reeks of self rightous white supremacy!
Why would any thoughtful person who disagrees with other equally American patriots feel they need to pack a gun unless its to intimidate persons of other pollitical persuasion so that they don’t have to win the debate, just shut the other opinion up like a bully!
Southern Man, your comment is totally accurate. There is nothing more dangerous then a self righteous zealot with a weapon.
I was present and fail to see how people on vehicles with other people, that they have been isolated with, is in any way breaking and suggestions. Remember at that time it was a suggestion. For all the insinuations that were made in this article, that suggest we were breaking laws and were neglecting things that were recommended is simple untrue. Maybe you found one person to report that they didn’t appreciate it but I don’t appreciate the heavy traffic in the summer either. We were polite and respectful. No one was cursing, yelling derogatory things or brandishing any weapons. We obeyed all traffic laws and were mindul of the neighborhoods we went into. It was organized to show support for OUR COUNTRY. If you didn’t like the show of support I think you are sad. It was less than 45 minutes through any neighborhood and only that long because more people wanted to join. Lockdown for months will do that or vandalize communities, as has been apparent. I think it was truly, great.
No one said you were cursing or yelling, but dozens of people who didn’t appreciate the “something” contacted AVV.You most likely don’t know if any health concerns were broken, because Chaffee County Public Health confirmed it was not contacted to go over the plans, as it was by BV School District over the graduation parade. Your opinion that it was great is a valid opinion and you are certainly entitled to your opinion, just as others are entitled to their opinion.
Ron Hanks was emphatic and proud that he had a magazine pouch of ammunition at the Candidate Forum and it is visible in the pictures; he explained “this is what I stand for,” but for me, it was really unnecessary and inappropriate to come armed like that. It was a show to excite his supporters. Hannah is always proud and states frequently that she always “carries.” As for masks, Hannah arrived, spoke, then mingled with the crowd without a mask, as did Bonnie Davis. I live outside Town limits so did not “get to see” the “parade,” but I had several friends contact me about how disruptive it was and why was it going through quiet residential neighborhoods far and wide. No question many Republicans like to be in your face about their patriotism and their candidates. The rest of us are just as American as you are but perhaps don’t feel we have to shove our views down someone else’s throat. I often hear about the Silent Majority, which is becoming somewhat less so in the face of all of this. Many simply choose not to name call, insult, demean, etc. If someone knows, I would like to hear how much $$ was raised for BV Heritage at the event on the 4th organized by Kathi Perry. It would help all of us to know that. Finally, I will speak for my own involvement in the community with many organizations, helping out frequently and often. As to the parade (inappropriate term since it was not permitted and routes were not outlined for the Town), I have seen written comments that “the parade was open to everyone who wanted to participate.” How was it publicized so that all of the general public could hear about it and decide if they wanted to be a part of it. Two friends received personal calls asking if they wanted to be a part of it (they did not). I look at quite a bit of local information and didn’t see anything in the paper, hear about it on the local radio stations, and didn’t see anything on What’s Happening in BV until after the event. Kathi & Mike Perry were VERY instrumental in putting together and organizing the parade, so please don’t say complete inaccuracies. Residents of all viewpoints should be allowed to speak their opinions without the immediately bullying and insults that normally start immediately.
If you don’t like it, why don’t you liberals just head on out of town.
People you refer to as “liberals” have just as much right to live here as you do Alf. Conservatives do not own the town or the county; you persumably own a piece of proerty here. All voices dserve to be heard, not just the ones you like.
The article’s claim that there was a Republican campaign event at the Turner Farm is totally false. There was an evening concert attended by about 40 socially distanced people that was totally non political.
Your incorrect reporting has damaged the reputation of Buena Vista Heritage and our directors demand that you remove any reference to BVH from the article.
