Dual events in the Yampa Valley will offer Northwest Colorado residents the opportunity to honor departed loved ones and take part in traditional cultural celebrations.

For the fifth year in Steamboat Springs and the second year in Craig, Día de Los Muertos — Day of the Dead — altars will be available for community members to celebrate the lives of family and friends who have passed away.

Residents are encouraged to bring photos, notes, paper flowers or other mementos to commemorate their loved ones.

The altars will be available at Steamboat’s Bud Werner Memorial Library, 1289 Lincoln Ave., and the Craig Chamber of Commerce, 775 Yampa Ave.

The Steamboat altar in Library Hall will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 and end at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. The Craig altar will be available from 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31 to close at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. Visits must be completed before 5 p.m. each day.

A candle-lighting ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. Nov. 1 in Steamboat and at 2 p.m. Nov. 2 in Craig.

The event is hosted by nonprofit The Health Partnership, which “connects individuals facing barriers such as poverty, isolation, and health issues with resources across the Yampa Valley to achieve optimal health and well-being,” states a news release.

“We are happy to continue and promote a tradition that allows us to remember and honor our loved ones who are no longer with us,” said M. Pamela Meijer, promotora of The Health Partnership, in the release.

In the release, Cecilia Escobar of the LatinX Alliance said the Día de los Muertos altar is a “beautiful tradition” that she is thrilled to see return to the region.

Escobar pointed to the Latin verb re-cordis — “to remember” — as literally translating to bringing something back to the heart.

“When I reflect on what Day of the Dead means to me, it is in essence that — honoring the memory of our beloved departed by carrying them in our minds and letting that remembrance travel to our hearts,” she said. “This community altar is a sacred space where our loved ones live on through memory and spirit—a loving reminder that they remain always close to our minds and hearts.”

For more information, call 970-875-3630 or visit thehealthpartnership.org.