JenEngel

Every March hails the sun meeting the snow in Aspen and the annual Wine Party at Blondie’s Cabin on Aspen Mountain. This annual party has a wonderful turnout every year, with characters aplenty. (more…)

The Wheeler Opera House has been the place for live entertainment in Aspen since 1889. March’s schedule continues the tradition of great shows. Tickets available on-line at www.wheeleroperahousetickets.com

March 4th–Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad

This troop has included Aspen in their tour of the Colorado Rockies after amusing audiences in New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago. In a fast-paced vaudeville presentation, the “broads” will highlight the funnier side of Judaism.

March 5th-Chick Corea

Piano soloist will be live in concert for this night only. Corea will showcase his  40+ years in the music industry–it will be one not to miss.

March 9th–One Night of Queen

Freddie Mercury and Queen come back to life through this tribute band, One Night of Queen. Coming back for a second round, One Night of Queen will rock the Wheeler Opera House.

March 14th–Great Big Sea

Making their Aspen debut, this group of Canadian rockers have been recording music since 1995. Mixing their Newfoundland roots with the rock of today, Great Big Sea is a folk group that will surely be an Aspen favorite.

Jazz Aspen Snowmass is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and the performances will be ones to remember! As in the previous years, the festival is celebrated over two weekends in two locations–Aspen and Snowmass Village. But this year, the celebration includes a special performance on July 3rd by Natalie Cole. (more…)

The annual AVSC Nordic Bonfire Dinner, one of Aspen’s most unique winter outdoor fundraisers, will be held Saturday, January 9 from 6:00-8:00 PM. The event features an evening of cross-country skiing, eating, drinking, and socializing under the moon and stars at the Cross Country Center on the Aspen Golf Course. (more…)

Every Tuesday on KSNO, a local Aspen radio station, a real estate broker is invited to share their opinion about Aspen’s real estate market and its future. Jen Engel was on last week. Click here to hear the interview.

Snowmass Free Concerts on Fanny Hill

Snowmass Village is the place to be for free concerts on Thursday evenings throughout the summer.  Celebrating its 18th season of fabulous, free summer music, all different musical genres are represented.  The concerts take place at the end of the Snowmass Village Mall on Fanny Hill, beginning at 6:15pm and ending at 8:30pm.  Please see the concert lineup below: (more…)

Join friends and family for all of the excitement on the 4th of July in Aspen. Below is a schedule of not-to-miss events while here for this patriotic holiday.

The old-fashioned 4th of July celebration starts off Thursday in Snowmass Village. A free concert performance by Karl Denson and his Tiny Universe starts at 6:15pm on Fanny Hill with fireworks to follow at 9pm.

On Friday night, a free concert at Cooper Street Mall is scheduled and Boogie’s Bash for the Buddy Program will be held on Mclain Flats. Tickets can be purchased and more information can be found by clicking here.

Saturday begins with an 8:00am start for the Boogie’s 5-mile race. There is also the family/canine 1-mile walk that happens at 9:15am. All proceeds go to The Buddy Program.

The Kid’s Carnival is in full tilt from 10am-2:30pm at Paepke Park, complete with a silent auction and lots of games.

The 4th of July Parade starts at high-noon. Click here for a route map for the parade, but one of the best places to see the parade is near the judging platform in front of The Hotel Jerome.

Not one, but TWO, picnics are held for the Aspen public starting around 1pm. The 14th Annual AVSC picnic will be held in Koch Park and the 5th Annual 4th of July picnic hosted by the Aspen Art Musuem will be held at the museum next to Rio Grande Park.

Starting at 4pm, the Aspen Music Festival will be playing at Benedict Music Tent located in the West End. They will play patriotic tunes to keep you in the mood for this wonderful holiday.

Another free concert will be played on Saturday evening at Cooper Street Mall starting at 8pm, and fireworks will be lit from Aspen Mountain starting at 9:15pm.

The 4th of July in Aspen is a great time for everyone.  Enjoy!

Since it started in 1992, Butch’s Lobster Bar has been a Snowmass Village favorite.

Every Friday and Saturday night throughout the summer it’s now a Basalt favorite too. Butch Darden, the owner, is a former lobsterman from Cape Cod. He brings his lobster cart to downtown Basalt on Fridays, stationed in front of the Phillip’s 66 near the intersection of Midland Avenue and Two Rivers Road.

I have enjoyed countless Friday nights in Basalt over the past couple of summers enjoying lobster expertly prepared to order by Butch.  My family enjoys it on my parent’s deck overlooking downtown Basalt, but customers can also enjoy outdoor seating at nearby picnic tables or simply lounging in the grass.

Butch’s is truly an authentic East Coast Seafood Restaurant, with over fifty items on the menu. The Basalt menu includes plenty of other seafood favorites, including crab legs and fried clams.

Come get your seafood fix at Butch’s Lobster Cart on Friday & Saturday nights in Basalt, or in Snowmass Village at their main restaurant.

It is that time again–The Food & Wine Classic is coming to Aspen!  Every year in June for the past eleven years, Aspen has played host to the hottest vendors in the food and wine world. Featured speakers include Giada De Laurentis, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Jose Andres, famed chef behind Bazaar inside the new SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

This event is a don’t miss on the “Aspen social calendar” and is the real kick-off to summer in Aspen. Not only is there a fantastic array of food and beverages to indulge in, this is one of the prettiest times to be in the Colorado Rockies. The amazing fields of wildflowers are in full bloom, and the snow-capped peaks are in the background.

May 5th saw record voter turnout for the City of Aspen’s elections. Over 2,500 Aspen residents voted, either via mail-in or at the polling precincts. This was the first election that the City of Aspen initiated the “Instant Runoff Voting” technique, which asked voters to rate their votes. In the event of a close race, the ratings would come into play instead of making the candidates continue their campaigning for another vote scheduled in the future. Fortunately, the system produced winners in all the races who also received the most votes in the first round of tabulation, so there were no discrepancies this year as in the past.

RESULTS:

Mayor–Mick Ireland was voted into service for another 2 years with 134 votes over Marilyn Marks. The race was very heated, especially since these two opponents have been very critical of each other in city council meetings.

City Council–There were two seats available in this election. Jack Johnson was replaced after his tenure by Torre, a city council member from previous years. The other vacancy was fulled by Derek Johnson, a local Aspen retail manager.

Aspen Art Museum–The idea of moving the Aspen Art Museum was stopped by the Aspen voters. The amendment to sell the property to the Aspen Art Museum was voted down by 62%. Most voters considered the vote as giving City Council a “blank check” to make the move happen.