Aspen Weekend Agenda: August 3–5, 2018
Anderson Ranch's 38th annual Art Auction and Community Picnic happens this Saturday with activities for art enthusiasts of all ages.
Friday, August 3
High Alpine Cup
Friday-Sunday, Aspen Valley Polo Club, Carbondale
The Aspen Valley Polo Club is hosting a weekend of high energy matches today. If you've never experienced the exhilaration that comes when horses are barreling down the field together with riders swinging to hit an astonishingly small ball, then this is your chance! Free, aspenvalleypoloclub.com
Listener’s Master Class
12:30 p.m., Crossroads Church
Listening to complex music can be enjoyable but also challenging if you don’t know much about it. Gain listening tips and insight to enhance your enjoyment Aspen Music Festival and School programs. Free, aspenmusicfestival.com
Hurst Speaker Series: America and the World–A Conversation with Former Security Advisors
4 p.m., Greenwald Pavilion
In collaboration with the Aspen Strategy Group, this Hurst Speaker Series event features former national security advisors Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley, Susan Rice, and Thomas Donilon in conversation with Nicholas Burns, professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. $25, aspenshowtix.com
First Friday: Rally Palooza
5–9 p.m., Main Street and beyond in downtown Carbondale
In addition to the Artisan & Produce market, Dizzy Lizzy the Clown and Spritz the Fairy with face painting, balloon animals, and bubbles, there will be a fleet of classic cars, motorcycles, electric cars and bikes, and more on display throughout town. Free, carbondale.com
ArtCrush
6 p.m., base of Buttermilk Mountain
The Aspen Art Museum pulls out all of the stops for its annual mega-benefit. An intimate wine dinner (that’s already sold out) and a pair of previews lead up to Friday’s gala at the base of Buttermilk, with live and silent auctions and the presentation of the 2018 Aspen Award for Art to Rashid Johnson, followed by an after-party at Belly Up with Jellybean Benitez. From $1,875, aspenartmuseum.org
Annual Mushroom Fair
1 p.m.–4 p.m., Aspen Center for Environmental Studies' Hallam Lake Nature Preserve
Learn about the magic of mushrooms under the guidance of visiting mycologists from the Denver Botanic Gardens. Free, aspennature.org
Aspen Chamber Symphony
6 p.m., Benedict Music Tent
Jane Glover conducts, with Alisa Weilerstein on cello, for performances of Haydn's Symphony No. 85 in B-flat major, and Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme and Suite No. 4 in G major, as well as Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky's Bluebird Pas-de-deux from the Sleeping Beauty. $82, aspenmusicfestival.com
Salon-Style Talk with Former U.S. Ambassador Chris Hill
7–8:30 p.m., Thunder River Theatre Company, Carbondale
Presented by the Roaring Fork Cultural Council and Thunder River Theatre Company, Hill will offer an examination of U.S. foreign relations from his experiences as a four-time ambassador nominated by three presidents. There will be a Q&A session with the audience. $25, www.thunderrivertheatre.com
Our Town
7:30 p.m., Hurst Theatre
This Pulitzer Prize-winning play presents life in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, a small town not dissimilar from others you may know. $30-$110, theatreaspen.org
Rebecca Robinson, winner of the 2018 Aspen Laugh Fest Open Mic Night, will be on hand to host the Locals Open Mic Night.
Image: Courtesy Image
Sunset Sessions: Locals’ Open Mic Night
8 p.m., Wheeler Opera House Bar Lobby
Comedian Rebecca Robinson, who won the 2018 Aspen Laugh Fest local comedy competition, hosts an evening of fellow local comics trying out their routines in front of a real live audience. Free, wheeleroperahouse.com
Saturday August 4
Vida Mountain Bike Series Women’s Skills Clinic
7:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Snowmass
Join other women riders who love the sport and want to improve their skills. Two days of instruction in the Snowmass bike park is complemented by yoga, Yeti bike demos, tech talks, healthy meals, and the all-important happy hour. $395, vidamtb.com
Aspen Parkrun
8 a.m., Aspen Recreation Center
Every Saturday, the Aspen Recreation department hosts weekly 5K timed runs. The course will follow the High School Trail through the school district to the Marolt Open Space, continue over the Castle Creek foot bridge, and then return. Parkrun is an international movement that encourages communities to sponsor free runs open to all. Free, parkrun.us/aspen
Opera Scenes Master Class
10 a.m., Wheeler Opera House
Enjoy Aspen Opera Center director Ed Berkeley's brilliant and witty coaching as he teaches promising young singers. $40, aspenmusicfestival.com
Godspell
11 a.m., The Hurst Theatre
The 1971 musical based on biblical parables, now a classic for songs like "Day by Day" and "By My Side," still inspires. Get ready for an energetic morning of singing along. $30-$65, theatreaspen.org
Anderson Ranch Arts Center 38th Annual Art Auction and Community Picnic
11 a.m.–3 p.m., Anderson Ranch
Anderson Ranch’s largest community fundraiser of the year includes live and silent art auctions, live music, art activities for children, and a delicious picnic lunch (including an ice cream sundae bar) prepared by the Ranch Café. Proceeds support the Ranch’s artistic programs. Lunch is $15 for adults, kids 12 and under eat free, andersonranch.org
Music on the Mountain
1 p.m., top of Aspen Mountain
AMFS music students play light chamber music with the stunning Elk Mountain Range as a backdrop. Bring a picnic or purchase lunch at the Sundeck restaurant. Free for music (gondola ticket or hike required to get to music), aspenmusicfestival.com
Guided Tour
1 p.m., Aspen Art Museum
Drop in for a spotlight tour of the latest exhibitions led by museum staff. Free, aspenartmuseum.org
