Build your own ski poles, enjoy free drinks, silent disco, gear sale and more in Vail Valley this weekend
In between Vail's Opening Day and Thanksgiving, treat yourself to some of these events this weekend
Revely Vail
The season just started last weekend with Vail Mountain opening and the parties will continue with Revely Vail. Revely Vail is a celebration of the beginning of winter, with events going on from now until Dec. 6. This Friday, come to Lionshead for a gear sale and silent disco.
Ski and snowboard shops will be doing specials on gear as part of the Revely celebration. Do you need to upgrade your equipment? Sport a new parka or need a sweet pair of goggles? How about some cute clothing for après ski? Many Lionshead clothing stores will be having specials as well. There’s over a dozen stores participating in this inaugural event.
Come for the gear sale but stay for the party. Revely Vail will host another silent disco in the streets of Lionshead. Grab a pair of headphones for free and dance in your ski boots or sneakers, anything goes! If you’ve never tried silent disco, the headphones are set to different channels, so you may be moving to a groovy tune while the person next to you is bee-bopping to some hip hop. It’s a fun time and a way to enjoy the outdoors this winter. The silent disco will take place at Sunbird Park Playground in Lionshead, which is just up the staircase and escalators from the ice rink at Arrabelle at Vail Square.
Check out the restaurants in Lionshead for deals and look for drink tokens, too. The Lionshead gear sale goes from 3 to 6 p.m. and the silent disco goes from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. For more information and a list of participating stores and restaurants go to DiscoverVail.com.
Brew and Build
You’ve probably been on a chairlift and seen some cool ski poles with colorful baskets and straps attached to bamboo and thought, ‘wow, those are cool.’ Well, now you can make your own pair and even get a free beer while doing it.
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Grass Sticks, a ski pole company based out of Steamboat, is hosting a Brew and Build at Vail Brewing Company at the Eagle-Vail location on Saturday. You’ll get 10% off the poles you purchase and a free beer.
Grass Sticks uses bamboo because it’s rigid enough to withstand the forces of contact while skiing but also flexible enough, so it won’t snap like aluminum. According to GrassSticks.com per acre harvested, bamboo produces three times as much lumber as trees, absorbs more CO2 and produces more oxygen than any other plant.
The event is happening from 2 to 7 p.m. at Vail Brewing Company. Here, you’ll pick your basket size and color, grip color, strap, length and make your poles or they will make them for you. It’s a fun way to create a conversation piece the next time you are on the lift with your snazzy new poles. To learn more about the event, go to Grass Stick’s Facebook Page. To learn more about Grass Sticks, go to GrassSticks.com.
Whiskey Dinner at Stoke & Rye
Move over, wine. Whiskey will be headlining the pairing dinner at Stoke & Rye this Saturday night at the Westin Riverfront Resort and Spa in Avon. Stoke & Rye already has an extensive selection of whiskeys, with over 160 brands on the menu and flights featuring Colorado-made whiskeys, whiskeys from around the world and the top tier if you want to go all out. Stoke & Rye also serves up many hand-crafted cocktails with whiskey as the base spirit.
On Saturday, look for a curated menu celebrating the flavors of fall and what works well with whiskey:
- First Course: Chef’s selection of cheese and charcuterie – featuring peach marmalade, lemon marinated Castelvetrano olives, sliced almonds and grilled herb focaccia bread
- Second Course: Roasted Beet Salad – with orange ricotta, arugula, frisée, pumpkin seed brittle, pickled fennel and a roasted orange vinaigrette
- Main Course: Passion fruit braised short ribs – with goat cheese polenta, grilled lemon broccolini and a red wine demi
- Dessert: Pecan Pie – with candied pecans and salted caramel ice cream
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The event will start at 6 p.m. with a welcome cocktail of High West Rye. Each course will then be paired with a different whiskey from premium beverage distributor Southern Glazer’s, including Elijah Craig, Parker’s Rye, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek.
The whiskey dinner is priced at $110 per person and advance registration is required at StokeAndRye.com/WhiskeyDinner.
Arts & Crafts
This weekend marks some events that show the more creative side of people with an artist reception at Vail Public Library and a Holiday Craft Fair at Berry Creek Middle School, both on Saturday.
Seven members of the Vail Valley Art Guild traveled to Quillan, France, which is in the Pyrenees Mountains and Algeciras, Spain, on the Strait of Gibraltar. The local artists attended painting workshops conducted by artist Mike Snow and photographer Timothy White. These week-long workshops provided in-depth guidance and critiques on the use of acrylic paints and depicting still life, portraits and the human figure.
The exhibit has been at the Vail Public Library but on Saturday you can view a variety of very colorful paintings and get to meet the very colorful artists, too. See the works of Heather Barrie, Lynn Feiger, Rebecca Kiser, Willow Murphy, Melissa Nelson and Christine Sena from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the Vail Library.
Also on Saturday, support local makers, artists and more at the annual Winter Craft Fair. Come to Berry Creek Middle School between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and pick up some fun holiday or winter décor for your home or find some one-of-a-kind unique treasures for holiday gift giving. By shopping with local and regional vendors, you support the economy and the artists’ livelihoods.
Bring the kids so they can talk to Santa at Berry Creek Middle School as well. There will be food trucks there, also, in case you want to make a day of it. Check the event’s Facebook page for more information.
Food for Charity
This weekend also marks a few charitable events around the topic of food. From Farm-to-table dinners to a food drive, enjoy learning about what you can do to help hunger insecurity in Eagle County.
25th annual Fill the Van Food Drive
Saturday marks the 25th annual Fill the Van food drive at area grocery stores. Epic Mountain Express has once again teamed up with the community to help gather and transport tons of nonperishable items and toiletries to local food banks and shelves to be distributed to those in need. “Need knows no season” is a motto often said at the local Salvation Army in Avon. And the need is surprisingly high in Eagle County, so any donation helps and cash donations can go a long way.
From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., look for the Epic Mountain Express vans outside area City Market grocery stores. If you go to EpicMountainExpress.com/FillTheVan you will find a list of items that are needed the most. Everything from canned goods, dried pasta and rice to baby food, toothpaste and gift cards will be accepted. In a recent statewide survey conducted by the nonprofit Hunger Free Colorado showed that one in three individuals, that’s 33% of Coloradans, are food insecure. If you are grocery shopping this weekend, put a few items in a separate bag and help out the local food bank.
Family Food Festival
With statistics like the one above, there’s a local nonprofit that is trying to create a community where every individual in Eagle County has access to local, nourishing and sustainable food resources. New Roots aims to support healthy, local, sustainable food access through education, outreach and partnership. Some of their projects include overseeing and managing the Colorado Mountain College Community Garden in Edwards and Garden Guardians where they recruit volunteers to tend community garden plots across Eagle County. New Roots also hosts a show on Radio Free Minturn each week.
On Saturday, meet the local producers and purveyors and learn about their products face-to-face at the Eagle River Center at the Eagle County Fairgrounds. New Roots is also putting together a day filled day of live music, yard games, a petting farm and more. Enjoy food prepared by Rustic Farm to Fork. The local produce is sourced by All the Good Stuff and local beef donated by Gerard Family Beef.
The event runs from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for each child under 16 and free for kids under 6 years old. For more information and to get tickets, go to NewRootsCO.org.
