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Pride in the Park, rodeo, bike swap, ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and more: Tricia’s Weekend Picks 6/2/23

Flags will fly during the Pride in the Park parade Saturday in Avon.
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Pride in the Park

Come to Avon’s Harry A. Nottingham Park on Saturday for a day filled with fun and friendship at Pride in the Park, an event that celebrates Pride Month and marks an important time to reflect on advocacy, visibility and support of the LBGTQ+ community and its allies in Eagle County and beyond.

The event has grown a lot in its four years. It now has over 60 businesses, organizations and vendors participating throughout the day-long celebration. Come early for yoga with JP at 12 p.m. and stay late for a musical performance with G Flip at 6 p.m. In between, there will be a local drag show at 1 p.m., a Pawshion show, which is a fashion show for your pets, at 2 p.m., another drag show at 3 p.m., music by local band Trees Don’t Move at 4 p.m. and the Pride Parade at 5 p.m. In addition to those scheduled events, there will also be games, face painting and bouncy castles.

Pride in the Park is excited to welcome G Flip to the stage for the first time. G Flip is a non-binary singer from Australia and got their start just drumming beats in their bedroom and is now achieving worldwide acclaim. G Flip got their first drum kit at the age of nine and started writing songs at age 14. The 29-year-old not only plays the drums but also the bass, guitar and keyboard and has been nominated for three ARIA Awards (Australia’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards).



The fun doesn’t end on Saturday. Make reservations for the Pride Drag Brunch at Vintage restaurant in Vail on Sunday. There will be two shows at 11 a.m. and at 1 p.m. Wear your fancy hat or fabulous wig to go with the theme. Brunch reservations can be made at Vintage-Vail.com for online reservations.

To view a full schedule and to find out more information, go to MountainPride.org.

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Let’s Rodeo!

The Cowboys Forever Foundation kicks off its weekly rodeo this Friday at the Eagle County Fairgrounds.
Cowboys Forever Foundation/Courtesy photo

The weekly rodeo is back for the summer. Head down to the Eagle County Fairgrounds in Eagle for rodeo action every Friday through July 21. The Cowboys Forever Foundation Rodeo Series provides a sample of several rodeo events such as team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. There’s also a crowd favorite: mutton bustin’.

Keep in mind that mutton bustin’ is very popular and it is limited to 10 contestants on a first come, first served basis. Mutton busters must be between the ages of 4 and 7 years old and cannot weigh more than 50 pounds. Get to the rodeo early and register your kids for mutton bustin’ and the calf scramble before they sell out. The rodeo gates open at 6 p.m.

The Cowboys Forever Foundation is once again partnering up with SpeakUp ReachOut to raise awareness about suicide and a portion of the ticket sales will go to support this local nonprofit.

Wear your cowboy hat and boots and bring your cash, the rodeo tickets are cash only at the gate. Food and drinks are available, so make a night out of it. For more information, a schedule of events and ticket prices go to CowboysForeverFoundation.org.

Vail Bike Swap

The Kind Bikes and Skis and Ski and Snowboard Club Vail Cycling Team will host a bike swap on Saturday at Battle Mountain High School.
The Kind Bikes and Skis/Courtesy photo

Need some wheels? The fourth annual Vail Bike Swap is back this weekend and provides a place to buy a bike and gear at a discount. It also gives your bike a second life with another bike lover. Just because your child has grown too tall for a particular size or you are ready for an upgrade doesn’t mean your bike can’t provide someone else joy, and you’ll be helping out the Ski and Snowboard Vail Cycling Team while you are at it.


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The bike swap is presented by Ski and Snowboard Vail and The Kind Bikes and Skis will take place at Battle Mountain High School in Edwards on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Here you’ll find a variety of mountain bikes, road bikes, bikes for kids, trainers, helmets, bike racks, clothing and other related gear. The entry fee is $5 per person and children 12 and under are free. Cash is preferable, also.

