[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHILE AND FRIJOLE FESTIVAL

 Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, today I acknowledge an 
increasingly popular event that celebrates a truly unique aspect of 
western history and culture in Pueblo, CO. Fifteen years ago, Pueblo's 
Chamber of Commerce created a festival highlighting the anthropological 
significance of regionally important foods: chile and beans. Although 
one might think that this festival is just a celebration of an 
agricultural harvest of two crops, it is much more. These foods have 
been part of southern Colorado's history for centuries. From 1842 to 
1854--in the same location this festival takes place today--French and 
American traders, native peoples, and Spanish and Mexican settlers 
traded these staples and several other goods, making the lower Arkansas 
River Valley in Colorado a major trading hub during Western settlement.
  Now in its 15th year, the 3-day Chile and Frijole Festival celebrates 
and fortifies a vibrant and rich culture through traditional regional 
music and distinctive regional dishes, which truly makes Pueblo, CO, a 
cultural gateway to the American Southwest. It also emphasizes the 
importance of southern Colorado's agricultural community, which 
supplies the locally grown green chile and produce that is the center 
of this event.
  Pueblo and southern Colorado have historically played an integral 
role in Colorado's economic and cultural development. From the days 
when native tribes traded with Hispanic, French and American settlers 
from Bent's Fort to Fort Pueblo, to more contemporary days as an 
industrial and agricultural powerhouse of Colorado, Pueblo and southern 
Colorado continue to evolve and contribute positively to Colorado's 
growth. The Chile and Frijole Festival in Pueblo is a true testament to 
the region's continuing contributions to our State.
  I congratulate the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and the city of Pueblo 
for another year of celebrating the region's heritage and 
future.

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