5 Things to Do This Weekend: September 6–8, 2019
Watch pilots go up, up, and away at the Snowmass Balloon Fest this weekend.
Image: Cindy Hirschfeld
Friday through Sunday, September 6–8
Snowmass Balloon Festival
Times vary, Snowmass Village
The 44-year-old spectator event, a family-friendly favorite, features early-morning launches (7–10 a.m. each day), a long-distance race down the valley on Friday morning, and the Night Glow, now on Friday evening (7–9 p.m.) and thankfully back at Snowmass Town Park. Each morning of the festival, the scene as the 30-some balloons inflate and slowly ease up into a bluebird sky, like sleeping giants awakening, makes for great photos and memories. Come early and bundle up to watch—September mornings at 8,000 feet can be chilly. Free, gosnowmass.com
Friday, September 6
Hurst Lecture Series: Democratic Governors Panel
3:30 p.m., Paepcke Auditorium
The Aspen Institute presents this annual meeting of the political minds with, this year, Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico (the first Democratic Latina to be elected governor in the US), and our own Colorado governor, Jared Polis, all in conversation with Kitty Boone, vice president of public programs at the Institute and executive director of the Aspen Ideas Festival. Tickets $25, aspenshowtix.com
Everyone in the pool—if you've got four legs—at the annual Doggie Splash!
Image: Cindy Hirschfeld
Saturday, September 7
Doggie Day and Splash
9 a.m.–1 p.m., Aspen Recreation Center
Bring your favorite four-legged friend(s) to the canine social event of the year, when the ARC pool hosts a morning of swimming and chasing tennis balls before it shuts down for annual maintenance. All proceeds, plus bids in the silent auction, benefit Lucky Day Animal Rescue. Entrance $10 cash for the first dog, $5 for each additional one, luckydayrescue.org
3rd Annual Aether Games
11 a.m.–4 p.m., Rio Grande Park
Help raise funds for the Aspen Youth Center by either playing in or spectating at this turn-the-tables version of school Field Day. Teams of five adults compete in various events—sack races, obstacles courses, and the like—while kids ref. An after-party at Jimmy’s starts at 4 p.m. Register in advance to compete: minimum of $500 per team, aspenyouthcenter.org
An apple a day keeps the doctor away—especially if it's in a glass of hard cider; get yours at Cidermass on the Snowmass Mall.
Cidermass and Septemberfest
Starting at 1 p.m., Snowmass Village
The 2nd annual Cidermass (1–4 p.m., $35 in advance, $40 day of) on the Snowmass Mall highlights hard-cider tastings from some two dozen craft producers. It’s followed by the free Septemberfest (4–7 p.m.) in Base Village, with food and wine tastings from Snowmass Village restaurants, live music from the Derek Brown Band, kids’ activities, lawn games for all ages, and local vendors and artisans. A donation-based drawing for various prizes will benefit Challenge Aspen. gosnowmass.com
