Mark your calendar for the 5thAnnual Estes Park Holiday Market the weekend before Thanksgiving on Saturday, November 18th from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday, November 19th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
This event will be held at the Estes Park Conference Center (201 S. St. Vrain Avenue off Highway 7 in Estes Park), adjacent to the The Ridgeline Estes Park. This event is FREE to the public. Drawings will be held every hour for a $10 certificate that the winner can spend with any of the vendors this weekend only.
The Holiday Market will feature many hand-crafted and collectible items including but not limited to: handmade quilted items, home decor, handmade rugs, polymer clay hair accessories and jewelry, knitted hats and scarves, custom handmade jewelry, hand thrown stoneware, pottery and ceramics, ornaments, Christmas wreaths and decorations, photographs, coasters, puppets, handmade cards, alpaca clothes, socks, yarn, gloves and scarves, hand knitted and needle felted gifts, illustrated quotations, quilling, tatting & beadwork, kids books, handcrafted dolls, wood ornaments, wood carvings, signs, soaps, handwoven scarves & blankets, specialty teas and coffee, salsa and dips, along with many other one of a kind unique items for your holiday shopping. Most of the vendors only accept cash or check. Visit www.estesparkholidaymarket.com for more information.
Along with the Holiday Market, there will be a silent auction to benefit flood victims so please come and support this cause!
2017 Fall Back Beer Festival
Held each year on the day we turn the clocks back, Fall Back Beer Fest is not only a celebration of beer, and beer education, held in the Estes Park Events Complex! November 4th, 2017; VIP 12-5 & General Admission 1-5pm
With over 100 different beers being poured by the brewers themselves from over 30 Colorado breweries, festival goers are sure to walk away having learned something new about their favorite beer from the people who created it.
The Fall Back Beer Festival also coincides with the American Homebrewers Associations Annual Learn To Homebrew Day. To help celebrate, a number of AHA sanctioned home brewing clubs will be present and brewing for everyone to watch.
With seminars from beer industry experts, demonstrations from equipment fabricators, local hop farms, giveaways from local homebrew supply shops, and much more, there is sure to be something for everyone. Grab some grub at the food trucks.
As always, FBBF is family-friendly! Helping with the celebration of brewing are Colorado craft soda breweries pouring samples for guests of all ages! Plus, for everyone’s entertainment, the winner of the 2017 Rockygrass Band Competition, Meadow Mountain, will take the main stage to keep you all moving!
The FREE shuttle will be making its rounds to help do the driving. The shuttle loops from The Visitor Center (500 Big Thompson Ave) to Bond Park in downtown (corner of E. Elkhorn & Park Ln) to Fall Back Beer Fest then back again. The loop picks up every 30 minutes with the last run leaving Fall Back at 5:10pm.
The fun will continue at Rock Cut Brewing Company following the festival. At 6pm, they’re doing a special tapping of the Wooden Goblin, a barrel-aged Black IPA, one keg only! Two Chicks Wings and Henhouse is serving a decadent Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake that pairs with it. The extra hour in Estes never sounded so delicious!
91st Annual Rooftop Rodeo
The Stanley Park Fairgrounds
July 5, 2017 – July 10, 2017
Recurring daily
Location: 1125 Rooftop Way, The Stanley Park Fairgrounds, CO
Phone: (970) 586-6104
Time: 7:00 PM
Price: $20 GA, $30 reserved box seats
There’s non-stop, rip-roarin’ cowboy action in store for rodeo fans at Estes Park’s annual Rooftop Rodeo, a PRCA sanctioned event. It has been recognized as the best small rodeo in the nation, along with being named the top medium-sized rodeo in the Midwest, and the #1 summer rodeo in Colorado by Real American Cowboy Magazine. Nightly professional rodeo performances, with world-class stock from PRCA Hall of Fame stock contractor Cervi Championship Rodeo, combine with Mutton Bustin’ competition for the kids, and a parade through downtown Estes Park annual affair. Watch the Rooftop Rodeo live broadcast on Saturday, July 8th.
