Chrissy CO Native, Author at Colorado Bucket List

Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championship

December 30, 2019 By Chrissy CO Native

This is and has always been a free event open to the general public.

Competition/ Sculpting Days: January 20-24, 2020

Viewing Days: January 24-29, 2020

The event site will close at 7:00 p.m. on January 29 and the Sculptures will be taken down.

Join the fun January 20-29th, 2020 for the 30th Annual Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships!

Where are the sculptures located?
The Snow Sculptures are located in the area around the Riverwalk Center at 150 West Adams Avenue, Breckenridge, CO 80424. The Warming Hut exhibit and event headquarters are inside the Riverwalk Center.

2020 ISSC TEAMS

2020 ISSC TEAMS include USA-Alaska, Argentina, USA-Breckenridge, China, Ecuador, France-Normandie, Germany, Great Britain, India, Mexico, USA-Minnesota, Mongolia, Switzerland, Turkey, USA-Wisconsin, USA-Vermont.

2020 SNOW SCULPTURE SCHEDULE

Sculpting Week | January 20-24, 2020

Award Announcements | January 24, 2020

Viewing Weekend | January 25-29, 2020

A Permanent Memento
Be sure to stop by the Thaw Lounge+Music for postcards, pins and for more event information including a look at past sculptures.

ice-sculpture breckenridge international snow sculpture competitoin 2012

Snow carving in Breckenridge began as a local pastime during the town’s winter carnival – Ullr Fest – in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The founders of Breckenridge’s International Snow Sculpture Championships are still involved in the event, which is today attended annually by more than 30,000 people.

History on Display
Discover the process of snow sculpting, information about the teams and lots of interesting trivia. Located in the Thaw Lounge+Music, this exhibit explores the last 25 years of the International Snow Sculpture Championships.

Don’t Forget to Vote for your favorite sculpture

Support your favorite sculpture with the People’s Choice Vote. Throughout sculpting week, simply text the country of your favorite sculpture to vote. Text numbers can be found at each sculpture. More details can be found in the Warming Hut.

Voting starts Wednesday, January 22 at noon
Voting ends Saturday, January 25 at 2:00 p.m.

The Magic of Ice
Don’t miss the spectacular Ice Village, located at the Riverwalk Center. Each intricate carving is sculpted into a glowing statue. The sculptures represent many of the supporters of the Snow Sculpture Championships.

Are Dogs Allowed?

The International Snow Sculpture Championships is a pet-friendly event, however, please be aware that there will be cannons, light shows, crowds and can get very cold. Please keep pets on a leash and away from the snow sculptures.

Free Daily Parking

Free parking is available on Airport Road with free shuttles running every 15 minutes via the Yellow Route on the Breck Free Ride Bus. The closest bus stop to Event Headquarters is F-Lot, which is serviced by most bus routes. View bus schedule

Free public transportation is available throughout town from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. View town bus routes

International Snow Sculpture Championships Stay and Ski Lodging Packages

Call the Breckenridge Resort Chamber at 877-864-0868 or visit GoBreck.com for more information on the 2012 International Snow Sculpture Championships and January lodging packages in Breckenridge.

Denver Restaurant Week Dates are OUT!

December 30, 2019 By Chrissy CO Native

The 2020 Denver Restaurant Week dates have been revealed but the list of restaurants and corresponding menus for 5280 Denver Restaurant week are still under wraps!

Denver Restaurant Week is on the Denver Bucket TO DO list once again

The 16th annual Denver Restaurant Week takes place Feb. 21 – March 1, 2020. Hundreds of Denver’s top restaurants will offer multi-course dinners for three tasty prices: $25, $35 or $45.

The following 5280 restaurants are sorted by neighborhoods in Denver.

During the 10-day-long Denver Restaurant Week, hundreds of Denver’s top restaurants will offer multi-course dinners for tasty prices.

