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Eagle County Fair and Rodeo, the New York Philharmonic at Bravo! Vail and art from past and present: Tricia’s Weekend Picks 7/23/21

This weekend, mix it up by attending the rodeo one night, Bravo! Vail the next and round out your days with art.

Eagle County Fair and Rodeo

The Eagle County Fair and Rodeo returns for its 81st anniversary and runs from now until Saturday.
Chris Dillman / cdillmann@vaildaily.com

The 81st annual Eagle County Fair and Rodeo returns to the Eagle River Center in Eagle this week. Full of tradition, this staple on the events calendar brings in everything you love about the county fairs and rodeos. There will be plenty of carnival rides and typical foodie fare like cotton candy and funnel cakes. The 4-H exhibits will be on full display and the event brings in top-notch cowboys, cowgirls and livestock at this PRCA sanctioned ProRodeo.

Each night the entertainment will consist of The Freedom Riders Drill Team, mutton bustin’, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling and much more. Each night concludes with a classic rodeo event: Bull riding. Can you imagine trying to stay on a 2,000-pound animal that is bucking and twirling you around? This rodeo brings in top talent as far as rodeo professionals are concerned as well as livestock. Many of the competitors here have come straight from Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming and will continue to travel the national rodeo circuit after they leave Eagle.

Come early and ride the carnival rides and stay late to listen to the sounds of Buck Ford, who will play Friday and Saturday nights after the rodeo ends. The rodeo will also host theme nights this year. On Friday, if you’re tough enough, the organizers ask you to wear pink for the Tough Enough to Wear Pink night. Proceeds from ticket sales and donations will go directly to the Shaw Regional Cancer Center. Saturday is patriotic night, so wear your red, white and blue as the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo salutes those who serve.



There are a variety of ticket options that can be purchased online or at the venue. Go to eaglecounty.us/fairandrodeo/ticketinformation for more information. Here’s the schedule:

Friday – “Pink Night”

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  • 3 p.m. – Carnival and Vendor Booths Open
  • 4 – 6 p.m – KZYR-Cornhole Tournament -Main Stage-East End
  • 7 p.m. – PRCA Rodeo – Pro Rodeo Arena
  • 9 – 11 p.m. – Buck Ford Free Concert – Main Stage – East End

Saturday -“Patriotic Night”

  • 11 a.m. – Junior Livestock Auction – Eagle River Center Stage
  • 11 a.m. – Junior Livestock Barbecue – Eagle River Center
  • 11 a.m. – Carnival and Vendor Booths Open
  • 7 p.m., PRCA Rodeo – Pro Rodeo Arena
  • 9 – 11 p.m., Buck Ford-Free Concert – Main Stage – East End

Bravo! Vail – New York Philharmonic

Bravo! Vail Music Festival continues with the New York Philharmonic in residence until Wednesday.
Special to the Daily

I love this time period in July. Now is the time when you can put on your cowboy boots and hat and go to the Eagle County Fair and Rodeo one night, and dress up and listen to the New York Philharmonic at Bravo the next night. So many things to do, you just have to plan to pack it all into your schedule.

After welcoming the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra to the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater stage, time to bring in the precision, power and soul of the New York Philharmonic back to Vail.

The New York Philharmonic’s six-concert residency will feature conductor and music director Japp van Zweden, conductor Bramwell Tovey and special guest conductor John Flemming, violinist Augustin Hadelich, and vocalist Kelli O’Hara.

The New York Philharmonic has been mesmerizing audiences across New York City, the U.S. and the rest of the world for over 178 years and didn’t let a pandemic get in the way. During that time, when in-person shows were not possible, The New York Philharmonic set up a portal to connect with audiences far and wide.

Hear Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Beethoven and even a little Bernstein as Bravo! Vail winds down its 34th season. See them up close and in person as the oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S. takes the stage at The Amp this weekend. For more information, visit bravovail.org and don’t forget to download the new Bravo! Vail Music Festival app.

Avon Arts Celebration

The Avon Arts Celebration brings in over 100 artists for this juried show that takes place at Nottingham Park Friday through Sunday.
Special to the Daily

Art lovers are invited to converge at the Avon Arts Celebration this weekend as over 100 artists show their works at Harry A. Nottingham Park in Avon. The juried show invited artists from California, North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Wyoming, and beyond to be a part of the second annual festival and will all have original artwork that is one of a kind.

The event takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The artists will represent painting, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics and more. For more information, go to coloradoartshows.com/avon-arts-celebration

Featured artists include:

Paul Nzalamba – Los Angeles-based artist whose work is African Batiks on cotton. The artwork is based on themes of universal values such as family, friendship, hope, happiness, peace, and love.

