ASPEN OFFERS HOT DATES ALL SUMMER LONG
Save the Date: Summer 2008

ASPEN, Colo. (Spring/Summer 2008) — The dynamic schedule of special events offered throughout Aspen’s summertime showcase the brains, beauty, inspiration, flavor, music and soul of this sophisticated and fun-loving mountain town. Aspen creates the perfect date for the most discerning socialite, the fun-loving adventurer and the culture seeker. Each year, more variety and diversity flow through this cosmopolitan mountain town, making the Aspen summer experience a must.

26th Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen, June 13 – 15, 2008
• Kicking off the summer season, Aspen fills with the wonderful tastes and vibrant personalities surrounding this renowned festival—the premiere event of the culinary world. Industry experts, food-world celebrities such as Jacques Pepin, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, and Danny Meyer, and those who are passionate about cooking and eating gather in the splendor of summer in Aspen for seminars, panel discussions, demonstrations, and more than a few delicious parties (www.foodandwine.com; 970.925.1940).

•Jazz Aspen Snowmass June Festival, June 22 - 29, 2008. Jazz only begins to describe the venerable guests at this festival, which takes place beneath a massive tent in Rio Grande Park over three evenings in late June each year. Recent talent has included Diana Krall, B.B. King, Joe Cocker and Tony Bennett (www.jazzaspen.org; 970.920.4996).

Aspen Summer Words Literary Festival, June 22 - 26, 2008
• The Aspen Writers' Foundation, one of the most renowned literary organizations in the country, presents its annual Aspen Summer Words Writing Retreat & Literary Festival, a five-day celebration of words and ideas. Called one of the “10 great literary festivals” by USA Today, this pioneering forum is the ideal venue for readers and writers alike, featuring two complementary components: an intensive writing retreat held in the mornings, and a stimulating literary festival in the afternoons and evenings (www.aspenwriters.org; 970.925.3122).

Aspen Ideas Festival, June 30 – July 6, 2008
• The Aspen Institute and The Atlantic magazine present the third annual Aspen Ideas Festival at the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Meadows Campus and locations around Aspen. The festival draws from the “The Aspen Idea,” the foundation of modern Aspen that emphasized mind, body and spirit. The festival will present classes, lectures, and seminars with many of the world's most notable scientists, historians, artists, musicians, political philosophers, humorists, civic and business leaders, authors, and educators  (www.aspeninstitute.org; 970.544.7960).

Independence Day, July 4, 2008
• For the Fourth of July, Aspen shows its heart, soul and heritage as an old-fashioned, small town. Festivities include a traditional 6 a.m. cannon blast courtesy of the Smuggler Mine owners; a small-town-style parade, complete with a march by local veterans and the deafening roar of hundreds of Harley Davidsons; homegrown floats; a community party; and night time fireworks with Aspen Mountain as their spectacular backdrop (www.aspenchamber.org; 970.925.1940).

18th Annual Aspen Komen Race For The Cure, July 19, 2008
• This race is a fund-raiser for the Susan G. Komen For The Cure, one of the nation's leading funder of breast cancer research and community outreach programs. Donations from this race fund breast health initiatives in our tri-county service area of Pitkin, Garfield and Eagle Counties and provides grants to local non-profits (http://www.komenaspen.org/race/race_home.html; 970920.0250).

5th Annual Aspen Arts Festival, July 19 - 20, 2008
• Aspen's spectacular mountain setting provides a wonderful “open art gallery” to over 200 exhibitors offering jewelry, pottery, sculpture, glass, ceramics, paintings and prints (www.artfestival.com; 970.925.1940).

Healthy Gourmet Fest, August 7 - 9, 2008
• The Healthy Gourmet Festival presented by the Aspen Center for Integral Health honors America’s top healthy gourmet chefs with cooking classes, organic wines and a multi-course tasting dinner. Guests learn about new, healthy ingredients and cooking techniques, enjoy delicious and nutritious cuisine, and mingle with the award-winning chefs (www.acih.org; 970.920.2957).

Aspen Spa Day, August 9 - 10, 2008
• Presented by Spa Finder Inc., this indulgent event will showcase elite spas from around the world as well as the best spa beauty products, spa cuisine and more.  There will be multiple treatment areas, interactive presentations and demonstrating stages (www.aspenchamber.org; 970.925.1940).

•Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festival, Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2008. This annual, four-day extravaganza brings thousands of fans to town each year to celebrate an amazingly wide spectrum of music, with impressive headliners and the best American and internationally acclaimed musicians. Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, LeAnn Rhimes, Kanye West, Neil Young and Tom Petty are just a few of the stars who have recently graced this fest with their sweet sounds (www.jazzaspen.org; 970.920.4996).

Mother Lode Volleyball Tournament, Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, 2008
• Each Labor Day weekend, Aspenites of average height suddenly feel a little shorter, thanks to the influx of a uniformly tall, statuesque breed—top volleyball players from around the country. They gather here to compete in this annual spike-fest, one of the most exciting and competitive volleyball events of the year, and the largest doubles’ volleyball event in North America (www.motherlodevolleyball.com).

