All About BurroFest

Why was it started?

Started in 2019, BurroFest was created to spotlight the talents of both burros and artists. The main creator of the event is Veryl Goodnight, a local painter and sculptor, who is well known for her paintings and sculptures of equines and other animals. Goodnight wanted to share the community’s quality of workmanship through the challenge of live animal artwork. And since burros and wild horses play a significant role in both the History of the American West as well as the Mancos Valley, burros seemed to be the perfect model for the artists.

As Mancos is right next to many mining districts, the rich history of burros helping in the early days of mining also wanted to be celebrated. In 1885, for instance, a local burro packer, Olga Little, the only woman packer in the San Juan Mountains, came to Southwest Colorado and spent 34 years packing food and supplies for the miners into the mountains. In fact, Colorado recently recognized the traditions of burro packing by making Burro Pack Racing its official summer heritage sport. These longevity races test the endurance of the Burro-Racer and Burro. Races put together by the Western Pack Burro Ass-ociation (WPBA) can been seen throughout many of the mining cities throughout the West.

Mancos has taken a different approach to celebrate Burro Packing by establishing an Obstacle Course, simulating real-life obstacles that pack animals, such as burros, may encounter on the trail. Burro Handlers show off the usefulness and skills of their burros by leading them through different terrains, over and through obstacles, and demonstrating certain skills needed to accomplish such tasks.