The artist lineup has been announced for the 2011 Winter Park Jazz Festival. This is the twenty sixth edition of the WP Jazz Festival and the lineup looks very, very good.

This year the festival is being held July 23rd and 24th and is the highlight of the Winter Park summer concert series.  (Check out the poster for the tenth jazz festival to the left)

The 2011 Winter Park Jazz Festival Lineup

Saturday, July 23

OJay’s
Najee
Alex Bugnon with Special Guest Nelson Rangell
Dotsero

Sunday, July 24
Dave Koz
Will Downing
Arturo Sandoval
Hot 8 Brass Band

Tickets go on sale on April 1st at 9am. Call: 888-409-5974 for more information from the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce.

Ticket and Package Pricing

It is getting the time of year to start looking forward to the summer music festivals here in Winter Park.  This year looks to be a doozy of a year with a couple of new festivals with some great music and musicians.

The biggest and usually the best Colorado summer concert music festival is the Winter Park Jazz Festival.  The dates are set for this years festival for Saturday July 24th and Sunday July 25th.  There a some rumors as to the jazz festival musician lineup but we promised to keep out tongues tied until there is an official announcement.  Last year the lineup was announced April 1st and that should be the same this year.

Check out the jazz festival poster to the left for last years musician lineup.  This year again the festival will be held at Hideaway Park in downtown Winter Park, CO.  Times for the shows should also be the same going from 11am to 6pm.

The WP Jazz Festival is the premier Winter Park music festival of the year and if you are thinking of attending make sure to reserve your lodging soon.  The best lodging books early and you don’t want to be in some bad digs for this show.  Check out Winter Park Lodging Company’s Jazz Festival lodging options.

Winter Park, Colorado comes alive in the summer so get here a day or two early and stay and stay a couple of days late and enjoy the Rocky Mountain summer.

Stay tuned for the Winter Park Jazz Festival artist lineup – we will keep you posted.  And mark your calendars the 2011 Jazz Festival is July 23rd and 24th.

Bernie's Backside

My brother and his family plus my 77 year old dad were in town last week, so we decided to be tourists and headed to Sombrero Stables in Snow Mountain Ranch (a YMCA camp) for a steak dinner horseback ride. 

We had to arrive by 3:30 to be matched with our horses (I got “Hitch” who liked to eat grass). We were riding by 4:15 in a straight line with our nice guide who rode looking back at us to be sure we were ok. 

We rode the horses into a nice trail, thru some beautiful big aspens and by a meadow where our guide said she saw a moose just a few days before. We squinted and hoped, but no moose appeared.  It was very peaceful and not scary in the least, since they don’t let you go any faster than a walk, although we learned the trick of holding the horse back a bit and then got to trot to catch up.  

We arrived at our dinner spot – a wagon-looking grill and picnic area. By that point, one of my nephews was in the deep depths of a horse allergic reaction so they offered (and he accepted) to take some Benedryl and ride back down in the car.  He hung out with us for dinner though which was surprisingly good.  We had steak, excellent grilled potatoes, beans, and bread.  They even had “Cowboy Coffee” for the caffeine addicted. 

Wagon Grill

Got back on the horses and by that point we were aching a bit (knees, bum, etc) but we made it back before sunset and said goodbye to Bernie, Hitch, and the rest of the horses.  One hint – if you tell them you’re an experienced rider, they give you the horses that act up a bit so for the most enjoyable time, swallow your pride and tell them you’ve never put your foot in a saddle. 

Strongly recommend this fun activity for families with kids (age 3 and up) or groups that want to take enjoy the scenery and West without flying down a mountain on a bike or falling in the river on a raft.  Thank you, Sombrero Stables!

As mentioned in Chris’s earlier blog, the WPLC crew got together last week for an exciting day of downhilling. After getting suited up in our ‘armor’ (see right) and loading our bikes on the lift, the ladies (Amy, Sarah, and myself) took the Trestle 101 course, which is perfect for those who are beginning or wanting to improve technique. For anyone looking to take the class, we recommend our instructor Ian who was knowedgable and who’s calm demeanor helped 3 crazy girls get down the mountain in one piece! Meanwhile, Chris and Dace were on their own with the helmet cam strapped on and ready to rock. We’ve got part 1 of their roller coaster ride caught on tape for you to check out…

After a few practice rounds and mtn. biking fundamentals, Ian took us girls down a looooong green trail aptly named ‘Green World’.  It was a fun winding trail through dense trees, open single track and rolling hills with lots of swooping turns (we liked calling them woop-de- woos). Needless to say, our class and one run on Green World lasted nearly three hours, so we got a great workout and were quite tired at the end. All in all, it was a great day and experience. We had a few spills, but managed to get back on the bikes and keep truckin’.  Gotta say the body armor doesn’t just look cool, it definitely cushions the falls! Soon, we’ll have part 2 of the helmet cam video up and running, so keep an eye out…

If you’re thinking about taking a weekend getaway filled with fresh mountain air or getting out of the city heat , Winter Park is where it’s at. Get an unbeatable price on summer lodging with Winter Park Lodging Company, and save big on all kinds of outdoor activities, including Trestle Bike Park and cross country bike rentals (great for the whole family!). We have an exclusive deal for our guests that gets you and your friends geared up for less! When you book your rentals online , you save over 20% off walk in rates and that’s a steal.

