Area residents and visitors were introduced to a taste of what may be the future of birthday celebrations for the Town of Monument.

Hundreds of residents and visitors gathered June 4 at Limbach Park in Monument to celebrate the town’s 147th birthday during its inaugural Monumental Birthday Bash. The event was an evening of live music, food trucks and community pride which organizers hope becomes a signature annual event.

The free celebration featured performances by the Joey Fletcher Band from Mufreesboro, Tenn., and local favorites WireWood Station, drawing attendees from throughout the Tri-Lakes area. It was created and organized by Tall Boy Marketing and Salt Creek Productions in partnership with the Town of Monument and the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Tall Boy producer and event creator Justin Styll said.

For Styll, the birthday bash represented the culmination of nearly two years of planning aimed at elevating the scale and quality of community events in Monument, he said.

Styll previously organized events in Nashville, Tenn., and said he believed Monument residents would embrace larger productions featuring professional sound, lighting and entertainment. The vision took shape through a partnership with Salt Creek Productions founder Eric du Toit and eventually evolved into a celebration centered on Monument’s birthday.

“We wanted to do something great,” Styll said. “Monument has always had good events, but we wanted to create a different experience with better production, better sound and something people would really remember.”

Organizers initially explored bringing a nationally touring act to Monument but found the costs difficult to justify while keeping the event free to the public. The concept gained momentum when organizers realized their proposed concert weekend coincided with Monument’s annual birthday celebration.

“When we realized the concert weekend lined up with Monument’s birthday, a light bulb went off,” Styll said. “Suddenly we had our why, and everything started coming together.”

Instead, organizers focused on showcasing regional talent, including regional favorite WireWood Station as well as Nashville-based performer Joey Fletcher, an accomplished slide guitarist and longtime colleague of Styll.

Throughout the evening, families spread blankets and lawn chairs across the park, children played in open areas and attendees visited food trucks while live music filled downtown Monument.

Styll said the event’s success to collaboration among local organizations, businesses and volunteers.

“Everybody has come together on this, from Salt Creek Productions and the Town of Monument to the Tri-Lakes Chamber and local businesses,” he said. “We’re literally bringing unity to the Palmer Divide.”

The sense of community was a recurring theme for organizers, who said the event was designed to do more than provide entertainment.

Du Toit said the celebration offered an opportunity to showcase Monument to visitors from surrounding communities while building anticipation for follow-up events.

“We wanted to bring a different experience to the Town of Monument, something people hadn’t seen before and something that would help build excitement as we move toward the town’s 150th anniversary,” du Toit said.

The event carried some uncertainty, particularly regarding weather and attendance, but organizers were encouraged by the turnout and positive response from attendees throughout the evening.

“This is really about community,” du Toit said. “We want people from surrounding communities to come here, experience Monument, fall in love with the town and discover everything it has to offer.”

Du Toit said he hopes the event will continue to grow in the coming years and eventually attract visitors from across Colorado. Achieving that vision, he said, will require continued support from sponsors and local businesses.

While attendance was free, producing an event featuring professional staging, sound and lighting required significant planning and financial investment.

“The benefits outweigh the cost,” du Toit said. “When people see what an event like this can bring to Monument, I think more businesses will want to get behind it and help it grow.

“A few years from now, I can see this becoming a full weekend event that attracts people from all over the state and showcases everything Monument has to offer.”

Monument mayor Mitch LaKind praised the event and its production quality while addressing attendees between performances.

“The sound that we’re hearing today from Salt Creek Productions is incredible,” LaKind said. “We’ve just put Monument on the map with these guys, and we sound excellent.”

Following the mayor’s remarks, Styll thanked attendees for supporting the inaugural event and encouraged them to share photos and videos online using the hashtags #MonumentalBirthdayBash and #Monument147.

For organizers, the inaugural event exceeded expectations and may have offered a glimpse of what’s ahead. Reflecting on the strong turnout, Styll joked organizers may face a new challenge next year.

“We’re going to need more food trucks next year,” he said. “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”