DILLON, Colo. - Dillon Marina is open for Memorial Day weekend, drawing visitors eager to get out on the water and giving local businesses a boost they are counting on after a below-average winter.
Nearby Frisco Marina is closed for the summer due to low water levels, but Dillon Marina opted to open and allow boats on the water.
The holiday weekend carries significant weight for Summit County businesses that rely heavily on tourism.
"Memorial Day is the start of the most important time for us, all of us business owners here in Summit County, especially here in Dillon," shared Owner of Dillon Coffee Lab, Andrew Iwashko
At Bistro North, the mood heading into summer is cautiously hopeful.
"Lake Dillon, such a beautiful place to hang out. The Dillon Marina gonna be fully open with pontoon rentals, and just to be able to kick off this summer, you know, great optimism," said Restaurant Partner Ryan Guilbert. "Our optimism is things are gonna, you know, keep continuing to go great for all of us here in Colorado."
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For visitors, the draw is simple, some are making the trip to spend time with family and friends.
"Because my mom's friends are in town, and we wanted to go somewhere that's like pretty," shared Olive Mingal.
"We're excited. We're gonna do double kayaks, so it should be really fun," added Olive's mother, Rachel Burton
Others make the trip a regular part of their routine.
"Try to make it up as often as possible," said Matt Chidley. "Kind of depends on the season. In the summer, feels like just about every weekend for sailing, and in the winter, just about every weekend for skiing."
Chidley noted this Memorial Day feels a little different after a mild winter.
- "Almost feels like we didn't quite get a proper winter, so it's like a little bit of a different feeling for Memorial Day this year, but we're definitely excited," Chidley described.
The drought weighing on Colorado is not lost on those who spend time at the lake.
"It's on everybody's minds, it's everything anybody can talk about is the water levels, because it is kind of our, our way of life up here on this lake," Chidley detailed.
Business owners say a strong summer is essential, particularly after a ski season that fell short.
"A lot of the winter economy relies on the ski industry, and you know, I'm sure you've already listened to a lot of articles about what our winter was like here, and summer is a great way to balance that out," explained Iwashko. "Our locals, they keep the lights on, you know. We're 100% grateful for them, we love them, but it's the tourists and the tourist economy that allows this business to provide livelihoods."
For now, everyone is hoping the summer makes up for what the winter lacked.
"All we can do is just pray for the best," said Chidley.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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