When the Simply Pizza food truck arrived at Wibby Brewing on Friday, the crew found the only shady spot on the lot. They cranked up their ovens and prepared to serve customers, fully expecting the temperature in the big metal box they work in to climb to over 115 degrees.
“You can’t even touch the walls of the truck,” co-owner Melinda Carbajal said. “When we bought the truck we didn’t know we were signing up for this kind of heat. We’re drinking so much water. We’re serving pizza but we’re definitely not eating pizza because we’re hot as hell.”
Carbajal, her sister, and their husbands acquired the business in 2019 and could have never imagined the obstacles that they would face in their first year.
“Business is OK, but it’s been an adjustment for us,” Carbajal said. “We’ve been joking about running just in saunas so that we can be in shape for this. The mask is a challenge. We know that we can breathe in them but it just causes more sweat. It’s just hotter than it would have ever been.”
A recent heatwave and the continuing threat of the coronavirus might have slowed down businesses all over Longmont but it hasn’t stopped them. As temperatures reached a high of 104 around 4 p.m. Friday, several patrons tried to enjoy drinks at Main Street bars. Some sat beside concrete barriers in what used to be the right lane of the road, maintaining social distance. Two lanes of Main Street were closed starting this week to allow for expanded outdoor space for downtown businesses.
Meanwhile, up on the corner of 19th Avenue, the right lane was closed for a dirty but determined work crew. Their “stop/slow” sign was good advice for anyone laboring in the merciless heat.
In between short breaks in the shade of a tiny tree, Andrew Rylant was working an eight-hour shift spinning a big sign for a local wellness center. Last week, he was promoting fireworks and has been professionally sign-spinning for more than three years.
“As weird as it sounds, it’s not a huge issue,” Rylant said as the sun beamed down on his big hat. “I’m definitely not as big of a fan of warm weather but it’s something you kind of just get used to. You always make sure you bring enough liquids. I use cooling towels and if I ever get it set up again, I’m going to have a fan built into my shirt again.”
Traffic flowed at a moderate to heavy pace past Rylant on Friday afternoon. Customers steadily lined up at the nearby Breeze Thru Car Wash, where associates didn’t mind getting a little wet.
Store Manager Izzy Aguayo has worked there for five years and is getting used to the conditions.
“All day, it’s pretty rough with this weather,” Aguayo said. “Luckily the company provides us with some resources to get through the weather. With the COVID stuff going on we went through a decline, obviously. But if it’s clear skies, clear day, then expect to be busy.”
Temperatures are expected to remain in the upper 90s through the weekend and into the next week or beyond. The high temperature has reached 90 degrees in Longmont every day this month and over 15 of the past 17 days.
