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Aspen Untucked: The Last Hurrah(s)

by Barbara Platts

We don’t want to admit it. We may not even want to talk about it. However, we all know it to be true: Summer is nearing an end. A sure sign of this is that early bird ticket sales for the 2017-18 ski season went on sale Monday.

While we are all almost, kinda, sorta starting to get excited for winter, now is the time to capture the last bit of summer fun in the Roaring Fork Valley before the cold of fall sets in. There’s still a lot of time left for hiking, biking and other outdoor activities. But many of the cultural events of the summer are wrapping up quickly. Below are a few that will soon be over and should probably be added to your to do list before it’s too late.

Aspen Music Festival and School events



This is the final weekend to enjoy classical tunes throughout town before AMFS’ season comes to a close. Musical events are happening throughout the next few days, concluding with a performance at the Benedict Music Tent on Sunday, Aug. 20. If you haven’t made it to the lawn outside the tent yet, now is the time. Bring a picnic and possibly some light reading material and enjoy this essential Aspen summer experience.

Jazz Aspen Snowmass concerts




The JAS Cafe has three more shows this weekend to wrap up. There’s Eliane Elias on Aug. 18, Nnenna Freelon on Aug. 19 and Jacob Collier on Aug. 20 (though his show is sold out so you may have to bribe a friend for tickets). The last three shows are all being held on the roof of the Aspen Art Museum. Also being presented by the nonprofit is the JAS Labor Day Experience Sept. 1 to 3. The three-day passes are sold out, but there are some single-day tickets still available.

Rodeo events

These wild west shows are wrapping up for the summer, but there’s still a couple more opportunities to put on those cowboy boots and hat and get out for a show. Snowmass Rodeo will have its final event Wednesday, Aug. 23. The Carbondale Wild West Rodeo finishes up Aug. 17 (the day this issue goes to print). Unfortunately, the Garfield County Rodeo in Rifle has already closed up for the season so you’ll have to catch that one next year.

Snowmass Free Concert Series

The jam-packed season of free concerts on the stage at Fanny Hill is nearly at an end. The last shows are Aug. 17 with the Otis Taylor Band and Sept. 9 for the 90’s Night Glow Show. The latter is part of the Snowmass Balloon Festival and starts a bit later once the sun has mostly set. If you haven’t made it out to Snowmass Village for some free music yet, now is the time to do it.

Theatre Aspen’s 2017 Summer Season

“Sex with Strangers” and “The World According to Snoopy” have wrapped up for the summer. “Hairspray” only has a couple of days left (luckily there are two shows on Saturday). As I’m writing this column, there are still several seats available, but get your ticket fast. The shows are likely to sell out!

Saying “so long” to summer is never easy, especially up in the Roaring Fork Valley where there’s something fun to do every single day. But, say goodbye we must, so let’s send off the 2017 sunny season with a bang.

Barbara Platts is soaking up as much summer as she can before autumn enters the scene. Reach her at bplatts.000@gmail.com or on Twitter @BarbaraPlatts.

Aspen Times Weekly

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