Denver Restaurant Week Menus

This Denver Foodie event is a favorite that is anticipated all year long. If more fancy food fare for your buck puts you in a romantic mood you could skip the overpriced dinner out for Valentine’s Day and use your eating out budget (and calorie count) just a week or two later.

Reservations can be made at the individual restaurants or you can use OpenTable.com to make your reservations online. Be sure to note 5280 DRW in the notes section.

Some restaurants still haven’t finalized their menu’s yet so they don’t show up below. We will be updating this page as the news comes in. Another tip is to continue to call back even if your favorite restaurant is already full. People do cancel and you might just get lucky.

Your favorite spot STILL isn’t on the list? Give them a call anyway. There are several restaurants that don’t want to pay to be on the 5280 DRW website but they are still doing a special offer during those two weeks.

There are several areas of the Denver Metro area that are included including

DOWNTOWN (LARIMER/LODO/RIVERFRONT/RINO)

UPTOWN DENVER

GOLDEN TRIANGLE/GOVERNORS PARK

EAST COLFAX/CAPITOL HILL

HIGHLANDS (TENNYSON/BERKELEY/HIGHLANDS SQUARE/LOHI)

CHERRY CREEK

SOUTH BROADWAY/WASH PARK (OLD SOUTH GAYLORD/SOUTH PEARL/BONNIE BRAE)

STAPLETON/NORTHFIELD

Molten Chocolate Brownie from Yia Yias in Greenwood Village CO DTC

From Yaya’s in the DTC

DENVER TECH CENTER

SOUTH METRO/PARK MEADOWS

NORTH METRO

EAST METRO

BELMAR

WEST METRO

Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten-Free options are available at many restaurants this year

Don’t see your favorite? Keep checking, new menus are added every day.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science Free Days

December 30, 2019 By Chrissy CO Native

The Scientific & Cultural Facilities District is a voter-approved special district in the seven-county metro area that provides a stable source of supplemental funding to more than 300 scientific and cultural organizations inside the district’s boundaries. The SCFD collects a one-tenth of 1 percent sales-and-use tax (or one penny on every $10 spent), providing approximately $40 million each year to area cultural attractions both small and large.

Museum Admission is free on the dates listed below. To add a temporary exhibit, IMAX or Planetarium show, purchase tickets at the Museum on the Free Day; upgrade rates apply. Reservations and amenities (lunchroom, coat and lunch storage, bus drop off, etc.) for school groups are not available on SCFD Community Free Days.

2020 SCFD Community Free Days

Monday, January 6
Sunday, January 26
Monday, February 10 (Darwin Day)
Sunday, February 23
Sunday, April 26 (Día del Niño)
Sunday, May 31
Wednesday, July 1 (Free Night- Admission free from 5 p.m.-10 p.m.)
Wednesday, August 12 (Free Night- Admission free from 5 p.m.-10 p.m.
Wednesday, September 2 (Free Night- Admission free from 5 p.m.-10 p.m.)
Monday, September 21
Sunday, October 11
Sunday, December 6

El Scientific & Cultural Facilities District es un distrito especial aprobado por el electorado, que abarca siete condados de la zona metropolitana de Denver. SCFD es una fuente estable de fondos suplementarios para más de 300 organizaciones científicas y culturales dentro de los límites del distrito. Mediante la recaudación de un décimo del 1 por ciento de los impuestos a las ventas/usos (un centavo por cada $10), SCFD les proporciona alrededor de $40 millones anuales a las atracciones culturales de la zona, tanto grandes como pequeñas.

Favor de notar que todavía hay un costo adicional para las películas IMAX y las funciones en el planetario. Durante los Días Gratis para la Comunidad SCFD, el museo no acepta reservaciones ni ofrece amenidades (salones para almuerzos, almacenaje de chamarras y almuerzos, estacionamiento temporal de autobuses frente al museo, etc.) a grupos escolares.

Ice Skating at the Pond – Southlands Mall

December 6, 2019 By Chrissy CO Native

ice skating at the pond in Southlands Aurora Colorado

The Southlands Mall has the biggest outdoor rink in South Denver and “The Pond” is all decked out for the Holidays this year.

