An outdoor and sportsman expo, trail running races, art walks, luxury furnishings at bargain prices and more: Tricia’s Weekend Picks 5/14/21
Eagle County is seeing an uptick in activities and events this weekend with happenings going on up and down valley.
Western Colorado Outdoor & Sportsman Expo
After taking a break last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Colorado Outdoor & Sportsman Expo is back at the Eagle River Center just in time for summer. If you’re interested in hunting, fishing, camping, cycling, river sports, power sports and pretty much any other adventure out there, this expo is not to be missed.
This will be a hybrid event, offering attendees an immersive virtual experience from the comfort of their home as well as the engaging opportunities at the in person event.
The Virtual Expo booths will be open during the event and all the way through mid-June and will offer video and written chat with exhibitors and vendors, gear, equipment, and direct booking with expo booths and live-streamed main stage presentations and activities.
The in person event at the Eagle River Center in Eagle brings more than 60 exhibitors and vendors who will have gear and equipment demos, clothing, guide services and educational presentations.
Bring the youngsters so they can take part in Camp Kids, a fun interactive area for the young outdoorsman. This activity area will be outside under a tent and managed by the Eagle County 4-H. Here, kids can enjoy crafts, fly tying and monster truck rides to support Crawlin’ for a Cure.
Support Local Journalism
There is also a power sports and RV swap throughout the weekend. If you’ve had a hard time finding gear or equipment due to the pandemic affecting production of certain products or just want to get into a new sport at a discount, check out the swap. This is also a good place to try to sell your equipment if you haven’t had any luck on social media outlets. Come and see items like jet skis, ATVs, motorcycles, campers and RVs of any size.
Whether you attend virtually or in person, make sure you participate in the Passport to the Outdoors Scavenger Hunt. Buy your tickets online and follow the directions for finding answers to trivia questions at both booths or virtual booths or exhibitors. There will be lots of prizes for participants and the grand prize is a Quiet Kat e-bike. For more information, go to westcoexpo.com.
Live event hours:
- Friday- 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
- Saturday– 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Sunday– 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Demo Schedule
Friday:
- 5 p.m. – doors open, hourly giveaways
- 6 p.m. – Fly-casting demo with Jason Harcourt
- 7 p.m. – Fly tying demo with Jason Harcourt
Saturday:
- 10 a.m. – doors open, hourly giveaways
- 11 a.m. – Fly-casting demo with Jason Harcourt
- 12 p.m. – Fly-casting demo with Jason Harcourt
Gypsum Stage Schedule
Saturday:
- 10:30 a.m. – Sports equipment packing tips – Jodi Doney of the Eagle County Regional Airport
- 11:30 a.m. – Taking to the trails – Eric Melvin of Adventure Riders of Colorado
- 1 p.m. – Fly tying contest – Peewee & Youth Competition – Camp Kids
- 2 p.m. – Fly tying contest – Adult Competition – Town of Gypsum Stage
- 3 p.m. – Elk calling contest – Peewee & Youth Competition – Camp Kids
- 4 p.m. – Elk calling contest – Adult Competition – Town of Gypsum Stage
- 5 p.m. – Professional Division – Town of Gypsum Stage
Sunday:
- 11 a.m. – Doors open, hourly giveaways
- 12 p.m. – Fly-casting demo with Jason Harcourt
- 1 p.m. – Fly-casting demo with Jason Harcourt
Boneyard Boogie
Get your summer started with the Dynafit Vail Trail Running Series that kicks off on Saturday. The trails of Eagle play host to the Boneyard Boogie, a 13k trek that takes you through juniper shrubs and pinion groves and affords you beautiful vistas on the Charlie Brown, Boneyard and Pool and Ice trails.
The racecourse is 95% single track and 5% double track with an elevation gain of approximately 1,400 feet reaching a maximum elevation of 7,650 feet. Race will start and end at the Eagle Pool and Ice Rink and you can park in that area, too.
Some people do these races for the satisfaction it provides, others do it for the swag. All racers will receive a custom designed t-shirt at the race finish. There will also be nutritious, local and tasty fuel to help you recover from the grind of race day competition provided by Northside Coffee and Kitchen.
