Photo by Daniel J. Chacon

When Mayor Steve Bach was sworn into office in June, he talked about building community and bringing the people of Colorado Springs together.

This Friday, the mayor hopes residents will do just that and join him at the Antlers Hilton downtown for the Spirit of the Springs Winter Rally.

“We’re going to have entertainment and a lot of fun,” Bach said Wednesday.

The community celebration is from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Summit Ballroom at the Antlers, 4 S. Cascade Ave.

Admission is free, and parking in the Antlers garage will be validated.

The event will include performances Japanese-style drumming by the Taiko Society, Colorado Springs Conservatory, Harrison and Sierra High School cheerleaders, Sweet Adelines’ nVision Quartet and Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale, the city said.

The rally will also include several hands-on activities, including face painting and a community art project with the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum to celebrate the city’s 50th anniversary with Sister City Fujiyoshida, Japan.

Residents will have an opportunity to meet Miss Colorado 2011 as well as the mascots of the Air Force Academy, Colorado College and Sky Sox.

The city is giving out door prizes, including Colorado College hockey tickets.

The Spirit of the Springs initiative that Bach launched in June is meant “to encourage individuals and families to connect with the best our community had to offer and to share of themselves and make our City even better,” the city said in a press release.

The initiative has three focus areas: celebrate and connect Colorado Springs; cultivate future city leaders; and engage retirees.

Friday’s celebration is the second Spirit of the Springs rally. The kickoff rally in September at the Pioneers Museum drew a few hundred people.

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