“The Pond at Southlands” Admission:

$8.50 – Admission (ages 4 and up)
$3.50 – Ages 3 and under
$2.50 – Skate Rental

THE POND

Address: 6155 S. Main Street Aurora, CO 80016

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15 – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2020

Tie your laces and gear up to visit your favorite place to skate all winter long!

Hours:

Monday – Thursday: 4 – 9 pm
Friday: 4 – 10 pm
Saturday: 11am – 10pm
Sunday: 11am – 7pm

Holiday Hours:

Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving): Closed
Tuesday, December 24: 4pm – 9pm
Wednesday, December 25: 1pm – 10pm
Tuesday, December 31: 4pm – 9pm
Wednesday, January 1: 12pm – 10pm
Thursday, January 2: 11am – 9pm
All School Holidays: 11am – 10pm

Pricing:

General Admission: $8.50
Admission ages 3 & under: $3.50
Skate Rental: $2.50

Events at The Pond:

Skate & Donate Food Drive (Thursday, November 21, 4pm – 9pm):
Donate two cans of non-perishable food items and receive one FREE pass to The Pond. All donations go to Aurora Warms the Night

Frozen Celebration at The Pond (Friday, November 22, 5pm – 7pm):
In celebration of the debut of Frozen 2, you’re invited to attend a Princess Meet and Greet at The Pond. Come skate, take a selfie, and enter-to-win $10 gift cards to AMC Southlands!

Skating with Santa (Saturday, December 7, 1 pm – 3 pm):
Get in the festive spirit and take a spin around The Pond with Santa!

Noon Year’s Eve (Tuesday, December 31, 11 am – 1 pm):
Bring the kids for a fun event to welcome in the New Year in a family fun and festive way!

Skate Lessons:
Skate lessons are available. January 12 Held on Sundays from 10 am – 10:45 am.

Call us at (303) 928-7536 for more information.

Group Rates & Events:

Call (303) 928-7536 or email [email protected] for group rates and reservations.

$8.50 – Admission (ages 4 and up)
$3.50 – Ages 3 and under
$2.50 – Skate Rental

Military Discount (w/ Active Military ID) – $7/Session
(Includes Skate Rental)

*Please Note: The Pond will be open at
7:00am on Black Friday!

This outdoor rink invites graceful slides and romantic glides atop rental hockey or figure skates.

How to survive a winter storm warning in Colorado

December 5, 2019 By Chrissy CO Native

A winter storm warning? What does that mean to you?

Unlike winter storms in the “Winter” early fall storms will most likely be completely gone by the end of the snow possibly even before depending on which area of Denver you live in. The Denver metro areas like Aurora, Parker, Centennial, Englewood, Highlands Ranch won’t get as much snow as those communities in or close to the Palmer Divide (Parker, Castle Rock, Franktown, Monument) or the foothills (Golden, Evergreen, Boulder).

A few tips for those new residents of Colorado

Do not drive if you don’t know how to drive in snow! It doesn’t matter if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle or not, if you are going too fast or don’t know how to use your breaks on snow and ice you WILL get in an accident and possibly hurt yourself, others and property. Take advantage of one of your Colorado native friends or neighbors and have them teach you to drive here.
If you have deciduous tree’s, do go outside and gently tap off heavy snow from tree limbs before they break. Tree’s are a precious commodity in the high plains.
Always unhook your garden hoses from the house, even if you don’t think it’s going to get that cold.
Do dress in layers in Colorado pretty much year round. The temperatures can and do vary drastically from when you leave your house for work and when you get home. It’s always a good idea to keep at least a jacket, hat, and gloves in your car year round.
You don’t need to run to the grocery store to stock up for the storm, it really will be melted with 24 hours maximum.

The tips below were taking from the State of Colorado Emergency Management site.