Jess Davila – International award-winning artist from Sonora, Mexico. Jess Davila creates with stone from throughout the world, working in marble, onyx, alabaster, calcite and more.

Sabrina Frey – Glass bead artist from Mint Hill, North Carolina. Frey uses thousands of hand glued glass beads to create unique mosaic paintings and uses her beads to represent life by creating highly detailed representational art of animals, landscapes, and the elements.

Tina Hoffer – Hoffer has been a passionate woodworker for over 20 years. Widowed in 2013, Tina took to honing her woodworking hobby into a woman-owned business. Now she creates accessories like cutting boards, serving platters, brunch boards and kitchen utensils. She creates functional art pieces with semi-precious stones such as turquoise, lapis, chrysocolla and malachite.

Summervail Art Workshop Legacy Project

The Summervail Art Workshop Legacy Project celebrates the vision of Randy Milhoan, Dan Telleen and Jim Cotter and bringing art professionals to Vail 50 years ago.
Special to the Daily

It’s hard to believe that 50 years ago the creators of Summervail Art Workshop, Randy Milhoan, Dan Telleen and Jim Cotter had the vision to bring aspiring artists and art professionals to Vail. Vail Mountain had opened not even a decade before, and summertime activities weren’t abundant yet, but the three recent college graduates decided this would be a wonderful continuing education opportunity.

Randy Milhoan, a painter, was teaching art and design at Colorado Mountain College, was able to get the school’s support. Milhoan, along with Telleen and Cotter, who were jewelers in Vail, reached out to friends and colleagues in the industry and were able to entice them to come out for the Summervail Workshop in Art and Critical Studies in 1971. Painting, sculpture, photography, woodworking, welding and even blacksmithing were represented. The event became Summervail Art Workshop and went on for over a dozen years after that and moved to larger venues throughout the time period to allow for more participation.

For the 50th anniversary, the Summervail Art Workshop Legacy Project was created. The founders, along with Ramsey Cotter and Gaby Milhoan, have been working hard to showcase Summervail Art Workshop’s past and celebrate an art event that really put Vail on the map. Many artists who came here, including glass sculptor, Dale Chihuly and husband/wife environmental installation artists, Christo and Jean-Claude, created lifelong connections. Summervail brought over 9,000 students from every state in the U.S. and 15 countries to learn from over 850 of the top artists in the world.

Through Summervail’s tenure, Vail was elevated into the national arts spotlight and many of the art and cultural organizations today have roots in this critical time for art and culture in the Vail Valley.

The Vail Public Library, Town of Vail and Vail Symposium are honored to present a Capsule Collection curated by original Summervail instructors from the Summervail Art Workshop Legacy Project archives to provide a snapshot of the character and depth of the workshop over its 14-year existence. Stop by the Vail Public Library and enjoy original art, posters, photography and sculpture from this important era in the origins of Vail. Stay and make an origami butterfly to be included in a community growing exhibit and time your visit to view a short film played at the top of each hour. Go to summervail.org for more details. Other events include:

Friday

Summervail LIVE ART! Series: Teen Graffiti: 1 – 4 p.m.

  • Presented by Alpine Arts Center
  • Gore Creek Drive at Wall St.

Art Walk : 2 – 4 p.m.

  • Presented by Art in Public Places
  • Meet at Ski Museum, the tour will end at Summervail 50 Exhibit

Summervail LIVE ART! Series: The Art of Education: 3 – 6 p.m.

  • Live Art of Vail Public Library
  • Vail Public Library

Summervail 50: It’s Still a Circus! Founders Night: 4 – 6 p.m.

  • Conversations with Summervail Founders, Summervail 50 Exhibit
  • Short Film and Summervail Slide Show
  • Vail Public Library

Saturday

Summervail at Minturn Market: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

  • Free face painting with Randy and Gaby Milhoan
  • Milhoan Studios

Summervail LIVE ART! Series: The Art of Education: 3 – 6 p.m.

  • Live Art of Vail Public Library
  • Vail Public Library

BYO-Hat Decorating Workshop – 4:30 – 6 p.m.

  • Hat Workshop with legendary Summervail Founders
  • Bring your own-hat and any upcycled & found materials
  • Moonrise Minturn

Summervail Mad Hatter Hat Party – 6 – 8 p.m.

  • Presented by Elenita- Free Elenita sparkling Mezcal
  • Live Music
  • $25 tickets at the door at Moonrise Minturn

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