In Brief: Sinkhole repairs; asphalt spill, Aspen Words author talk; Ideas Fest book club

Crews work to repair Highway 133 sinkhole near Paonia

The Colorado Department of Transportation has secured a contractor for emergency repairs on a damaged section of state Highway 133 north of Paonia. CDOT will continue to negotiate details and a schedule with contractor partner Ralph L. Wadsworth with the goal of having work up and running as soon as safely possible, official said.

Crews will conduct emergency repairs where the road is currently closed due to significant road damage. A key element in the repairs will be placing a temporary bridge. It will allow Highway 133 to re-open to motorists. Permanent repairs to the damaged section are anticipated to begin once the temporary bridge is installed. Photos and video of the damaged roadway are available in a media kit that can be accessed with this link. 

A safety closure has been in place on Highway 133 since Tuesday, May 2, at Mile Points 14-19. The safety closure is due to significant road damage. The damage originally began with a small sinkhole and lane closure during the weekend of Saturday, April 29. Major flooding from nearby Bear Creek early the week of May 1 filled a culvert with debris and flooded the roadway, pushing the culvert through the other side of the road and eroded roadway embankment, causing the road to collapse. The damage and safety closure are near Somerset, just north of Paonia.

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Access to Somerset from the north, via McClure Pass on 133, continues to be open.

Asphalt tackifier spill restricts access ponds, John Denver Sanctuary

An overspray of asphalt tackifier at the Spring and Cooper paving project has led to restricted access in the ponds at Rio Grande Park and John Denver Sanctuary. The tackifier was washed into the city’s stormwater system this week during routine installation of pavement. City of Aspen Engineering, Streets, Water, and Parks departments responded immediately to stop movement of the product and prevent it from reaching the Roaring Fork River, officials said.

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Spill kits and absorbent socks have been implemented to contain the product within the ponds. A vacuum truck has removed any remaining material in the stormwater inlets. The Aspen Fire Department has also provided additional oil absorbing socks and booms. Although it is estimated that less than five pounds of the asphalt tackifier was released, the product may be hazardous to health, should not be ingested, and could cause skin irritation. The city is working with Ecos Environmental for remediation of this spill.

While this product has impacted the Rio Grande Park ponds, is not believed to have reached the river. The purpose of these ponds is to protect the river from urban pollutants and has been successful. The City is working quickly and diligently to mitigate any impacts on the vegetation, wildlife and aquatic life that rely upon these ponds, and will open the ponds to the public and pets when safe to do so.

Aspen Words holds author interview at TACAW

Jean Chen Ho, author of “Fiona and Jane,” will be in conversation Wednesday, May 24, at 6:30 p.m. with Mitzi Rapkin, host of the podcast “First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing,” at TACAW.

This event is FREE and open to all! Registration is requested. Doors open at 6 p.m. 

“Fiona and Jane” is described “as a witty, warm, and irreverent book that traces the lives of two young Taiwanese American women as they navigate friendship, sexuality, identity, and heartbreak over two decades” and named a best book of 2022 by NPR, Time, Vogue, Glamour, and Elle.

Inaugural Aspen Ideas Festival Book Club

The Aspen Ideas Festival this week announced the lineup for the first-ever Ideas Book Club. Attendees will have the chance to join their favorite authors and fellow readers for an intimate conversation and shared reading experience. More information: aspenideas.org/articles/announcing-the-aspen-ideas-festival-book-club

• Little Monsters, Adrienne Brodeur
• The Didomenico Fragment, Amor Towles
• Solito, Javier Zamora
• Why Fathers Cry At Night: A Memoir in Love Poems, Recipes, Letters, and Remembrances, Kwame Alexander
• South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation, Imani Perry
• Romantic Comedy, Curtis Sittenfeld
• The Last Thing He Told Me, Laura Dave

The 19th annual Ideas Festival is scheduled for June 24-30. Public ticketed sessions take place June 21-29. All session ticket prices are $35, and sessions will be held at Hotel Jerome, Wheeler Lobby, and on the Aspen Institute campus. The public ticket schedule will be published on June 14 at AspenIdeas.org, and tickets go on sale on June 16 at aspenshowtix.com.