Remember, the Crankworx freestyle bike competition starts today and goes through the weekend at Winter Park Resort. Bring the kids and dogs and be amazed at the  high flying stunts these guys do -  It’s totally free and a wild time. Our instructor Ian will be competing too, so we’re going down to cheer him on and take some video. See you there!

The Winter Park/Fraser Chamber is getting a new website up and running strictly about mountain biking in and around Winter Park, Colorado.  So far there are trails and some other such stuff there and it looks to be a great addition to their main website.

The website is http://www.mountainbikecapitalusa.com/ . It is still under construction but there are a few Winter Park bike trails there.  If you would like to contribute photos or video there is a place to do that on the site.

With over 600 miles of trails, it’s no wonder that Winter Park & the Fraser Valley is the Mountain Bike Capital of the United States.

The Winter Park Lodging Co crew took a day this week to hit the Trestle Bike Park for some downhill gravity fed mountain biking and what a day it was.  We will post some video of my falls when we get them edited.  If you have not downhill mountain biked it is something that should be tried.  It is a workout like nine other and quite the rush.

Here are some of the Winter Park/Fraser mountain bike events and races:

Upcoming 2010 Events

* July 24 – Trestle Bike Park Race Series #1 (Downhill) at Winter Park Resort

* July 25 – Trestle Bike Park Race Series #2 (Super D) at Winter Park Resort

* July 25 – Women, Wheels & Wine – Women’s Mountain Bike Day at Devil’s Thumb Ranch

* July 29 – Aug 1 – Crankworx Colorado at Winter Park Resort – one of the largest gravity-fueled mountain bike festivals in the United States!

* July 31 – Epic Singletrack Series #5 (Crankworx CO Cross Country) at Winter Park Resort

* July 31 – Aug 1 Mountain Bike Capital USA™ Weekend at Hideaway Park

* Aug 14 – Epic Singletrack Series #6 (Mary Jane Circuit) at Winter Park Resort

* Aug 15 – Trestle Bike Park Race Series #3 (Downhill Finale) at Winter Park Resort

* Aug 28 – Epic Singletrack Series Finale (King of the Rockies) at Winter Park Resort

* Sept 4-6 – Winter Park Pursuit Mountain States Cup Race (Endurance | Gravity | Super D) at Winter Park Resort

Looking to have some fun on a bike well Winter Park CO is the place to be this summer.

Saturday July 10, 2010 the Grand Arts, Wine and Cheese Festival will kick off.  Starting at 10AM and running through the afternoon until 5PM Wine, art and cheese will be on display Rocky Mountain style.

Stroll through the Village at Winter Park  and visit with local Grand County artists as they show off their talents in this one-of-a-kind arts festival. Watch, do, listen and learn in our hands-on interactive “Learning Tents.” Enjoy live music while you explore one-of-a-kind photography, jewelry, paintings, and more. A variety of these artisans will be offering artist demonstrations and hands-on classes during the day.

The wine and cheese festival is in addition to all the other great activities that are available at the Winter Park base. Check out the alpine slide, putt put golf, Trestle Bike Park, climbing wall and may other activities.

The weather has been great up here the last few weeks and there is just so much to do this time of year.

Get on up to Winter Park and play hard and rest easy with Winter Park Lodging Company.  And finish it all of with some wine, cheese and art in the Winter Park Village.

]]> http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/07/07/art-wine-cheese-in-winter-park-co/feed/ 0 http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/07/01/sweet-vip-pass-offer-for-free-concerts/ http://www.winterparklodgingcompany.com/2010/07/01/sweet-vip-pass-offer-for-free-concerts/#comments Fri, 02 Jul 2010 03:04:30 +0000 Valarie http://www.wplbo.com/news/?p=3317 Continue reading →]]> Join us in Winter Park for two FREE outdoor music festivals at Winter Park’s downtown concert venue at Hideaway Park, and when you book with Winter Park Lodging Company, you’ll get VIP passes to the show for all of the people in your group. 