The reporting had two sources, one of them a former board member, who viewed it as a political event. The perception was reality weeks before we reported on this. There appears to have been no press releases sent out by the organization (AVV got nothing from BV Heritage) so representing your definition of the event was not possible. WE will correct the reference to the event being political. In the future please send press information to Arkvalleyvoice@gmail.com and we’d be happy to include your official words.
Thank you for the article. However, as to the Candidate Forum, I would like to clarify, as a person who was there, that it was my understanding that the Forum at the BV Stage was its own event, unaffiliated with the “something,” though there may have been people who were co-incidentally involved with both. I personally saw one candidate with a weapon and he gave an explanation as to why he had it. I was unaware of anyone else present with a weapon. To me it seemed clear that no other candidate had one. It was also unclear whether or not that one person with a weapon also had ammunition. It was not obvious that he did. As to face coverings, most people wore masks. I saw most candidates (if not all, but I can’t say with certainty) wearing masks when they weren’t on the stage. The ones I spoke with after the speeces were each wearing one. The candidates weren’t wearing masks when they were on the stage as they were then socially-distanced and only speaking when they were giving their speech. Most of the attendees (definitely not all) were also wearing masks.
Thank you for your comment. The candidate forum was described as “the other thing” not as part of the “something.” Other people there did see other weapons and ammunition. We don’thave an ecact count of how many peole were or weren’t wearing masks, but there are pictures of the candidates, on stage, most all without masks.
Yes, you are correct that the candidates removed their masks when they were on the stage. At that point they were socially distanced. I’m sorry if I didn’t make the distinction between off- and on-stage clear enough in my comment.
Ah. Ark Valley is showing its true colors.
If you mean that Ark Valley Voice reports events and issues based on facts, then you are correct. What we report isn’t always popular, but popularity is not why news organizations exist. If
another competing political party had organized an event that onlookers felt threatened by, we’d have reported on that as well.
Jan you obviously didn’t do your research. You did’t contact me, yet you used my name in connection with incorrect info about my attempt to have a traditional parade on East Main. Permits were never filed so there were none to deny. The town said no parade because of Covid. That ended my involvement. You also misrepresented Buena Vista Heritage. There was no Republican political rally at the Turner Farm on July 4. It was a fundraising concert by Gene Farrar and stories by historic reenactors. It was done with permission of board members. Chaffee County Health issued a certificate and gave permission for under 150 people. The president, bookkeeper, and director, were there in addition to myself as treasurer. I’d like to know who fed you misinformation for this story. You listen to them but didn’t interview me or BVHeritage. Obviously disgruntled Democrats led you down the wrong path. You need to remove the story, it is so incorrect
We reported on the public perceptions of this event. The reference to you made by the town of Buena Vista in their statement, is factual — as is our link to the story about the June 9 meeting in which you presented the concept to trustees and their reaction, and does not come up after that. Since there was no press release from BV Heritage and your involvement in it was unknown to us, your name was not raised in reference to BV Heritage. We have no idea to what political party the dozens of people who contacts belong. By raising this suggestion, you yourself have labeled the “something” as a political statement, which AVV did not. Chaffee County PUbic Health is on record as not having been consulted about the “something.”
I would like to say, that your article is completely untrue. This “something” was filled with patriots who love this country and wanted to show we love this country. From the hundreds of people we saw outside waving, cheering, and giving us a thumbs up, it would seem that the majority of our town also enjoyed this “something”. It seems to me like your well or “information” is drying up since you are writing about “something” that happened over a month ago. Time for a new job perhaps?
The very fact that you cite the attendance of “the hundreds of people” during a pandemic is one of the big safety reasons the chamber’s original 4th of July parade was canceled. Be assured, there is plenty of news to cover in this county, this region, and this state and our “well” is hardly dry. We took our time researching this story because we expected reactions such as yours. That doesn’t change the facts.
What a load of crap article. Never seen such poor reporting on a ‘something’ spontaneous event that was accepted by the majority of Chaffee County citizens.
This event was not “spontaneous” it was raised to the Buena Vista Trustees meeting on June 9, and organizers were told to address it with the recreation dept.