2–4 p.m., Wheeler/Stallard Museum
The all-ages community gathering will feature music from the Roaring Fork High School Jazz band beginning at 2 p.m., followed by a presentation of “A Briefly Complete History of Aspen,” a theatrical crash-course in Aspen history performed by professionally-trained actors at 3 p.m. Lawn games will be set up for guests to play throughout the party.As a small token of gratitude and to commemorate the unmatched community spirit that has bolstered the Roaring Fork Valley throughout the challenges of the Lake Christine fire, AHS will offer free ice cream for fire crews, first responders, and their families for this year’s event. Free to attend/ice cream bowls and cones $3 each/“Aspen Crud” spiked milkshakes $5, aspenhistory.org
Aspen Institute 25th Annual Summer Celebration Conversation
5 p.m., Greenwald Pavilion, Aspen Institute
An interview session with Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co., this year’s recipient of the Aspen Institute Corporate Leadership Award, open to the public, precedes the high-ticket gala dinner. $25, aspenshowtix.com
Ajax Wine Dinner: Pork and Pinot
6:30 p.m., Ajax Tavern
Enhance your Saturday evening plans by attending The Little Nell Wine Academy's weekly dinner, where you'll enjoy a delicious pork-centric meal while also getting to know more about Pinot Noir. The prix fixe dinner is designed for up to ten guests at a community table where you'll enjoy up to five courses, paired with different selections of wine presented by Little Nell sommeliers. $100 + tax and tip, [email protected]
Our Town
7:30 p.m., Hurst Theatre
This Pulitzer Prize-winning play presents life in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, a small town not dissimilar from others you may know. $30-$110, theatreaspen.org
A Recital: Gil Shaham and Robert Spano
8 p.m., Harris Concert Hall
Shaham performing on the violin and Spano on the piano will play Bach's Sonata in E major, Debussy's Sonata, and Brahms' Sonata No. 1 in G major. $65, aspenmusicfestival.com
Sammy Miller and The Congregation
9 p.m., The Temporary, Basalt
A native of Los Angeles, Grammy-nominated and Juilliard-trained drummer Sammy Miller is known for making music that feels good as a drummer, singer, and bandleader. With his band, The Congregation, they focus on sharing the power of community through their music. $17 in advance/$22 day of, ticketfly.com
Evanoff
10 p.m., Belly Up Aspen
This Boulder, Colorado, trio combines classic rock with contemporary dance music to create a genre they call “Dream Rock”. No cover, bellyupaspen.com
Sunday, August 5
Vida Mountain Bike Series Women’s Skills Clinic
7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., Snowmass
Join other women riders who love the sport and want to improve their skills. Two days of instruction in the Snowmass bike park is complemented by yoga, Yeti bike demos, tech talks, healthy meals, and the all-important happy hour. $395, vidamtb.com
Friday and Saturday are already sold out for Mary Poppins Jr--get your tickets now for Sunday!
Image: Courtesy Image
Mary Poppins Jr.
11 a.m., Hurst Theatre
Mary Poppins, that practically perfect nanny, arrives to administer a healthy dose of common sense mixed with more than a little magic. Mary Poppins Jr. is a special performance by Theatre Aspen's Summer Conservatory Students. Recommended for ages 4 and up. $15-$25, theatreaspen.org
Dog Day Afternoon and Community Carnival
11 a.m.–3 p.m., Aspen Animal Shelter
This event is B.Y.O.D.: bring your own dog, as long as they are friendly and on leash, and includes a dog wash, free food and drinks, live music, adoptable pets, and more. Proceeds from the day of the event will benefit those affected by the Lake Christine fire. Free to attend (donations welcome), dogaspen.com
Seventh Annual Summer Science Fair
11 a.m.–3 p.m., Pitkin County Library and Galena Plaza
The fair includes interactive exhibits, shows, and games that invite hands-on science experimentation for all ages. Suggested $10 donation, aspensciencecenter.org
Walking Tour to the Tent
2 p.m., Hotel Jerome Lobby
Knowledgeable guides lead the way from the Hotel Jerome to the Benedict Music Tent, sharing interesting local stories along the way. Tours are timed to arrive at the tent 30 minutes prior to concerts. Free, aspenmusicfestival.com
Aspen Festival Orchestra
4 p.m., Benedict Music Tent
With Patrick Summers as conductor, Midori on violin, Jamie Barton as alto, and Richard Smagur as tenor, audiences will enjoy a celebration of the centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth with a performance of the composer’s Serenade, after Plato’s Symposium, as well as Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), which Bernstein called Mahler’s “greatest symphony." $90, aspenmusicfestival.com
Library Cinema: Damsel
7:30 p.m., Pitkin County Library
The Zellner brothers reinvent the western genre with their story of an affluent pioneer that ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life. As he traverses the Wild West with a drunkard named Parson Henry and a miniature horse called Butterscotch, their once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel. $10 (includes popcorn), pitcolib.org
Sunset Sessions: Colorado Music Showcase
8 p.m., Wheeler Opera House Lobby Bar
An evening of bands from the Centennial State includes flamenco-fusion guitarist El Javi; a unique blend of classical, jazz, and world-beat from the Valle Musico Quartet; and a repertoire that ranges from Hawaiian folk songs to honky-tonk from Miss Meaghan Owens. Free, wheeleroperahouse.com
Alison Wonderland
10 p.m., Belly Up Aspen
The Australian-born, L.A.-based singer, producer, and DJ (who also happens to be a classically trained cellist) is on tour for her new digital-pop album, Awake. $60 GA, bellyupaspen.com