Tuesday Foods wins fellowship award

Kelly Hollins and Lisa Cohen, co-creators of Roaring Fork Valley and Front Range business Tuesday Foods were awarded Tory Burch Foundation Fellowships. Each year, the Tory Burch Foundation selects 50 women entrepreneurs for a yearlong program designed to grow their businesses through workshops, coaching sessions, network-building, and financial resources. The program ends with a company presentation and trip to New York City.

Tuesday Foods is a plant based, zero waste, ready-to-eat, food delivery service aimed at nurturing healthy individuals and communities with locally sourced ingredients, plant-based meals, and reusable packaging are designed to be gentle on the environment.

Snowmass Tourism announces lineup for June

Snowmass Tourism on Wednesday announced the June calendar of events featuring the new Yarn Bombing installation, as well as the return of many Snowmass summer favorites, including Snowmass Rendezvous, the Snowmass Art Festival, VIDA MTB Series, Snowmass Rodeo, Snowmass Free Concert Series, and many more.

“June is the start of so many of our beloved Snowmass events,” says Tourism Director Rose Abello. “June kicks off 49 years of the Snowmass Rodeo, 31 years of the Snowmass Concert Series, nine years of Ragnar Relay, and seven years of Snowmass Rendezvous, not to mention the debut of the new, summer long Yarn Bombing installation. June in Snowmass is not to be missed!”

Music on the Mall, Fridays, June 9-Sept. 29: Music on Mall returns to Snowmass, featuring live music on the Tower Stage from 4:30–6:30 p.m. Performances feature local Roaring Fork Valley musicians, with highlights including Rob Dasaro, Bonfire, Echo Monday, and Wade Waters.

Ragnar Trail Colorado, June 9-10: Ragnar Trail Colorado returns for the ninth year in 2023 for a gritty trifecta of the scenic trail running loops. Each trail loop begins and ends at Ragnar Village in Snowmass Town Park. Teams of eight run relay style, rotating through three loops, varying from easy to difficult, over a 24-hour period.

Snowmass Rendezvous, June 10: Snowmass Rendezvous returns to Snowmass for its seventh year of libations and fun. From 2-6 p.m., exploration, games, bottomless adult beverages, tastings, and live music. Tickets give access to multiple Rendezvous venues around the village, complete with unlimited wine, beer, and spirit tastings, outdoor gear activations, games, and more. Evening ends with a free concert on Fanny Hill, presented by Two Parts. The free concert features Goodnight, Texas, an American Folk Rock band, taking the stage at 7:30 p.m., with opener, Extra Gold, kicking things off at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. 

Yarn Bombing Installation, June 12 to end of Summer: Snowmass Tourism debuts a new community-based art project this summer, focused on the art of yarn bombing. Yarn bombing is the act of wrapping colorful knitted pieces to objects in public spaces for the pure purpose of art and smiles. Trees and other stationary objects around Snowmass Town Park have been selected for coverage in custom knitted and crocheted pieces, culminating in a colorful spectacle of yarn wrapped objects and arbors. Each piece features the artist’s name and a brief statement about the piece. The free exhibition takes place outdoors at Snowmass Town Park and remains in place through summer 2023. 

Snowmass Free Concert Series, June 15-Aug. 24: Celebrating 31 years of free live music this summer, the Snowmass Free Concert Series, a local’s favorite, long standing summer tradition, returns to Fanny Hill every Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. The weekly outdoor series features a spectrum of sounds including country reggae, rock, funk, bluegrass, and more. Additionally, Snowmass is home to free live music throughout the season at restaurants and venues around Snowmass Village, including one bonus concert on Fanny Hill on Saturday, June 10, part of Snowmass Rendezvous, featuring Goodnight, Texas.  

