Are you wondering what to do this weekend? There’s a lot going on in Aspen, from artful get-togethers to grand openings to a wide range of concerts. Below you’ll find a list of things that the ACRA team members plan on getting into this weekend…

Friday
artCRUSH (6 PM): The Aspen Art Museum’s renowned party brings “more than 350 of the world’s top art collectors, wine connoisseurs, artists, gallery owners, curators, celebrities, and global business leaders” to Aspen for AAM’s annual gala. This year the Aspen Award for Art will be presented to Marilyn Minter, who has been a driving force in the contemporary art scene.

Courtesy of Belly Up Aspen

Theatre Aspen’s performance of “The Marvelous Wonderettes“ (7:30 PM): Called ”one irresistible musical” by The New York Times, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” is filled with iconic 50s and 60s pop music, like Heatwave, R-e-s-p-e-c-t, Mr. Sandman, It’s My Party and Leader of the Pack. Starring Aspen favorite, Beth Malone, from the original New York cast and directed by Cate Caplin, this is a can’t-miss!

Chris Isaak at the Belly Up Aspen (Show at 9 PM): The rock’n'roll singer-songwriter comes to Aspen and his iconic song, “Wicked Game,” will have the crowd singing along and reminiscing about the scandalous music video that sent the single to the top of the Billboard charts.

Saturday
Zoot Aspen Triathlon (7 AM): Aspen’s ambitious athletes hit the pool early Saturday morning, followed by a 17-mile bike ride (gaining 1,500 feet in elevation) to the spectacular Maroon Bells, and a 4-mile run in the Elk Mountain range and the scenic Maroon Creek Valley. The Aspen Recreation Center serves as the start and finish. Head out and cheer on the competitors.

Photo by Jeremy Swanson

Aspen Saturday Market (8 AM): Freshly picked veggies and fruit, hot-out-of-the-oven delectables, and hand-crafted goods line the streets of downtown Aspen every Saturday. This daytime farmers’ market and crafts fair is the perfect way to spend a gorgeous August morning.

WeSC Grand Opening (4 PM) & Afterparty at Hunter Bar (8 PM): WeSC (We Are the Superlative Company)—a favorite lifestyle, street-fashion brand among “big screen stars and snowboarders”—is finally opening the doors to its downtown Aspen concept store at 461 East Hopkins Avenue. Movie premiers, a musical performance by Steed Lord, and the unveiling of WeSC’s street-fashion will precede the afterparty.

Sunday

Photo by Lauren Bullard

Floating down the Roaring Fork River: Blue skies and warm weather are the forecast for Sunday, and there isn’t a better way to enjoy a weekend under the sun than floating down the Roaring Fork River on inner tubes. Pack a lunch, grab some beverages, put-in just outside of town, and float down the river; it doesn’t get any better than that!

ArtAspen (11 AM): Aspen’s first fine art fair devoted to important post-war and contemporary art, ArtAspen provides dealers and collectors with an opportunity to buy and sell art in Aspen’s intimate setting. Limited in size to just 30 select galleries, this is a fun, manageable and rare art buying experience at the Aspen Ice Garden.  

Aspen Festival Orchestra (4 PM): Enjoy the orchestra like a local — bring a blanket, a bottle of wine, a picnic, and your closest friends and listen to the Aspen Festival Orchestra (for free) from the lawns outside of the Benedict Music Tent. This is a favorite amongst Aspenites, and a quintessential summertime in Aspen experience.

Photo by Jeremy Swanson

WeSC (We Are the Superlative Company)—a favorite lifestyle, street-fashion brand among “big screen stars and snowboarders”—is opening the doors to its downtown Aspen concept store on August 7.

The centrally located Aspen store is the Swedish-born company’s third U.S. concept store, joining store locations in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood and along Los Angeles’s iconic Robertson Boulevard.