Enjoy the VIP Experience at the Rooftop Rodeo! Enjoy an unprecedented level of exclusive access, convenience and extras! Beginning with a tour of the rodeo grounds, you’ll then have a blocked off area to enjoy incredible views of the arena and complementary drinks from a private bartender. You’ll also have access to the hospitality tent where you’ll enjoy free food from local restaurants and be able to dine with the cowboys! The VIP Experience at the Rooftop Rodeo is sure to be a night you won’t soon forget!
July 4th Fireworks
Over Lake Estes
July 4, 2017
Location: Between U.S. Highways 34 & 36, Over Lake Estes, CO
Phone: 970-577-9900, 800-443-7837
Time: 9:30 PM
Price: Free
Watch one of Colorado’s most brilliant fireworks displays unfold in the sky over Lake Estes. Bring your blanket or lawn chair and find a spot along Lake Estes to watch the colors unfold to celebrate the 4th of July!
100 Years of Estes Park
Estes Park’s centennial is April 17, 2017. From January through December, 2017, the community will celebrate the Town’s 100th Anniversary and the spirit of Estes Park.
Since the late 1860s when Griff Evans established a dude ranch here, Estes Park has been welcoming guests with spectacular scenery and hospitality to match. Nearly 50 years later, F.O. Stanley of steam car fame further perpetuated the town’s reputation as a resort destination when he opened his sophisticated namesake hotel. And on goes the rich history and notable legacy of offering guests an experience like no other.
Not surprisingly, mountain exploration remains a mainstay. Outdoor adventures run the gamut from hiking to snowshoeing to rock climbing. Scenic drives show off the area, with Trail Ridge Road rising through the national park to more than 12,000 feet and several others winding through the valley, past historic landmarks and parallel to the fish-filled picturesque rivers.
DINE AROUND ESTES PARK
Join select restaurants around Estes Park EVERY Thursday night in March 2017 for a town-wide dine around event! Dozens of restaurants all throughout The Village will offer a $5 tasting plate from 4:30pm – 7:30pm with a different menu each week. Stop by two or three restaurants each week to see friends, join in the fun, and taste great food from all different restaurants! Dates: March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30.
El Mex Kal Mexican Restaurant – 160 1st St. (970) 586-4377
You Need Pie Diner & Bakery- 509 Big Thompson Ave. (970) 577-7437
Peppers Mexican Grill – 401 E. Elkhorn Ave. (970) 577-0032
Sweet Basilico – 430 Prospect Village Dr. (970) 586-3899 (except 3/30)
Estes Park Brewery – 470 Prospect Village Dr.(970) 586-5421
Big Horn Restaurant – 401 W. Elkhorn Ave (970) 586-2792
Cafe de Pho Thai – 225 W. Riverside Drive (970) 577-0682
Claire’s On The Park – 225 Park Lane (970) 586-9564
The Grubsteak – 134 W. Elkhorn (970) 586-8838
Ed’s Cantina – 390 E. Elkhorn (970) 586-2919
La Cabana Bar & Grill – 165 Virginia Drive (Top of Courtyard Shops) (970) 586-1156
Snowy Peaks Winery – 292 Moraine Ave. (970) 586-2099
Hunter’s Chop House – 1690 Big Thompson Ave. (970) 586-6962
Baba’s Burgers – 861 Moraine Ave. (970) 586-1171
Chicago’s Best – 112 W. Elkhorn Ave. (970) 586-4796
Cinnamon’s – 920 W. Elkhorn (970) 480-1501
American Legion – 850 N. St. Vrain (970) 586-6118
Elk rut is in full swing
An eye for an eye! The rut is still in full swing! Photo by Jim Ward.
Let the Games Begin!
The elk rut has started! Harems are gathering and the bulls are bugling. What great entertainment!
Furry Visitor!
A young black bear ambled through Streamside this evening!
Rain, Rain… go away….
It has been raining in Estes Park recently. Normally, we have warm days with an afternoon thundershower. But the last couple of days have just been slow, steady rains. Not heavy, just wet.
The nice thing… everything is green. Very green! Wildflowers everywhere…
