Member News
Fort Collins, CO 8.30.11- Weekend Weather, Lindsey O'Brien Band and The Patti Fiasco are the vibrant artists lined up to play at the 2011 SoPro Music Fest held on September 10th from 5-10pm. The event is presented by El Monte Grill & Lounge, a sister restaurant to the beloved Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, in the parking lot on the southwest corner of Prospect and College.
“SoPro”¯ is a term used lovingly in the midtown community referring to the South of Prospect region. El Monte is dedicated to increasing community awareness of this recently rejuvenated area of Fort Collins. Collectively, El Monte and the Rio have created this event to celebrate the three things they are most passionate about - margs, music and Mexican food. While both establishments will be selling their delicious food, the Rio will be selling their famous margaritas and El Monte will be debuting their newest hand-crafted cocktail, The Oaxacan Mule; their version of the ever-popular Moscow Mule.
This year, the event is also geared towards the cycling population of Fort Collins, encouraging its members to ride their bikes in the “River to the Mount Ride”¯ led by BecomeFit. Participants will ride their bikes from the Rio to El Monte before the event. The festival will also offer a wide variety of cycling-friendly activities including a bike show hosted by Bike Fort Collins and a bike repair booth by Drake Cyclery offering free tune-ups to concert-goers.
SoPro Music Fest proceeds will be donated to two Fort Collins based non-profits, A Puppy's Voice Rescue (APV) { www.apuppysvoice.com } and SpokesBUZZ (SB)
{ www.spokesbuzz.com }. Ashley Dinger, director of APV Fort Collins, reports to have adopted out approximately 450 dogs last year, most rescued from overcrowded kill shelters. APV is foster based and, therefore, limits their ability to take in a lot of dogs. Dinger claims that if APV had a shelter, they could rescue more dogs and develop a larger youth outreach program. APV will have a booth at the event where they will be hosting a silent auction for a rescue puppy in hopes to raise money for the shelter. Dinger also stated that the highest donator would have to satisfy the qualification standards set by APV to adopt the puppy. APV will also be giving away a bike donated by Phoenix Cyclery, a generous sponsor of the event. SB is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering and promoting Fort Collins arts and culture by building global awareness of what Fort Collins has to offer; assisting artists with promotions and high-visibility gigs; and working with local music industry partners and businesses to ensure success for all. SB will have