“We’re extremely happy to introduce Aspen to WeSC and are excited to be a part of the amazing and creative community that is here,” said WeSC CEO and co-founder, Greger Hagelin. “With its love for skate and snow, and appreciation for creativity and style, Aspen is a perfect place for WeSC to open its doors… The ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the unveiling of our new store design and also  includes several custom features, inspired by the city of Aspen, which we hope you will come  out and see for yourself.”

Saturday’s (August 7) grand opening starts at 4:00 PM at the new storefront at 461 East Hopkins Avenue and continues on to Hunter Bar for an afterhours fete.

More information about WeSC can be found at www.wesc.com.

Photo: Lynn Goldsmith (Courtesy Aspen Santa Fe Ballet)

After rave reviews, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet presents an encore performance of the world premiere of Uneven by world-renowned, Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto on Tuesday, August 3. Composer David Lang wrote the score that will be played live, onstage by cellist Kimberly Patterson.

CLICK HERE to read Stewart Oksenhorn’s (of The Aspen Times) review of Uneven, and learn a bit of exposition about Soto and his past work. Tickets may be purchased at www.aspenshowtix.com

Us Aspenites are a lot that take our hamburgers seriously. Just look at a majority of the menus throughout town and you’ll see each restaurant’s iteration of the classic burger. Ajax Tavern, Boogie’s, Zane’s, The Jerome, N9NE Steakhouse, Bad Billy’s, and Lulu Wilson are just a few of the local establishments whose menus reflect Aspen’s affinity for the slider, and many more offer up can’t-miss burgers.

New to the local scene, 520 Grill rounds out Aspen’s options with an affordable and delicious lunch and dinner menu centered around the burger. Janet Urquhart, of The Aspen Times (click the link to see the entire article about 520 Grill),  described the fare when she wrote, ” half-pound, hand-crafted burgers (no pre-pressed meats) using buffalo, beef or turkey, and hot dogs (all-beef kosher franks and turkey dogs), plus a selection of salads like kale and quinoa, and chipotle Caesar.”

Locally owned and operated, 520 Grill is the brainchild of two longtime Aspen chefs. Wheaton Augur and Troy Selby came up with the idea to open an eatery aimed at providing locals with a mouth-watering dining option that won’t leave diners feeling like there’s a hole in their pocket during a road trip, and things quickly fell into place.

Locals have been leaving 520 Grill after a meal full and happy since the doors were opened on May 20, 2010. Located in Aspen’s Fat City Plaza at 520 East Cooper Avenue (appropriately), the grill is open Monday through Friday from 11 AM-7 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM-4 PM.

As the first installment in ACRA’s monthly Featured Business blog posts, the folks at 520 Grill have agreed to offer a 10% discount for a limited time if mention reading this blog while ordering. What do you have to do? Head down to 520 Grill, let them know that you read this blog entry and receive 10% off your order through Friday, July 30th.

And, the 10% discount always applies to members of civic service (or as Wheaton says, “You get to drive fast with your lights and sirens on”)—including, police, fire, military, etc.  

Although Ideas Fest has come to a close, The Aspen Institute continues to add a great deal to the public discourse circling around arts, culture, politics, the environment, and many more compelling and poignant topics. New Views: Premiere Documentaries is an ongoing example of how The Aspen Institute, along with Aspen Film, are encouraging dialogue and educating locals in Aspen. New Views is “a series of critically acclaimed new documentaries on topics from politics and environment to the visual arts and music, each screening will be followed by a discussion with the director or special guest.” 

Odds are you’ll be doing whatever it takes to attend next week’s screening if you have experienced the first two films of New Views (The Furious Force of Rhymes and Bill Cunningham New York). And, if you have not yet had the opportunity to see what this is all about, Monday’s premiere of Waste Land is the perfect opportunity.  

Equal parts surprise and inspiration, director Lucy Walker’s stunning Waste Land follows celebrated Brazilian artist Vik Muniz on his journey to a most unusual studio site. Muniz works a large social canvas, creating photographic images of people using found materials from the places where they live and work. This latest project takes him to Rio de Janeiro and Jardim Gramacho, one of the largest garbage dumps in the world. There he photographs and collaborates with an eclectic band of catadores, local pickers of recyclable materials. Audience Award Winner at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals earlier this year, Waste Land celebrates art’s transformative power and the richness of the human spirit.

