Basalt steps up summer events schedule starting with Saturday’s Motors on Midland

Basalt will start its summer events with some sweet rides Saturday, then later in the season it will host another reunion by the popular musical group Starwood and bring back some tried-and-true favorites such as the Wednesday night concert series and the Sunday Market.

Starwood, whose roots stretch back to Aspen in the 1970s, reunited for Basalt River Days in 2012 and again at Lions Park last year.

“There were 500 and maybe 600 people last year,” said Kris Mattera, who is in her first summer at the helm of the Basalt Chamber of Commerce. The group will return to Lions Park in downtown Basalt on Wednesday, Aug. 8.

The summer events schedule kicks off Saturday with the Seventh annual Motors on Midland, a classic-car showcase on Basalt’s main drag. The event will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be a beer garden adjacent to Alpine Bank.

“It just becomes a full schedule after that,” Mattera said.

All told, there will be more than 100 special events from Saturday through Labor Day, she said. The goals are to spur traffic for Basalt businesses, pair businesses as sponsors with specific events and, of course, have some fun.

There will be a big community picnic at the Basalt River Park Saturday, Aug. 11. The chamber will provide pulled pork. Attendees will be asked to bring a potluck dish.

“This is going to be more about getting people by the rivers,” Mattera said.

The community picnic will coincide with the scheduled opening of the Roaring Fork Conservancy’s River Center, a stone’s throw from the west end of the park.

The popular Basalt Sunday Market starts June 17 and continues into September.

Regular movie nights also will be back, starting with a showing of “True Grit” on Saturday, June 16. There will be a special screening of “Coco” on July 21, with sponsors Hacienda Jalisco and the Basalt Education Foundation.

For people who like live performances, this summer will be music to their ears.

“In general there’s going to be more music in town,” Mattera said.

Willits Town Center will host Thursday Night Live on Market Street starting June 21. The Thursday night parties will be held throughout the summer. There also will be a Market Street Block Party featuring the band Zolopht on Friday, June 22.

The Wednesday night free concert series will be held regularly from June through August. The first four performances will be held in Willits Town Center’s Triangle Park. The final three, including the Starwood reunion, will be held in downtown’s Lions Park. (See schedule in fact box.)

Basalt Heritage Society’s Mother Blair’s Chicken Dinner will return Wednesday, July 25.

“I think it’s going to be a real exciting summer. There’s a lot happening,” Mattera said.

For a full listing of events, go to http://www.basaltchamber.org.

scondon@aspentimes.com