Store drinking water, first aid kit, canned/no-cook food, non-electric can opener, radio, flashlight and extra batteries where you can get them easily, even in the dark. Have questions about kits? Check out READYColorado for some great checklists and tips!
Keep cars and other vehicles fueled and in good repair, with a winter emergency kit in each.
Get a NOAA Weather Radio to monitor severe weather.
Know how the public is warned (siren, radio, TV, etc.) and the warning terms for each kind of disaster in your community:

Winter Weather Terminology in Colorado

“winter storm watch” — Be alert, a storm is likely
“winter storm warning” — Take action, the storm is in or entering the area
“blizzard warning” — Snow and strong winds combined will produce blinding snow, near zero visibility, deep drifts, and life-threatening wind chill–seek refuge immediately!
“winter weather advisory” — Winter weather conditions are expected to cause significant inconveniences and may be hazardous, especially to motorists
“frost/freeze warning” — Below freezing temperatures are expected and may cause damage to plants, crops, or fruit trees
“flash flood or flood watch” — Be alert to signs of flash flooding and be ready to evacuate on a moment’s notice
“flash flood warning” — A flash flood is imminent–act quickly to save yourself because you may have only seconds
“flood warning” — Flooding has been reported or is imminent–take necessary precautions at once. Know safe routes from home, work and school to high ground.
Know how to contact other household members through a common out-of-state contact in the event you and have to evacuate and become separated.
Know how to turn off gas, electric power, and water before evacuating.
Know ahead of time what you should do to help elderly or disabled friends, neighbors or employees.
Winterize your house, barn, shed or any other structure that may provide shelter for your family, neighbors, livestock or equipment. Install storm shutters, doors, and windows; clear rain gutters; repair roof leaks; and check the structural ability of the roof to sustain unusually heavy weight from the accumulation of snow–or water, if drains on flat roofs do not work.
If you think you might want to volunteer in case of a disaster, now is the time to let voluntary organizations or the emergency services office know–beforehand.

Snow Plowing in Denver CO

In general snow plows follow this priority in all area’s of the Denver Metro area

Priority 1 – Arterials
Priority 2 – Collector Streets
Priority 3 – Local Roads
State Highways

Castle Rock has an online snowplow tracking system and you can check out at CRgov.com/plowtracker, will be updated once snow-removal operations begin

Do make snow angels, snowmen, snow forts and have fun!

We’d love to see your pictures of you frolicking in the snow so post them on the Facebook page here if you’d like to share how you spent Winter 2015’s first snow storm. Facebook.com/DenverBucketList

Things to do in the winter in Colorado

December 3, 2019 By Chrissy CO Native

For true Coloradans, snow doesn’t keep us indoors.

Just wear layers (The secret to being the right temperature with our ever-changing conditions)

Colorado is home to winter carnivals, ice-carving competitions and beautiful lighting ceremonies throughout the Rockies and the front range.

A fantastic list was just posted by Colorado.com and we’ve added a few of our own favorites as well.

WINTER CARNIVALS IN COLORADO

Coloradans consider winter our most privileged season, and we love to celebrate all that comes with it at winter carnivals across the state.

Vail Snow Daze
This bash welcomes the ski and snowboard season with a Dummy Demolition Derby, free concerts and a-rockin’ street fair in Vail Village. Last year’s headliners featured Weezer, O.A.R. and Dwight Yoakam.

12 Days of Aspen:
Downtown comes alive with a variety of free holiday activities, cookies, hot chocolate and much more to celebrate the holidays and the winter season.

Breckenridge ULLR Fest
Snow lovers celebrate Norse mythology dressed as Vikings with Ullympic competitions (such as frying-pan flinging), a downtown Breckenridge parade and bonfire, nighttime snowshoeing, ice-staking and pond hockey.

Breckenridge Ice Sculpture Competition
During the Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships, 16 teams from around the world descend on Breckenridge, Colorado to hand-carve 20-ton blocks of snow into enormous, intricate works of art. Artists are only allowed to use hand tools, creativity and inspiration to bring their ideas to life. No power tools allowed! Teams sculpt countless hours across five days (totaling around 96 hours), resulting in a temporary outdoor art gallery in historic downtown Breckenridge!