You are welcome to your opinion about the event, but unless you have factual evidence that “the majority of Chaffee County citizens” accepted this, that is not true and AVV is now on record as pointing this out.
You did no research…. I was one of the ones driving in the “something” and I have talk to a lot of people involved. You did not talk to any of us. Your research sucks!!!
Exactly how do you know the event was accepted by the majority of citizens? I for one am tired and outraged the way the County has handled the virus.Mask wearing,social distancing,and isolating when necessary, has become political contention,and that is why our country has the highest deaths and infections in the world.It is time to have a comprehensive debate about this county”s failings during this pandemic,from law enforcement”s refusal to enforce,to business owner”s doing the same.The only adults appear to be the Chaffee County Health Department .However they can not enforce,only state what the science dictates.Sad to see how many residents do not care about the health of others,rather flexing they”re “right” to harm others.
A few words to he socialist/liberal Democrat leaning – 1) BV town was aware. There “WAS NO GUN BRANDISHING. It was a Truly peaceful show of celebration of our United State’s Independence on the 4 th of July.
Ark Valley Voice get your facts together before expounding on you Leftist spin articles! 2 final words to the editor..STICK IT!!”
Love this Nation or leave it!
🇺🇸🦅🦅
This article
covers more than one event on that 4th of July — perhaps you were not at the “other thing”.
Patriotism is not limited to a single political party, nor a single viewpoint. The founders arguing over the framework of a new constitution in 1787-1788 would tell you they were all patriots, but they originally held radically different views on how this country should be governed and whether states or a strong central government should hold sway … they could also share that the meaning of some words being bandied about today, meant something different back then.
As to loving this nation — my family has been here since 1630…I assure you, I love my country, but that does not mean that I or anyone else has to agree with your viewpoint.
In defense of our reporting (though in this case it needs no defense) Because you chose to end with a typical
crude comment often spouted by those your ilk, and refuse to believe facts (BV was NOT aware, no permit, and there was gun brandishing) your statement is rendered irrelevant.
I guess if the “something” had just showed up to protest as an earlier group did in BV the event would have passed muster. Personal responsibility people…if you feel unsafe REMOVE yourself. Death threat?…seriously drama n foment! The day patriotism can’t be expressed is a sad declining day in our country!!!
Ark Valley Voice is not aware of any earlier group in BV protesting anything. But if you have some contact information about this, we’d be happy to investigate it.
I always appreciate your unbiased accounting and outlook on things going on in BV and Salida! Many in Buena Vista thought the “something” was wonderful!
I’m wondering why we’re just hearing about this now a month later? Living in Salida I was not aware of this event in BV.
The story was not a breaking news story. It was written after dozens of people contacted AVV asking what on earth this “something” was. It appears that most people in BV didn’t have advance word that it was going on either.
I was a part of the 4th of July Freedom Parade…I felt the neighbors were excited and thrilled to come out of their homes with flags waving and joining the celebration of our July 4th parade.
There were very few houses where people did not join in…
And BTW Kathi Perry had no involvement in putting this event together….your article paints a grim negative response to a great celebration of our freedom! And again this parade was open to all who wanted to participate!
As far as the Turner Farm concert that evening, Kathi Perry did organize it for a fun raiser for BV Heritage…to try to keep the museum open for the summer…There was no POLITICAL reference at this event! Whereas you again lied in this article.
As we said, personal perceptions are definitely at work here. Your perception is that there were very few houses where people did not join in and that is wonderful. But others observing this felt differently, and we made of point of including that range of perceptions. Kathi Perry is on record as presenting the idea of the “something” during the June 9 BV Trustees meeting, which was the only reference to her in this July 4 article. AVV did not “lie”. Our sources called the Turner Farm event political; if that is inaccurate, that does not make it a lie, it means the sources viewed it differently than you do, or from what it’s intent might have been.
Thank goodness someone out there will tell the truth. We are up against it BV.