Courtesy Mountain Art Festivals
Don’t know what to do this weekend? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Pull up a seat to the counter and I’ll tell you about everything that’s hot and happening.
The Fourth of July may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean there still isn’t plenty to do this holiday weekend. If you saw parades or traveled to view fireworks and want more pretty things to ogle at, then you’re lucky to have multiple art festivals and other events happening right now. A few pieces — like painted reeds, metal aspens and mountains made of stone — from such local festivals adorn my walls and shelves. These aren’t simply craft fairs or roadside peddlers. There’s always some top-notch work to be found.
The 36th annual Breckenridge July Art Festival started Thursday and will continue through Saturday. Located at The Village at Breckenridge, 505 S. Park Ave., the festival was nationally ranked in 2017 as No. 59 in the top 200 U.S. fine art festivals by Sunshine Artist Magazine. Admission is free and over 100 artists will display their work from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
Keystone’s Stars and Guitars also kicked off its family fun on Independence Day and still has three days of activities left. One of the events happening on Friday is the Red, White and Bluegrass BBQ Bash happening at noon at Lakeside Village. Providing the tunes at 2 p.m. is Denver-based string band Meadow Mountain. Later in the evening is Beer+Local Art+Music, otherwise known as B.L.A.M., at Warren Station in Keystone’s River Run Village. For $5 at 5 p.m., you can join in on a night of craft beer and food, three bands and more than 15 local artists selling work. Saturday will see River Run Village hopping with Kidtopia Kidzfest from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Stars and Guitars concert, featuring an appearance by the Hazel Miller Band, from 3–7:30 p.m. Sunday will feature a Strider bike race at 9 a.m. in River Run Village, a Stars and Guitars brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Alpenglow Stube on North Peak and, lastly, a sing-along and wildflower crafting opportunity from 2-4 p.m. at the Lakeside Village Gazebo. Visit KeystoneResort.com for a full schedule.
If you’re looking for more art, then look no further than Silverthorne’s Art on the Blue Art Festival. As part of the town’s First Friday events and organized by the Summit Arts Council, the event has more than 25 Colorado artists, live music by Euforquestra, Scott Rednor and Rob Eaton Jr., along with food and drinks. It starts at 10 a.m. on July 5 at the Silverthorne Performing Arts Center, 460 Blue River Parkway, with music playing from 4–7 p.m. It continues again from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday with a free wine tasting starting at 1 p.m.
Come back the following weekend for the second annual Silverthorne Fine Art Festival at the recreation center, 430 Rainbow Drive. The show will feature 60 fine artisans in 13 categories from across the county. It is free to attend and goes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 12 and 13, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 14.
While Thursday may have been celebrating the country’s birthday, Saturday is all about Frisco coming to be. Founders Day starts at 10 a.m. when the Frisco Historic Park & Museum opens to the public. There will be burro rides, sidewalk chalk art, lawn games, gold panning, face painting, magic, puppet shows, live music and more. To stay in the historical theme, the museum will have cowboys roaming about, an old-time photo booth, and Old West schoolteacher in the schoolhouse and cowboy poetry.
Whatever you do this weekend, you’re likely to have a blast.