Ruggerfest Sept. 18 - 21, 2008
• For five days in late September, when Aspen’s skies are at their bluest, the fall foliage at the height of its drama, the weather at its crispest, the air is filled with rowdy cheers and the sound of bone-crunching tackles. This is when Ruggerfest, America’s premiere rugby tournament (motto: Intensity, Passion, Survival) takes over town. The tournament is hosted by the Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Club, one of America’s top teams, which has been bruising the competition since 1968. The Gentleman of Aspen compete regularly from spring to fall  (www.aspenrugby.com; 970.947.5198).

Aspen Filmfest, Sept. 24 – 28, 2008
• This respected film festival has none of the pretension of comparable events elsewhere and manages to draw top films and filmmakers to Aspen for the last weekend of September each year. With “Independent by Nature” as its motto and mission, Aspen Filmfest presented by Aspen Film involves feature films, documentaries, retrospectives, and other special events, from those honoring established actors and directors to those heralding exciting new talent (www.aspenfilm.org; 970.925.6882).

Wintersköl™, January 2009
• Every January, the Aspen Chamber Resort Association hosts the annual Wintersköl™ celebration, emphasizing epic fun and winter sports. Downtown Aspen and Aspen’s four ski mountains—Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk—are the venues for this grand party, which features on-mountain activities, a parade, a canine fashion show, Wintersculpt, Soupskol, a fireworks extravaganza, and more (www.aspenchamber.org; 970.925.1940).

 Ongoing Through Summer 2008

• Theatre Aspen. Aspen’s year-round professional theater and school produces contemporary, classical and new works, integrating local and national talent, and offers educational programs. The summer season opens late June and runs through mid-August (www.theateraspen.org; 970.925.9313).

• Aspen Music Festival, June 19 – August 17, 2008. The Festival brings the world’s best musicians to Aspen to perform throughout the season and provides training for the next generation of greats (750 students from around the world.) Many performances take place in the award-winning Benedict Music Tent and The Joan W. and Irving Harris Concert Hall, proclaimed the “Carnegie of the Rockies” by the Denver Post when it opened in 1993 (www.aspenmusicfestival.com, 970.925.3254).

• Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. This professional, classically trained company of 10 dancers performs a contemporary repertoire by some of the world’s foremost choreographers. The company performs in Aspen and Santa Fe, and tours internationally. From mid-July to mid-August, the troupe brings the top names in dance to Aspen for the annual Aspen Dance Festival. Recent guest companies have included the hot MOMIX dance-illusionists, Chicago’s Hubbard Street Dance, and the renowned Washington Ballet, making the event a pillar of Aspen’s summer, cultural season (www.aspensantafeballet.com; 970.925.7175).

• Aspen Art Museum. Free gallery tours and refreshments are served every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and admission is free of charge on Fridays throughout the year. The Aspen Art Museum chooses not to house a permanent collection but instead hosts rotating high-caliber, contemporary exhibitions, and hosts children’s and adult workshops and other outreach programs (www.aspenartmuseum.org; 970.925.8050).

• Anderson Ranch Arts Center. This Snowmass Village arts center offers more than 100 workshops in ceramics, creative studies, digital imaging, furniture and woodworking, painting, drawing and printmaking, photography, sculpture and children’s workshops. Fall Studio Intensives run for two weeks in September (www.andersonranch.org; 970.923.3181).

• Aspen’s Saturday Market. Every Saturday from mid-June through October, enjoy Colorado’s freshest and finest at Aspen’s Saturday Market. In addition to fruits, vegetables, cheeses and Colorado wines, live music is performed, and artisans sell their unique wares, including pottery, clothing and toys.

• Music on the Mountains. Beginning mid-June, ride in Aspen Mountain’s new Silver Queen Gondola cars or hike up the mountain and listen to FREE classical music on top of the mountain every Saturday or groove to bluegrass on Sundays (www.aspensnowmass.com; 970.925.1220).

• The Aspen Institute presents seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives throughout the summer to promote the pursuit of common ground and deeper understanding in a non-partisan and non-ideological setting. In addition, the Institute holds its third annual “Aspen Ideas Festival,” July 2 -8, 2007 (www.aspeninstitute.org).

• Jazz Aspen Snowmass Free Summer Music Series. From July through August, every Thursday on the Fanny Hill run on Snowmass Mountain, this free, weekly music series offers live outdoor concerts at sunset, and crosses all genres of music (www.jazzaspen.org).

• Aspen Highlands. Aspen Highlands merchants, from restaurants, bars, sporting goods stores, art galleries and wine stores, host weekly events through the summer. Options include free outdoor movies, Farmer’s Markets and live music on the plaza. Aspen Highlands is one of Aspen’s four area ski resorts and is a 10-minute drive from downtown Aspen (www.aspenhighlandsvillage.com).

• Aspen Historical Society. From June to September, tours are given at the ghost towns of Ashcroft and Independence. Other programs include a lecture series, children’s programs and guided walking tours of Aspen’s historic West End (www.heritageaspen.org; 970.925.3721).

For more information, visit the Aspen Chamber Resort Association at www.aspenchamber.org, or call 1.888.290.1324 or 970.925.1940.

Contact:  Maureen Poschman; maureen@promoinc.net / 970.925.8480