This is and has always been a free event open to the general public.

Wintersköl in Aspen
Aspen‘s annual “toast to winter” dates back to January 1951 when locals began celebrating the town’s unique Nordic lifestyle. The four day fest features on-mountain activities, Soupsköl, a canine fashion show, Winterfest, fireworks and much more.

Estes Park Winter Festival
Downtown Estes Park glows with winter lights, and winter fun includes a chili cook-off, scavenger hunt, snowshoe event, igloo making, stargazing, carriage rides and tons of other family activities.

Winter Park Winter Carnival
This fest is a birthday party for one of the area’s colorful early residents — a gal named Mary Jane — with live music, fireworks, a snow-sculpture contest, sled races, snowshoe treks and more in Winter Park.

Steamboat Springs’ Winter Carnival
Steamboat has reveled in their bounty of trademark Champagne Powder since 1914. The carnival features ski-jumping competitions, dog-sled pulls, cross-country obstacle races, a tubing party and a spectacular fireworks display.

Pagosa Springs’ Winterfest
Are you brave enough to submerge yourself in the San Juan River’s Penguin Plunge? Test your sledding skills in the Anything Goes Downhill Sled Race or sit back and watch the Rail Jam competition in Pagosa Springs.

Ski Joring & Crystal Carnival in Leadville
A fearless skier navigates an obstacle course connected by towrope to a horse and rider galloping at top speed, and it all takes place in the middle of town, in addition to a winter carnival with other snowy activities.

Colorado Ice Festivals

Though they don’t linger too long during Colorado’s sunny winter months, frozen masterpieces created by gifted ice artisans leave a lasting impression.

Ouray Ice Festival
Though it’s an ice festival of a different sort, Ouray’s celebration is one of the most spectacular. Each year, 3,000 climbers descend on the town to ascend the Ouray Ice Park’s mile-long frozen gorge, while spectators watch in amazement.

Budweiser International Snow Sculpting Championship
Teams from around the world spend a week in Breckenridge gently coaxing intricate sculptures out of 20-ton blocks of snow.

Alamosa Ice Fest
Scavenger hunts, snowman-building contests, a 5k, and a fire-and-ice party celebrate winter in Alamosa.

Lake City Ice Climbing Festival
Top-roped and lead-speed climbing competitions take place on Lake City‘s beautiful blue wall of ice.

Cripple Creek Ice Festival
Artists deftly use chainsaws to carve clear creations along Cripple Creek’s main street, while families frolic through an ice maze and sip hot chocolate.

Ski & Snowboard Competitions

• USSA Grand Prix in Copper Mountain
• Winter Dew Tour in Breckenridge
• FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Vail & Beaver Creek
• Audi Power of Four Ski Mountaineer Race, Snowmass

Other Colorado Winter Events

• Denver Christkindle Market
• Downtown Boulder’s Switch on the Holidays
• Estes Park’s Catch the Glow Parade & Celebration
• Greeley Lights the Night Parade
• Olde Country Christmas in Elizabeth
• Olde Golden Christmas in Golden
• Denver Parade of Lights
• CU Presents: Boulder Holiday Festival
• 55th Annual Georgetown Christmas Market in Georgetown:

Noel A La Carte
5:30pm – 8:30pm
Join us for a magical evening at two of Georgetown’s historical museums, the Hamill House and the Hotel De Paris. The Evening will begin at the Hamill House, where guests will enjoy champagne and oysters, caroling, and the lighting of the Christmas tree. Next, guest will go to the Hotel De Paris, where they will have the rare opportunity to dine in the historic Hotel de Paris dining room. Menu items include Prime Rib, potatoes, bread, fresh vegetables, and wine.
Ticket prices: $100 non-member, $90 member
Space is limited, so RESERVE NOW

Annual Georgetown Christmas Market December
10:00am – 5:00pm
6th Street-Georgetown
• Winter Arts & Crafts Show in Craig