ALAMOSA — Although it would have been nice if the weather had been a bit warmer and less windy, the 2009 SummerFest on the Rio continued its tradition of kicking off the summer by drawing several thousand people to Cole Park for the fun, food and entertainment.

An exceptional lineup of music and dance performances drew good-sized audiences, lines ran long at the most popular food vendors, kids had a blast at the various activities such as wall climbing, bungee jumping and the huge inflatable slide, and a number of young people found out it’s a lot tougher to stay on the mechanical bull than it looks.

Folks also did some shopping for unique gift, personal or household items offered by somewhere around a hundred vendors, many kids lined up to get their faces painted with all sorts of designs, a good-sized field of runners and walkers took part in Saturday morning’s “Gog for Geoffrey” 5K Fun Run and Walk, and a big group of horseshoe pitchers flung the shoes all day long on Sunday in the annual “Bob-A-Lu Horseshoe Tournament.”

Making it all possible were the many volunteers, City of Alamosa and Parks & Recreation employees, Alamosa Police Dept. staff, and event sponsors that put in long hours to make sure the event ran smoothly and that people had a good time.

In addition to familiar entertainment acts, the SLV Arts and Entertainment Committee added some new ones that proved to be very popular. The committee, composed of Lenny Martinez, Rob “Robear” Bosdorf, Carrol Rogers, Angel Hart, Jeni Jack, Jeff Woodward, Keith and Debbie Cerny, Debbie Ford, Heinz Bergann, Roman Valdez and Stephanie Lewis has been a busy group for months getting ready for the 2009 SummerFest, and also put in a lot of hours working the event all weekend.

The music group Two Weeks in Fiji got things started with a concert Friday evening as the vendors were setting up. Things then got going Saturday with stage acts all day and into the evening, while Sebastian, The Juggling Jester, displayed and taught his skills throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Among Saturday’s entertainment, Leigh Ann Phillips demonstrated the soothing balm and calm of sounds produced on Alchemy Crystal Bowls, Bits and Pieces drew its many fans, and the Jewels of the Valley presented the artistry of historical belly dancing, accompanied by Adams State’s Dr. Tracy Doyle on flute and the remarkable all-woman Binti Band from Denver.

Mel Lockhart followed with his own demonstration of virtuosity on the guitar, and Syd Masters and the Swing Riders gave a lively, fun experience with their easy-listening country swing tunes, both old and newly original.

Sneakers had their own country songs after that, including the oldies of country mixed with some rock n’ roll.

The evening was getting a bit cooler when Martini Shot took the stage Saturday night, but the popular band with Alamosa roots quickly warmed things up with its energy and wide variety of songs that included their own version of “Sweet Home, Alabama” — Sweet Home, Alamosa — now so well known that the large audience sang along.

Sunday kicked off with easy listening provided by Bonifacio, Benito and Tita, followed by Psalm 150, Syd Masters and the Swing Masters in a second offering, and Jeff Strahan.

SummerFest then concluded with strongly Latino flavored entertainment. There wasn’t a place to sit except on the grass when Adams State’s folklorico dance group, Semillas de la Tierra, performed its authentic numbers taken from the traditions found in Jalisco, Mexico, and other South American locales. The smaller dancers, Semillitas de la Tierra, in their brightly colored outfits, were just as big a hit as their instructors.

Needing a strong act to close out SummerFest in memorable fashion, the SLV Arts and Entertainment Committee offered just that as rising Latina recording artist Ernestine Romero (“La Jovencita”) pulled a full audience to the North Stage for her high-energy music and engaging personality. Romero had the audience asking for more, and obliged by performing beyond her time period, presenting original, upbeat numbers from her new “Sin Ti” CD that was in demand following the show as people bought the CDs and La Jovencita T-shirts, and formed a long line to get autographs.

There were some that had been hoping for warmer weather for SummerFest, of course — the kind of summer weather for which the Valley is known. But this is an event that has weathered rainstorms and one year even a gale-like wind that lifted vendor tents right off the ground, and always came back with another excellent celebration the ensuing June.

Look for SummerFest on the Rio to go on for years to come, always striving to get better and better, because this is where people want to be when the all-too-short, but always wonderful, San Luis Valley summer arrives following the winds of spring.