The Fruita Historic Preservation Board (FHPB) will host the annual Fruita History Fair at Cavalcade, 201 East Aspen Avenue, Fruita, from 11:00 a.m., immediately after the Fall Festival Parade, to 3:00 p.m., on Saturday, September 28, as part of Fruita Fall Festival.

There is no charge to attend the History Fair, and all ages are welcome. The town of Fruita was founded in 1884, and the FHPB will be commemorating the 140^th anniversary of the town with displays of historic artifacts and photographs, covering the importance of agriculture, ranching, business, families, schools, houses, the railroad, water, and Colorado National Monument to Fruita and the Grand Valley. There will be both a Fruita then-and-now photograph display and a Colorado National Monument then-and-now photograph display, a continuous digital slide show, and free Fruita History Coloring & Activity sheets for children.

Other organizations that will be represented at the History Fair include the Colorado National Monument, Mesa County Public Library, local historians, and the Lower Valley Heritage Room.

This year’s Fall Festival theme is Rockin’ Rodeo, and the FHPB will be specifically highlighting the history of the Fall Festival back to the original event, the Cowpunchers” Reunion of the early 20^th century, that eventually became the Fruita Fall Festival.

The FHPB held the first Fruita History Fair in 2013. For the first few years, the fair took place in May as part of Colorado’s annual Archeology & Historic Preservation Month statewide events, but since 2022, the History Fair has been included in the Fruita Fall Festival schedule of events.

The Fruita History Fair is sponsored by the Fruita Thrift Shop. The FHPB is grateful for the Thrift Shop’s sponsorship and for all the wonderful work that the Thrift Shop does for the Fruita community.