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FOOD & DRINK
Don’t eat berries growing near the trail
If you use the Rio Grande Trail starting from Basalt High School then going east past the Roaring Fork Club — where people ride carts following little white balls around — do not stop and pick the red chokecherries or blue serviceberries that grow along the trail. I...
WATCH LIVE: Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra
Join the Aspen Music Festival and School for a special recital you can watch LIVE at CPRClassical.org. Aspen livestreams are BACK for their 75th anniversary season. Throughout the summer, experience all the fun and excitement of a free summer music festival concert from the comfort of your own home. Next...
Inside The Aspen Art Museum’s 19th Annual ArtCrush
Last week in Aspen, the distinguished Aspen Art Museum’s third annual Aspen Art Week came to an effervescent close with the 19th annual ArtCrush Gala. More than 600 local and international glitterati delighted in the premier institution’s 45th anniversary, as well as the 10th anniversary of its iconic edifice designed by architect Shigeru Ban. For the first time in Aspen Art Week history, three pivotal creatives were honored: Ban, artist Jacqueline Humphries, and composer and artist Jason Moran.
An Americana-folk super trio
The sleeper concert of the summer might happen on Friday night when Bonny Light Horseman plays at Paepcke Auditorium as part of the Roaring Fork Sessions music series. The Faux Paws are scheduled to open the show at 8 p.m. BLH is a folk rock/Americana trio of Anaïs Mitchell, Eric...
Theatre Aspen cancels three 'Come From Away' shows due to cast COVID cases
Theatre Aspen has canceled three performances of its ongoing play, “Come From Away,” after an unspecified number of cast members became sick with COVID-19. The canceled performances include the play’s opening night Tuesday and scheduled shows tonight and Thursday. Performances at the Hurst Theatre are set to resume on Friday. Theatre Aspen had already hosted at least two preview performances, one of which occurred on Friday.
Reflections on Aspen Summer of Birds
On a sunny morning in late July, Carbondale community members arrived for a bird walk at Coffman Ranch, a 141-acre gem in Colorado with lush mountain views and teeming with birds. The property was saved and preserved by the Aspen Valley Land Trust and now serves as an example of how ranches can also be sanctuaries for wildlife. Local chapter Roaring Fork Audubon led the free guided experience in nature that celebrated birds and their songs. The group saw charismatic American Dippers on the Roaring Fork River, as well as flocks of Lesser Goldfinches flitting between the treetops. After that, a string quartet of local alumni from the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) performed live music inspired by birdsong.
New book highlights Crystal Valley wildflower
The Crystal Valley is unique on Earth. The natural beauty of this drainage spans a variety of habitats — from high-mountain lakes and meadows to shady, cascading creeks. Among iconic peaks exist fleeting bursts of beauty that color the hills each summer season. Gregory Staple, a former energy lawyer...
The Many Uncanny Splendors of Aspen ArtWeek 2024
To attend ArtCrush, the Aspen Art Museum’s annual gala, various art-world luminaries fly into the tiny Aspen airport on tiny little planes. The only direct flights from New York are private jets, and once you arrive, there are no Ubers, only taxis and private drivers. This secluded mountainous enclave was molded to the tastes of high net-worth individuals—“a mixture of second and third home owners from California, Miami, Chicago, and Texas,” Aspen Art Fair founder Becca Hoffman told me while I was in town for the annual fair, which this year took place from July 29 to August 2. Given its mixed political affiliations, $1500 cowboy hats, and overwhelmingly white population, it’s easy to be cynical about this place. But Aspen’s frictionless lifestyle, I found, can also be quite seductive. Every day looks like The Sound of Music and the water does wonders for your skin and hair.
PitCo wants strategic plan on airport climate goals
During a work session on Tuesday, Pitkin County commissioners voiced support for more funding and focus toward climate goals for the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport. They also revealed an intent to submit their own ballot question on the future of the airport for the Nov. 5 general election. George Newman, a...
Aspen Art Fair Exhibits its Inaugural Show at Hotel Jerome
Last week in Aspen, The Aspen Art Fair (July 29–August 2) set the illustrious Hotel Jerome aglow with more than 900 local and international guests. A vibrant and diverse gathering of creatives, philanthropists, cultural figureheads, and more rejoiced in the inaugural fair’s sweeping presentation of nearly 30 global exhibitors.
Rochel: To those who made Wine & Dine special
The Chris Klug Foundation is deeply grateful to all those who helped make our 2024 Wine & Dine for Life gala so special. This annual awareness and fundraising event helps us share our lifesaving message for organ, eye, and tissue donation, and helps us support individuals nationwide before, during, and after transplant.
‘Crown Jewels’ documentary advocates for permanent protection of old-growth forests
Mature and old-growth forests can store carbon, filter drinking water, and provide wildlife habitat — with added wildfire resilience and natural beauty to boot. Plans are now in the works to conserve and steward those trees on millions of acres of federal land, with public comments accepted this summer. The guidance stems from President Biden’s 2022 executive order to “define, inventory and analyze threats to mature and old-growth forests” and develop recommendations related to “land management and changing climates,” according to the USDA, which oversees the Forest Service.
‘It’s like meditation’: RFHS graduates return to play music for hometown audiences
Two graduates from Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) who have gone on to study and perform music at a professional level return home in the coming weeks for gigs in the Carbondale area. Zack Ritchie, who graduated from RFHS in 2014, plays drums with the Denver-based jam band River Spell...
The Inaugural Edition of Watch Week Aspen Celebrates Craftsmanship and Community
From August 8-11 in Aspen, the first edition of Watch Week Aspen will descend upon the stylish city nestled in the Rocky Mountains. In an enterprising partnership between the renowned Oliver Smith Jeweler and Aspen Chamber of Commerce, the radiant summertime presentation will commence with a celebratory cocktail reception led by Swiss haute brand Parmigiani Fleurier.
Local lecture to focus on Bauhaus design
The Aspen Institute will host a free lecture at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies. The featured speaker is Rob Saunders, founder of Letterform Archive and curator of the exhibition, “Bauhaus Typography at 100,” currently on display at the center. The lecture in Paepcke Auditorium is part of the institute’s McCloskey Speaker Series.
Locals’ rite of passage: The fleeting ascent of Aspen’s high country
The time is 4:17 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 2. Four headlamps illuminate a small, flat landing above Moon Lake, and the flame from a tiny stove turns the bottom of a titanium pot bright red. There’s nothing but the sound of rustling tent flaps. The goal for the morning: summit Mount Daly, elevation 13,300 feet.