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer for Waste Land.

When: Monday, July 26 at 8:00 PM

Where: Paepcke Auditorium at The Aspen Institute

How: Tickets are $16 and may be purchased at www.aspenshowtickets.com or (970) 920-5770

MarthaStewartWeddings.com highlighted our town as a world-class destination for a “laid-back” bachelorette party. What did the style maven’s website have to say about Aspen?

“The city’s mountain setting and chill vibe are perfect for a laid-back bash. What’s on the agenda? Food, relaxation, and quality time in the great outdoors. Not exactly the hard-partying type? Aspen is the spot for you — it’s one of the few places in the country where you can get away from it all without being bored. Spend a couple days here and you’ll feel like you took an extended vacation…”

Read more at Marthastewartweddings.com or CLICK HERE.

George Gershwin composed the song “Summertime,” and for those of us fortunate enough to spend our dog days in Aspen, we’re convinced the song is about our hometown! The “living is easy” in Aspen, and Sunset Magazine agrees.

Highlighting a handful of local businesses and activities, article in the July issue of Sunset offers up ways to enjoy Aspen’s “scene without breaking the bank”.

Who is mentioned?  Limelight Lodge, Aspen Brewing Company, Jimmy’s, Paradise Bakery, ACES, and The Aspen Music Festival & School. What does Sunset Magazine recommend you do in Aspen? Hike Cathedral Lake Trail and take in a concert at the Benedict Music Tent.

Check out the article below or grab the magazine at newsstands to read more.

The 2010 Primary Election is coming up on Tuesday, August 10. To give candidates a voice and spur public discourse, an election forum will be taking place on Thursday, July 29 at 5:30 PM in the Lauder Room of the Koch Building at the Aspen Institute.

All of the candidates for the District 1 seat on the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and for Sheriff plan to participate. 

The BOCC District 1 Candidates are (in alphabetical order):
Tom Clapper
Rob Ittner
Jack Johnson
Brian Speck
David Weiss

The Sheriff Candidates are (in alphabetical order):
Joe DiSalvo
Rick Leonard
Rick Magnuson

The Forum will be divided into two sessions, each lasting an hour.  The first session will cover the BOCC District 1 race, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.  Following a five-minute break, the second session, from 6:35 to 7:35 PM will cover the Sheriff’s race.  The Forum will be taped and recorded for later broadcast and podcast on both Aspen Public Radio and GrassRootsTV.

At the outset of each session, each candidate will have the opportunity to introduce himself and talk about his position/background (3 minutes maximum). The moderator will then ask each candidate up to three questions.  (This is not a debate format.)  Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to the moderator.  The questions will be submitted in advance from members of the community and selected prior to the Forum by the moderator. There will be up to four additional questions posed to the candidates at large from the audience.  These questions will be collected 15 minutes in advance of the Forum.  Each question will be on an index card.  Each candidate will have one minute to respond.  The last question will be a simple yes/no.  The moderator reserves the authority to accept or reject questions from the audience. In addition, each candidate has a “wild card.”  At any time during the Forum, a candidate may ask another candidate a question.  The responding candidate has one minute to provide his answer.  The candidate asking the question has another 15 seconds to clarify either the question or the response, and the responding candidate has an additional 30 seconds to respond.
The timekeeper will use yellow and red cards to notify the candidates of their time.  The yellow card signifies 30 seconds left and the red card means time is up.  The moderator will control time based on the information from the timekeeper. The order for seating and speaking will be determined by a random draw when the candidates arrive at the Forum. Each candidate will have one minute for a closing statement.

If you’re interested in learning more about the candidates in the BOCC District 1 race and Sheriff race, mark the date: Thursday, July 29 at 5:30 PM in the Lauder Room of the Koch Building at the Aspen Institute!