If you want to sell some gently used bikes and gear, drop it off at Battle Mountain High School on Friday between 5 and 7 p.m. or on Saturday from 8 to 10 a.m. If your items sell during the swap, the Ski and Snowboard Club Vail Cycling Team will get a 20% commission and the organization will mail you a check for the remaining 80% of the selling price. Unsold equipment and bikes can be picked up on Saturday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, go to SkiClubVail.org or The Kind Bikes and Skis’ Facebook page.

Alice in Wonderland

The Vail Valley Academy of Dance presents ‘Fantasyland’ and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ this weekend at the Vilar Performing Arts Center.
Vail Valley Academy of Dance/Courtesy photo

Escape to a different world this weekend with a trip to “Fantasyland” and join Alice and the White Rabbit in “Alice in Wonderland” as the Vail Valley Academy of Dance brings these two plays to life on the Vilar Performing Arts Center’s stage.

The Vail Valley Academy of Dance has been working since January to bring its end-of-the-season recital to fruition in “Fantasyland,” which will feature a variety of the disciplines taught such as ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop and musical theater. In the two “Fantasyland” performances there are 198 performers, ages 3-18. The recital will have two events, one on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m.

To stick with the fantasy theme, the Vail Valley Academy of Dance presents a full-sized ballet production with “Alice in Wonderland” on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. These shows will take the audience on a journey with Alice as she makes her way through Wonderland, culminating with her meeting the Queen of Hearts. In the two “Alice in Wonderland” performances there are 106 performers, ages 7-18. 

Most of the teachers began teaching their material in January, which allows them to keep working on technique and dance education while learning and practicing the dances for the performances. 

For two of the pieces in “Fantasyland,” the Vail Valley Academy of Dance brought in outside choreographers to give the dancers a chance to learn from new and different people. Jared Mesa, from Western Arkansas Ballet, came in January to set “Confluence.” Sarah Tallman, from Wonderbound in Denver, came and set “Pocketful of Mumbles.” The older dancers also did some collaboration with Morgan Kulas, one of the Vail Valley Academy of Dance teachers, for the senior contemporary dance. 

Tickets are available at VilarPAC.org. Pricing starts at $32 for balcony seating and $38 for lower-level seating. For more information on the Vail Valley Academy of Dance, visit VVAD.net.

National Trails Day

This time of year, there are trails in the area that are closed to support wildlife.
Tricia Swenson/Vail Daily

With the leaves on most of the trees and even some flowers blooming, people are itching to go hiking around Eagle County and what better day to do it than on National Trails Day. According to the American Hiking Society’s website, AmericanHiking.org, National Trails Day is on Saturday and promotes a day of service for hometown trails by encouraging people to join a local event, pledging to leave the trails and the outdoor community better that you found them and sharing your stories with others on social medial by using #NationalTrailsDay and @AmericanHiking.

Locally, the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance provides volunteer opportunities like trail workdays and ambassador programs. Trail workdays may be part work, part play. For example, if you volunteer for the Minturn Bike Park Rake & Ride, you’ll do some trail upkeep like watering and raking the bike park and then you get to ride the features of the park with the group. Field ambassador programs help educate and inform trail users on many topics such as why seasonal closures exist. They also offer education about local flora and fauna and spread the Leave No Trace principles which reminds those using the trails to leave them better than they found them.

This time of year, you need to pay close attention to trail closures. Many hiking trails are still under wildlife closures, so always go to VVMTA.org to see what is open. Some closures go through June 30. Trail closures help protect wildlife especially during this time of year when mule deer does and elk cows seek places of seclusion to safely give birth and feed their newborns. According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, studies have shown that human disturbance during this time lowers the survival rates of their young. Elk and deer view people and their dogs as predators and will change their behavior accordingly. So, it is best to stay out of these locations.

Celebrate the beautiful trails that remind us of why we live here and give back during National Trails Day this Saturday. Become a member of the Vail Valley Mountain Trails Alliance, volunteer or donate to the cause.


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