5 Things to Do This Weekend: August 2–4, 2019
Performers at the Aspen Historical Society's annual Ice Cream Social
Friday, August 2
Annual Mushroom Fair
1–4 p.m., Hallam Lake Nature Preserve
This year’s wet spring has translated into a bumper crop of mushrooms. Courtesy of the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, learn about the magic of ’shrooms under the guidance of visiting mycologists from the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi (we just like writing that) at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Free, aspennature.org
Saturday, August 3
39th Annual Art Auction and Community Picnic
11 a.m.–3 p.m., Schermer Meeting Hall, Anderson Ranch Arts Center
This celebration of the arts, and Anderson Ranch’s biggest community fundraiser, features more than 200 works (many of them created at the Ranch) available at live and silent auctions, plus kids’ activities, live music, and square dancing. Plus, a free bloody Mary bar! Picnic, $15 adults; free 12 and under, andersonranch.org
Ice Cream Social
2–4 p.m., Wheeler/Stallard Museum
The annual gathering includes a performance by the Aspen High School band, the Aspen Historical Society’s A Briefly Complete History of Aspen, and ice cream for all, plus boozy milkshakes for adults. $3–$5 for ice cream, aspenhistory.org
Stars of the American Ballet perform Saturday evening.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: Stars of American Ballet
8 p.m., Aspen District Theatre
A cast of elite dancers, including ballroom star Denys Drozdyuk, performs classics like George Balanchine’s Tarantella, Jerome Robbins’s Andantino, and Christoper Wheeldon’s This Bitter Earth. Tickets, $36–$94, aspensantafeballet.com
Sunday, August 4
Summer Science Fair
11 a.m.–3 p.m., Pitkin County Library and Galena Plaza
Hosted by the Aspen Science Center, the annual fair features exhibits and games—from a 700,000-volt Van de Graaf generator to slimes and polymers—that invite hands-on science experimentation for all ages. Suggested $10 donation, aspensciencecenter.org