The Dynafit Vail Trail Running Series went cupless in 2019, so please bring your own water bottle to hydrate before, during and after the race. This race will start in waves based on age. Racers can pick up their race numbers on Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Peak Performance Footwear in the Riverwalk in Edwards. For more information, go to vailrec.com.
TEDxYouth@Vail
TEDx Vail returns with its student event, TEDxYouth@Vail on Saturday at the Ford Amphitheater in Vail. Since 2010, TEDx Vail has been a resource for the Vail Valley community for sharing ideas and spurring change. TED, which stands for technology, entertainment and design, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ideas worth spreading. TED Talks are popular all over the world and this weekend you’ll find an event for the youth, put on by the youth.
Each year, local students volunteer to be speakers as well as execute the event. There will also be adult speakers covering topics that resonate with all audiences. The event provides the students an opportunity to get out of their comfort zone by speaking in public. The students present topics that are important to them in front of peers and adults within the community.
This year’s TEDxYouth@Vail’s theme is “Impact.” Some of the topics include distracted driving, addiction, loneliness and becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable.
The event is put on by students with only a handful of adults assisting in mentorship capacities so they really are taking on the theme creation, the event design and the day-of execution. Teams seek out sponsorships, design stage sets, create swag bags for guests and decide on the food provided at intermission. They also go to the schools in Eagle County and present in classrooms to encourage students to attend. They manage registration, manage the advertisements on several social media platforms and produce the live show with a team of professional producers.
Come and check out what our area youth are talking about. The TEDxYouth@Vail event happens between 1 and 5 p.m. at the Gerald R Ford Amphitheater in Vail. The doors will open at 1 p.m. and the first speaker begins at 1:30 p.m. In between speakers, attendees have a chance to mingle with others at the social spaces for conversation, crafts and snacks. Go to tedxvail.com for tickets, speaker information and more.
Tickets:
- Pre-registered students are free or $5 at the door
- General admission tickets are $10 online or $15 at the door
- Register now to ensure a seat
Second Friday ARTwalk
The Second Friday ARTwalk kicks off its summer series this Friday with art, shopping and a Food Truck Fiesta this Friday from 5 to 8 p.m.
Broadway Street in downtown Eagle will be closed between Grand Avenue and 4th Street where local artists and businesses will have booths. Businesses along Broadway will also be open late offering specials, sales, dine-in and takeout food, featuring artists and selling unique gifts.
The Food Truck Fiesta consists of seven food trucks coming in from all over Colorado including Cheese Love Grill, Cirque Kitchen, The Rolling Fork and Lucky Mary’s Baking and Sweets Company.
The Vail Valley Art Guild will be hosting an exhibit of original art, ceramics, woodworking and photography at its Eagle Gallery at 108 Second Street. Mountain Lifestyle Properties will be hosting an Art Lounge featuring Margaret Verite’s Broken Arm series of paintings representing the pain, passion, struggle and little victories one goes through during recovery, which she painted over the last year with her non-dominant hand. The EagleARTS@ARTSPaCE workshop+gallery will be featuring works by Lupita Flores plus 13 other fine art and ceramic artists and jewelers.
For more information go to eaglearts.org or find the “Summer 2nd Friday ARTwalks” event on Facebook, or contact EagleARTs at 970-445-2766.
Luxury furniture sale
If you haven’t noticed, we have some pretty spectacular homes around here and when people are moving out, they sometimes don’t take their beautiful furnishings with them to their next home. That’s where Andy Clark comes in.
Clark is the owner of Alliance Moving Systems and he has created the Home to Home program that takes these used upscale furniture pieces and finds a second life for them while benefiting the Eagle Valley community.
Need furniture? You’re in luck because the big sale is this weekend. Five trailer loads full of fine home furnishings will be sold at bargain prices. Couches, table lamps, dining room tables and more will be sold to benefit the Magic School Bus literacy program. There will even be some items at no cost. For local residents who are running a bit short on funds during these COVID-19 times, a stock of home items will be offered free of charge.
Home to Home Benefit Sale:
- Friday – 1 to 3 p.m.
- Saturday – 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Alliance Moving Systems warehouse – 375 Spring Buck Road, Gypsum
- For more information – 970-524-6683
