Some Coloradans Ditch Shopping for 'Fresh Air Friday'
DENVER (CBS4) – Colorado Parks and Wildlife is encouraging residents to trade in their traditional black Friday shopping for some outdoor enjoyment.
The push known as "Fresh Air Friday" aims to get family and friends enjoying time together outside, whether that be up in the mountains or at the neighborhood park down the block.
Temperatures Friday crept up close to 70-degrees, enticing many to make good use of the beautiful weather.
Like most, Gavin Gallegos enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving Day meal on Thursday.
"I was pretty full. My stomach definitely hurt," Gallegos said.
He and his family spent Friday tossing around a Frisbee and playing other games at Washington Park.
"Enjoying the nice weather out here… it feels good because this is one of the only times i can spend time with my family," said Isabelle Valle, who lives in Denver but has family visiting from out of state.
"A lot of people are shopping right now. And for us, it's just more important to spend time with family outside," said Blanca Blanco, another Denver resident.
#FreshAirFriday appeared to be gaining momentum across Colorado.
"We're leaning a lot towards consumerism as a society. And enjoying quality time with all of the blessings that nature gives us is more important than what you have materialistic-wise," Blanco told CBS4's Melissa Garcia. "So it's nice to just run around, breathe some fresh air that we have and enjoy quality time with people that you love."
Even some stores were forgoing the day known for bustling sales.
Once again, REI skipped the Black Friday frenzy, closed its doors and gave workers a paid day off to #OptOutside.
Great Outdoors Colorado encouraged families with young children to check out their list of 100 things to do before age 12 to learn about fun activities kids can do right from their own backyards.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.