Trinidad welcomes Santa Fe Trail Days

staff report
TRINIDAD — After a one-year absence, the Trinidad Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce brought back Santa Fe Trails Days in a festive party at Central Park.  
Saturday saw plenty of action as several events began the day including a fishing derby, a celebrity challenge sitting chair and inner tube race across the pond, a old-west water gun shoot out, chili cooking contest, pet parade, dancing, and plenty of music.  
Intrepid World Journal reporter David Tesitor  (above) took up the race-across-the-pond challenge by Trinidad Chronicle editor Eric Monson.  While he didn’t bring home the trophy, Tesitor said, after recovering from a potential wardrobe malfunction, “Eric is young enough to be my son so I didn’t mind losing.  In fact, I was the oldest participant.”  
In the gunslinger water fight, the Trinidad Fire Department had a distinct advantage over the Police Department as they were allowed the use of water cannons. The pet parade brought out the finest dressed pets of all varieties outfitted for the occasion.  Dogs of all sizes and even a pig and a lapaca (a cross between a llama and an alpaca) competed.  Dixie and Sophie dazzled the crowd with their matching summer dresses, winning third place, and Dixie and Berta, dressed as a bar of Irish Spring soap, and as a pink nylon shower scrubbie with attached rubber duckie, won second place.