YOUR AD HERE »

Janet Day – Attention turns to art as weather turns to spring

Janet Day / Talk of the Valley
Fraser Valley, CO Colorado

Smart Art: Winter’s officially over in the Valley. Bikes are replacing boards as trails start to dry out. But spring and summer aren’t all about outdoor recreation. There’s art to consider and many people are doing just that.

Art out of Thin Air, Grand County’s group of talented visual artists, is making plans for this year’s member show at Pole Creek Golf Course. Last year’s inaugural show featured artwork displayed throughout the clubhouse and Bistro 28 restaurant and a standing-room-only reception. The Opening Reception this year will be held at Bistro 28 on July 1 with the artwork on display through July 18.

The Alpine ArtAffair is still accepting applications for artists to participate in this year’s show to be held July 24 and 25. Removal of dead trees in the wooded lot in downtown Winter Park where the show has been held likely will open up space for even more artists. For details, go to http://www.alpineartaffair.com. Applications are due by April 30.



The Grand Lake Festival of the Arts and Crafts, usually a kick-off to the summer arts season, will be held a little later this year. The June 12 and 13 dates give Mother Nature a little more time to get bad weather out of her system. In the past few years, snow, high winds and cold temperatures have affected the show.

Organizers of the Winter Park Jazz Festival, to be held July 24 and 25, are getting a jump on things this year and already selling tickets – the earliest ticket availability in the event’s 28 year history. This year’s festival includes headliner Chaka Khan as well as past favorites Boney James, Hazel Miller and more.



Jazz Fest tickets are available through the Winter Park Fraser Valley Chamber of Commerce box office or Ticket Master. For more information about this year’s festival, go to http://www.PlayWinterPark.com.

Winning Ways: Denver’s Westword published its annual “Best Of” edition this week and, as usual, a few awards were sent our way.

Devil’s Thumb Ranch won for Best Nordic Resort, with the paper concluding “the ranch’s 100 kilometers of groomed trails offer more than you could possibly get bored with in terms of difficulty and distance, and there are plenty of extras available, from a professional (ski) wax to maintenance and lessons.”

The Hot Sulphur Springs Resort won for Best Hot Springs. Westword called it “a hot springs buffet” and added that “while the pools smell like sulfur, the odor isn’t overwhelming or unpleasant. For $17.50 a day, it doesn’t get much more relaxing than this.”

The paper named Sol Vista the Best Mountain Bike Park for its “more than a dozen trails with green, blue and double-black diamond ratings, including a beginner-friendly pump track and dual slalom track. The gnarliest offering is Buck Nasty, a steep, expert-only downhill trail opened in 2009 that features gap jumps, rock gardens and other obstacles to put your helmet to the test.”

Even with all of the strange and entertaining festivals around Colorado, Winter Park’s Mary Jane Birthday Bash won the Best Birthday Party award, with the paper calling it “the weirdest, most wonderful birthday party” that “doesn’t come off half-baked. In fact, it’s remarkable in its ability to appeal to freaks and families more or less equally.”

– Keep in Touch: What’s got your attention around the area? Let me know. I’ll try to find the answer or spread the news. Send it all to JDayQuilts@msn.com. Follow me and local tidbits at http://www.twitter.com/DayJan or friend me on Facebook.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.