ACES Guided Hikes, daily starting June 17: Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) returns to Snowmass this summer to lead twice daily hikes. The Nature Trail Hike begins at 10 a.m., while the Discovery Trail Hike starts at 1 p.m. Hikes are led by a knowledgeable ACES environmentalist and feature history, facts, trivia, flora and fauna, and possible wildlife sightings. Hikes leave from the Snowmass Mall Ticket Pavilion. Daily starting June 17-Sept. 4, then weekends only, Sept. 9-10, 16-17, 23-24, 30- Oct. 1. 

Snowmass Rodeo – June 21-Aug. 16: The Snowmass Rodeo celebrates 49 years of operations this summer. This longstanding Western tradition is a Snowmass summer staple, complete with music, cowboys and cowgirls, horses, livestock, and family fun. The Snowmass Rodeo takes place on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., rain or shine. For ticket prices, rodeo descriptions, and audience participation events, please visit http://www.SnowmassRodeo.org.

Elk Camp Gondola – June 21-Oct. 1: Elk Camp Gondola opens for the season on June 21 and gives access to the Lost Forest, Elk Camp Restaurant, and Snowmass Bike Park. Elk Camp can be a base to ride 90+ miles of Snowmass trails, part of the Aspen Snowmass/ Roaring Fork Valley IMBA Gold-Level Ride Center, the only Gold-Level Ride Center in Colorado, one only the five in United States, and one of only seven in the world. Open daily June 21-Sept. 4; Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays only, September 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, Sept. 29-Oct. 1. 

Snowmass Art Festival, June 24-25: The Snowmass Art Festival is a juried art show featuring original handcrafted artwork. This free two-day event showcases local Colorado and national artists, representing a wide array of mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, glass, wood, and more. Taking place on the Snowmass Mall, this outdoor festival is surrounded by a world-class resort, beautiful mountains, countless recreational activities shops, restaurants, and hotels. Entry to the festival is free, while artwork is individually priced. 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. on Saturday, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

VNTRbirds Presents VIDA MTB Series, June 24-25: VNTRbirds (venture birds) encourage women through outdoor education and adventure. Women-run and based in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, VNTRbirds brings women to the outdoors through mountain biking, backcountry skiing, splitboarding and community meet ups. These experiences bring women together and help create more confidence and self-reliance in the outdoors. The VIDA MTB Series, June 24-25, provides women with the opportunity to enhance their riding skills, connect with VNTRbirds coaches, and fully immerse themselves into the nitty-gritty of proper biking technique and the confidence needed to tackle new challenges. Over the course of the weekend, participants are grouped with other ladies of like-minded experience and goals so all can progress together in a comfortable and supportive environment. The weekend includes personalized, small group mountain biking instruction, professional programming, schwag bags and so much more.

Sunset Tuesdays at Elk Camp – June 27-August 8: Sunset Tuesdays are back at Elk Camp this summer with Elk Camp Restaurant, Snowmass Bike Park, and Lost Forest hosting extended hours on Tuesday evenings from June 27 through August 8, excluding July 4. The experience includes a complimentary ride up the Elk Camp Gondola from 5:00 p.m.–7:30 p.m. to the restaurant where guests can enjoy locally-sourced ingredients in a farm-to-table inspired à la carte dinner with full cash bar, outdoor family activities and live music on the deck. Guests can also enjoy Lost Forest Base activities, available with a ticket, and Bonus Bike Night in the Snowmass Bike Park until dusk (Late arrival tickets available starting at 2:00 p.m.).

The Collective Snowmass – Daily: The Collective Snowmass, the hub for community activity in Snowmass Base Village, features a robust summer lineup of weekly programming. Returning favorites include Community Bingo, Salsa, and Chess nights; yoga on The Rink with instructor Aaron King; the Snowmass Live Comedy and Music Series; and Movies Under the Stars. In addition, the summer schedule includes new offerings such as Drag Queen Bingo and cooking classes at Mawita with James Beard Nominee Mawa McQueen. The Collective also features yard games, splash pads, fountains, and pop-up events on The Rink. Be sure to head downstairs to check out the Selfie Den and the Game Lounge, open Tuesday-Sunday, free from 2-4 p.m., $10/person for anyone 6 years or older from 4-8p.m.

For the full Summer 2023 Event Calendar visit http://www.gosnowmass.com/events.