Memorial Day ceremonies, live music, comedy, beer and barbecue can be found this weekend in Vail
Get summer started with a three day holiday full of events
Memorial Day events
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States honoring those who lost their lives fighting for our freedoms serving in the country’s armed forces. It is sometimes confused with Veteran’s Day. Memorial Day is a day to remember the men and women who died while serving, while Veteran’s Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans. There are a few events in the area where you can pay tribute to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
10th Mountain Division Monument Tennessee Pass
The 10th Mountain Division Foundation will present its 66th Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday at 11 a.m. at the 10th Mountain Division Monument on top of Tennessee Pass near Ski Cooper, south of Vail. The event is a Memorial Day tradition and allows guests an opportunity to honor those fallen and see and touch World War II artifacts and equipment provided by the 10th Mountain Division Foundation Living History Group. This year, retired four-star general Stephen J. Townsend will deliver the keynote speech.
Seating is limited in the bleachers, so attendees may want to bring along a lawn chair and dress for the conditions as it can be cooler at that altitude with Tennessee Pass over 10,400 feet in elevation. There will be a casual gathering beforehand, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. with donuts and coffee. Stay for lunch if you’d like, which will be available for purchase after the ceremony at the Ski Cooper base area lodge. For more information, contact Nancy Kramer (n.kramer@10thmdf.org or 970-846-2969) or Jack Breeding (j.breeding@10thmdf.org or 303-898-4566).
Freedom Park Ceremony
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The Freedom Park Memorial Committee, Eagle County Veteran Services and VFW Post 10721 will be conducting its 20th annual community ceremony in memory of all veterans of the armed forces and emergency response agencies who have served our country, especially those from Eagle County. This will be at the Freedom Park Memorial American Flagpole Plaza in Edwards on Monday at 3 p.m. at the west side of the pond.
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Honor fallen heroes and support the active-duty troops and hometown emergency responders who are serving today. The service will include local dignitaries, veterans, members of Boy Scout Troops 231, Eagle County Civil Air Patrol and soloists singing patriotic songs.
The keynote speaker is Deacon Mike Williams, U.S. Army, Ret. There will also be a reading of the names of Eagle County heroes who died in the line of duty, including recognition of local Steve Zuckerman who died while serving Vail Mountain Rescue during a mission earlier this year. The program will include recognition of the fragment of limestone from the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, which is always on display at Freedom Park. For questions, call Pat Hammon of the Freedom Park Committee at 970-390-4686.
Cocktails for Vets
Limbs for Liberty is hosting Cocktails for Vets at Zino Ristorante in Edwards on Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. The local nonprofit has teamed up with Warriors on Cataract Canyon, which brings together veterans and active military who are learning to live with PTSD and other ailments.
This event will help Limbs for Liberty raise funds to bring over Ukrainian soldiers to participate in a raft trip with U.S. veterans through Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River in Utah. Warriors on Cataract Canyon has been offering this program for 13 years and this will be the second year Limbs for Liberty is participating. The Ukrainians will learn coping mechanisms to bring home to their fellow brothers in arms. $30 includes a cocktail, light appetizers and a door prize ticket. Direct inquiries may be sent to info@limbsforliberty.com.
Blues, Brews & BBQ
A Memorial Day tradition returns to the valley this weekend with Blues, Brews and BBQ at Beaver Creek. No surprise here, the name says it all with rockin’ blues music, cold craft beer and tasty barbecue.
The event will kick off on Friday from 4-8 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Blues musicians include Booker T. Jones, Don Bryant, Bette Smith, Delta Sonics, Ghost Town Blues Band, Jax Hollow and more. Talented pitmaster Michael Mixon will be on hand for demos and competitions. Michael’s dad, Myron Mixon, is known as the winningest man in barbecue and Michael is professionally ranked.
The event is free to attend and you just pay for beer and food as you go through the village with tents located all around the music stage. Like beer? You can get the beer punch card in advance and save online. You can also elevate your experience by going the VIP route. Rock the Day VIP passes get you parking access at Ford Hall, access to the VIP Lounge, a commemorative mug, access to the microbrew and Breckenridge Distillery cocktail bar, a talent meet and greet and catered barbecue. For information on the bands, the kids zone, beer punch card and more go to BeaverCreek.com.
Vail Comedy Festival
Sit back and have some chuckles this weekend at the Vail Comedy Festival. Over 30 comics are coming to town from all over and will appear at different venues in Vail Village and Lionshead. Headlining acts include Jenny Zigrino, Mary Mack, Mal Hall and Tim Harmston.
From live podcasts with “The Great Hang with Myka and Tim” to The Fiver, where you see how funny a comic can be in five minutes, and the “North Star Comedy Hour” where a recording of this variety show will be done right in Vail, it’s going to be a weekend packed with laughs.
RocketFizz will once again host the Travis Nye magic shows on the RocketFizz stage at Sunbird Park in Lionshead. Nye will also perform magic in the streets and a few other more intimate performances.
Festival Passes have sold out the past two years, so get yours now at VailComedyFestival.com. There are a few events where you can get individual tickets, so check out the website to see which shows work for you.
SpringFree Bluegrass Festival
New this year is the SpringFree Bluegrass Festival. The three-day event was created due to the success of the FreeFall Bluegrass Festival last October and Vail decided to try a music festival during the three-day holiday weekend when usually there wasn’t a lot going on up in the High Country.
Make your plans to see headlining acts like The Infamous Stringdusters, Bluegrass Generals, Sierra Hull, Robert Randolph and more. Local bands like Skin the Rabbit and Danger Mountain will be on stage, too, and see Tenth Mountain Division one more time before they take a hiatus after a 10 year run.
The concerts take place right in town, with the main stage at Solaris Plaza, a secondary stage on the grass along Gore Creek, near Up the Creek restaurant and just below El Segundo restaurant’s deck. The third stage is at Checkpoint Charlie and this is part of the Rock and Roll Playground, a national offering that pairs up with music festivals to offer fun for kids with music parents like. On Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until noon, musicians will play the music of the Grateful Dead in a way that entertains the whole family.
The music kicks off on Friday from 4:30-7:30 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday the music goes from noon to 7:30 p.m. Afterparties will be held at Cucina at the Lodge at Vail and at El Segundo in Vail Village. A full bar is being offered for patrons and new this year. You can order food from a QR code from local restaurants and it will be delivered to the venue. Or, you can also come and go as you please and grab a bite to eat during the festival at restaurants nearby. The best part is that this is absolutely free, so come into Vail and support this brand-new event over the holiday weekend. For more information and to see the schedule go to SpringFreeBluegrassFest.com.
SunsetLIVE!
Treat Sunday like a Saturday night due to the three-day weekend and head out to Nottingham Lake in Avon to hear some live music during SunsetLIVE!
SunsetLIVE! is a free concert series held at the Terrace, a stage perched over Nottingham Lake behind the main performance pavilion at Harry A. Nottingham Park. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and sit along the shore or south lawn of the pavilion or watch it from your paddle boat or standup paddle board while out on the water. Picnics are welcome as well. Outside alcohol may be brought in during events where alcohol is not already being sold.
The concert series, which runs on Sundays from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend, features bands from Eagle County and beyond. The J. Goods Experience and Los Hermanos both hail from Summit County and will take the stage together on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. After a holiday weekend full of activity, unwind from it all, watch the sun set and relax to free, live music. For more information and a schedule of who is playing each week, go to Avon.org.