The VIP passes allow you to access seating close to the stage, two free drinks (either alcoholic or non-alcoholic), a free commemorative festival t-shirt and a chance to win a backstage pass to Meet & Greet the performers.

It’s that easy. Just book lodging in Winter Park for the festival weekend of your choice (or both), let us know how many people are in your group, and we’ll throw in the VIP passes for the festival.   Check out the details for the free Winter Park festivals below!

KYGO HIGH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL

July 10th, 2010.

We’ve got Chris Cagle, who, since his debut on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 2000, has produced numerous top-ten hits including “I Breathe in I Breathe Out”, “Chicks Dig It” and “What Kinda Gone”.

Also on the line-up is Texas’s The Josh Abbott Band, the “fastest rising young stars in Texas country,”  and Denver’s own up-and-coming star, the Kory Brunson Band.

103.5 THE FOX CLASSIC ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL

August 7th, 2010

If you love classic 80′s & 90′s rock, then you’ll have a great time in Winter Park this weekend.

The headliner of the event is Night Ranger, whose biggest hits include Sister Christian and Don’t Tell Me You Love Me. Their twin lead guitar and melodious metal has become a genre all their own.

We’ll also have Pat Travers,  Lewis & Floorwax and Denver’s own The Groove Hawgs to bring their entertaining rock to the stage. You won’t want to miss this festival of rock n roll!

JP Soars and his handmade guitar

It turned out to be another perfect weekend of beautiful weather and outstanding blues performances for the eighth annual Blues from the Top festival in Winter Park, Colorado.  This weekend is my personal favorite of all Winter Park music festivals because: 1) it kicks off the summer in Winter Park; and 2) you can dance to the blues music right in front of the stage. You must check it out sometime if you haven’t yet.

The festivities started on Friday night with Curtis Salgado followed by Andy Irvine’s Blues Collective at Music at the Mall at Cooper Creek Square, then moved over to Smokin’ Moes for the official Pre-Festival Jam with jam performances by the festival’s performers.   The dance floor at Smokin’ Moes was packed as usual and the musicians were clearly having as much fun as we were!

I missed the show on Saturday, but the highlight (from what I’ve heard) was the Walter Trout performance preceded by the hail strorm that swiftly cleared the park out for about 10 minutes. The cooler air after the storm was welcomed by my festival-goer friends, who came back to enjoy Walter and his band close out Saturday’s show.

Sunday’s show started out with a mimosa from one of the vendors, then my freinds and I settled in our campchairs to take in some sun and music. It wasn’t long though before we were up dancing to the tunes.  We had Curtis Salgado, Nick Moss and the Fliptops, Mike Zito, Theresa James, JP Soars and Trampled Under Foot.  JP Soars was especially entertaining with his handmade guitar (pictured). His high energy blues, paired with a deep soulful voice, was definitely a lot of fun to dance to. 

There were a lot of vendors to peruse between acts, plus good food like BBQ, Fried Catfish and Mexican. I loved the authentic $3 tamale and the mint chocolate chip ice cream for desert.  The continual lathering of sunscreen was necessary with all the wonderfully bright sunshine, with no afternoon thunderstorm or hardly a cloud in sight.  The Australian hat vendor sure must have made a killing, although be warned, he doesn’t take bargaining jokes lightly.

Ah, just another fun summer weekend in Winter Park, with plenty more to come. Next up is the Free Hi Country Music Festival, the Winter Park Jazz Festival, the Free Fox Classic Rock Festival and the Crankworx Colorado Mountain Bike Festival. The summer was just kicked off wonderfully by the Blues from the Top Music Fest.

The Winter Park Free Music Thursdays started last week and continues this week with Boa & Thde Constrictors.

Next week the guest is Opie Gone Bad. These guys are a big name to have up here in Winter Park for a free show.  With some of the bigger names in music getting ticket prices in the $300 range this is a breath of fresh air.

On Thursday July 8th you can get on up to Winter Park, CO bringing your favorite picnic meal, wine or other adult beverage and sit in the beautiful Hideaway Park Amphitheater and see Opie Gone Bad for only the price of gas, food and booze.  That sounds like a screaming deal and a darn good time.

Music outside in Winter Park can not be beat.  There is a long tradition od great music up here in WP.  The American Music Festival was an annual event here for  long time and played host to some of the biggest names in music including Dave Matthews, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Warren Zevon just to name a few.

If you are looking to see some music and want to get out of the heat and crowds down in the cities check out Winter Park’s free music Thursdays.

Winter Park Lodging Company is running a third night free special right now so come on up to the cool air of Winter Park for three nights and only pay for two.  Make you plans now for some great music up in the Rocky Mountains.

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