YOUR AD HERE »

Top 5 things to do around the Vail Valley this weekend

Skiing and snowboarding available in Eagle County

Following four feet of snow last week, Vail Mountain opened for the 2018-19 ski and snowboard season Wednesday, Nov. 14, two days ahead of the scheduled opening date of Nov. 16. Similarly, Beaver Creek Resort will open earlier than anticipated with a Nov. 17 scheduled opening, four days ahead of its previous Nov. 21 scheduled opening date.

A combination of some of the best early-November snow and coldest snowmaking conditions in years at Vail allowed the resort to open with the most terrain they’ve had in a while. Beginning on Saturday, Nov. 17, skiers and snowboarders at Vail will have access to the following lifts and more than 900 acres of skiable terrain accessible via the following lifts on Vail Mountain:

  • Gondola One (No. 1)
  • Eagle Bahn Gondola (No. 19)
  • Born Free Express Lift (No. 8)
  • Avanti Express (No. 2)
  • Wildwood Express Lift (No. 3)
  • Mountain Top Express Lift (No. 4)
  • Northwoods Express (No. 11)
  • Sourdough Express (No. 14)
  • Little Eagle Lift (No. 15)

Beaver Creek will open with a special Cookie Time in the morning for their opening day on Saturday, Nov. 17. The mountain will have top to bottom skiing and riding for intermediates and beginners available via the following lifts:

  • Centennial Express (No. 6)
  • Cinch Express (No. 8)
  • Red Buffalo Express (No. 5)
  • Haymeadow Express Gondola (No. 1).

Beaver Creek will still have its 15th Annual Cookie Competition celebrating their world famous chocolate chip cookie tradition in the Beaver Creek village on Wed., Nov. 21 from 2-3 p.m. For more information, please visit http://www.vail.com and http://www.beavercreek.com.

Vail Performing Arts Academy presents: “Showstoppers!”

Between school, social media, and sports, how do kids today find time for the arts? The stellar staff of Vail Performing Art Academy (VPAA) has succeeded in making the arts a major priority for local students ages 8 to 18 for the past 24 years.

These students’ highly entertaining skills will be showcased in the upcoming VPAA fall production, “Showstoppers!” The fast paced musical revue features 70 students performing the singular sensations from a selection of Broadway hit shows, old and new, Saturday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 at Vilar Performing Arts Center at 6:30 p.m.

Audiences will be treated to splashy, exuberant renditions of hit numbers from Hamilton, Sponge Bob-The Musical, Mean Girls, Frozen, Mama Mia, Hair Spray, Matilda and more.

VPAA’s large cast of talented youngsters has been working hard rehearsing on Sunday afternoons, and finds that creative endeavors are well worth fitting into their busy schedules.

VPAA’s “Showstoppers!” tickets are $20 (includes all fees) reserved seating and can be ordered by calling 970 845 TIXS or online at http://www.vilarpac.org. For more info visit http://www.vpaa.org.

Bonfire Brewing’s Anniversary Party

Bonfire Brewing began when owner and operators Andy and Amanda Jessen chose to begin brewing beer with Andy’s roommate to avoid finding another roommate, and it has only continued to grow since then. The brewery in Eagle will celebrate 8 years of being in business this Saturday, Nov. 17. The event is free and open to the public.

The party will kick off at noon and go all through the night. They’ll have 23 beers on tap, including a few that are kept under wraps in order to surprise the attendees. The party also includes live music from Hardscrabble beginning at 7 p.m. and an auction for the mug club beginning at 9 p.m.

The Bonfire Mug Club members enjoy the privilege of drinking from their own one-of-a-kind handmade ceramic mug, along with a host of other Mug Club exclusive benefits. The mug club currently has a wait list running approximately 10 years long, and the only way to jump the list is this auction. Place bids in the silent auction all throughout the day for Mug #69. If needed, a live auction will begin at 9:30 p.m. to determine a winner. All proceeds from the winning bid go to the charity of the winner’s choice.

For more information on bonfire Brewing, which recently won several “Best of Vail” awards in the Vail Daily’s readers poll, check them out at http://www.bonfirebrewing.com.

“Ton of Turkeys” Collection for Vail Valley Salvation Army

For the past ten years, KZYR The Zepher and the Vail Daily have asked the community to help them collect a “Ton of Turkeys”, literally 2,000 pounds of turkeys, for the Salvation Army Holiday Food Baskets. Each year they have reached their goal, many times surpassing it with the remarkable support of the community. Citizens can drop off turkeys through 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 at the Vail Daily building in Eagle-Vail, the KZYR Studios in Edwards or Pazzo’s in Eagle. The collection has been going on for the past ten days.

In addition to support from individuals, many companies have helped out as well. “Thanks to the generosity of the Vail Resorts, we are able to store them in their Eagle-Vail Warehouse. Encore Electric has been our title sponsor for the past few years. We also want to give a shout out to Bighorn Toyota for helping since we started the Turkey Drive. We also couldn’t do it without the help of Butterball who also makes a generous donation,” said Tony Mauro of KZYR.

To make things a little more interesting and to generate the public’s support, KZYR usually sends one of their staff up in a cherry picker on the final day and keeps that employee up there until they hit their goal. “There is a good chance we will have someone high in the sky over Edwards on Friday,” Mauro said.

This year, a generous donor sent pre-packaged food baskets and care packages to the Salvation Army, but they still need help with deliveries. To volunteer, come to Avon Elementary in Avon or the United Methodist Church in Eagle at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17 and be prepared to take the boxes to families. For more information, call the Vail Valley Salvation Army at 970.748.0704.

Winter Market and Holiday Fair 

Winter Market and Holiday Fair returns once again to the Eagle River Center at the Eagle County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 17.

Get a jump on your holiday shopping with over 50 vendors showcasing handcrafted and unique gifts, baked goods, beauty products and more. The fair is free and open to the public, but participants are asked to bring a nonperishable food item donation for the Vail Valley Salvation Army Food Pantry.

Along with the booths, the event offers family and pet photos with Santa, a holiday coloring zone and face painting. Beer and wine will be served on site.

Nature’s Best CBD is the presenting sponsor for this large bazaar, which is held in the biggest venue down valley. To learn more, visit http://www.eagleholidaymarket.com.


Support Local Journalism