Summer in Telluride: A Sea of Festivals and More

Shopping for Chic in Telluride---Yet Another Summer Activity!

Lolling at the pool at The Peaks.  Hiking.  Gazing at the riot of colors created by the wildflowers that dot our hillsides and valleys.  Indulging in simple picnics of wine and cheese at the Wednesday Sunset Concert Series.  Wearing flip flops, shorts and a fleece.  Soaking in a hot tub after having gotten caught in a summer storm and been chilled to the bone.  Watching the ever-changing dance of gathering clouds and distant rains form in the sky high above our mountain tops.  Smelling the freshness of our air, grass, plants and trees.  Admiring the pert and pretty flower displays that embellish the town’s array of Victorian houses.  Spotting the marmots sunbathing on the rocks beneath the gondola.  Eating a fresh Palisade peach from the open-air markets.  Sipping a cup of tea on a rainy summer afternoon.  Consulting the calendar for the upcoming weekend’s line up of events.

Carbon Neutral Smoothies: Only In Telluride

These are a few of my favorite things about summer in Telluride.  And as usual, this season kicked off with a stunning set of events.  Summer was officially ushered in the last day of Bluegrass when the Telluride House Band (consisting of Jerry Douglas, Béla Fleck and Sam Bush, to name a few) played past the longest day of the year and furnished foot-stomping music into the dark of the night.  Wine Festival weekend followed and for the first time ever I attended their Sunday Brunch, a lovely affair where one can sip seemingly bottomless glasses of Champagne and delight in a delicious spread in one of the most awe-inspiring settings in the world:  Telluride Town Park.  I was thrilled to partake in this elegant party—complete with white tablecloths and petits fours—made even more magnificent against such a stunning backdrop.  As is the case at nearly all Wine Festival events, there was a lot of wine on hand to sample and many discoveries to be made.  (My latest is Windmill, an Old Vine Zinfandel that I can buy at the local liquor store for just over $10.)

The July 4th holiday marked the third weekend in our now renowned summertime trifecta of events.  It was a good ‘ole fashioned 4th of July replete with a big parade, root beer floats, barbecue, lots of games and a fireworks display that could be the envy of many a town, big and small.  And since this is Telluride, all was spiced up with a flash of flesh, humor and politics, most notably in Irrational Exuberance, the top prize winner of the parade, that spoofed the greed and conspicuous consumption of our country in recent years.

George Clinton: The Godfather of Funk

Thank goodness the Telluride Yoga Festival is on the docket for this weekend.  By now, many of us need to tone it down a few notches.  Oh, but wait.  There’s the KOTO Doo Dah tonight, the radio station’s annual summer concert that has featured artists such as Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett and Bob Dylan in the past.  George Clinton, godfather of funk, and Parliament are this year’s headliners.  Word is that some twenty-five people including dancers and back up will be on stage for this funkadelic happening that’s sure to go down as one of the summer’s best concerts.  Rusted Root opens the show, a percussion-heavy, World Music-sounding act that could easily receive top billing themselves.

Then next Tuesday is Bastille Day, the French equivalent of our 4th of July.  I’ll be doing an event from 1 to 3 p.m. at Between the Covers bookstore here in Telluride to mark that holiday in characteristic French flair. Wine will be poured by the Wine Mine at Pacific Street Liquors and sweet and savory treats will be provided by the New Sheridan Chop House, La Marmotte and Jean-Louis.

The following weekend marks the Nothing Festival where supposedly no scheduled event takes place in T-ride except for a bunch of nude people pedaling down our main street.  (We know, though, that there’s always something going on in our spectacular mountain town.)

July wraps up with the Cajun Festival, a Friday-night event that promises to be a hot and happening affair punctuated by great music and delicious eats from the Bayou.

And that’s just a brief overview of a Telluride summer through the end of July!  I hope that before August roles around, I’ll be able to carve out more time for my favorite things because they represent the very best part of Telluride.