Holiday Festivities Arrive in Teller County/Ute Pass in Full Display

Hefty Lineup of Yuletide Events Kick Off This Week

Trevor Phipps

With the end of Thanksgiving weekend, the Teller/Ute Pass high country has morphed into Christmas season full swing.

Get ready, as the festivities start kicking into gear this week and offer little time for a letup until Mr. Santa delivers  all of his gifts.

In fact, during the entire month of December, the Ute Pass region has many  events geared towards getting people in the Christmas spirit. From parades to special visits with good ol’ St. Nick himself, Teller County is a prime spot for Christmas-themed events.

Woodland Park Christmas Happenings

This week kicks off the holiday season in Woodland Park as many events take place during the week. This weekend is also one of the more festive times in the City Above the Clouds for the entire year, as there are a slew of popular annual events.

One of the first events this week takes place on Thursday at the city’s Reserve Our Gallery, located on 400 W. Midland Suite 120. The gallery will be hosting a special holiday “meet the artist” event from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Then on Saturday, the official holiday weekend begins in the morning at the Ute Pass Cultural Center with the Ute Pass Kiwanis Breakfast with Santa. That Saturday morning, Santa and Mrs. Clause will be greeting everyone from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and there will be a pancake and sausage breakfast.

Also, that morning, Woodland Park’s Holiday Home Tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and during the same times on Sunday. The event starts at Tweeds Fine Furnishings, and then participants will have a chance to go to frequent featured homes in the area to view the ways local residents have decorated their homes for the Christmas season.

During the time of the holiday home tour, Tweeds will also be hosting its annual open house on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. People will have the chance to shop for Christmas themed items as the store always goes all out for the Christmas season.

110 Reserve will be hosting their annual winter festival on Saturday which will start with live music by Cari Dell at 4 p.m. “We will be doing nostalgic-like meals and serving red, white and green chili from the red truck,” 110 reserve owner Pamela Mikesell said. “We will have pecans, chocolate and a limited menu as well.”

Those at the event will have a chance to see the parade when it goes through the city’s main strip, starting at 6 p.m. The theme this year for Woodland Park’s Lighter Side of Christmas parade will be “May the Forest Be With You.”

The grand marshals for the parade this year will be the founders of the local nonprofit Focus on the Forest, Shawn Nielsen and Eve Woody. Along with the parade, there will be a Holiday Treasure hunt, a gingerbread house contest, the Deck the Eaves Third Annual Dan Makris Holiday Outdoor Decorating Contest and Mike’s Crazy Hat Contest.

On Dec. 7 starting at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Unified Title will be hosting a toy drive. People can go and enjoy dinner and drinks for a good cause and one toy donated will put them in a door prize drawing.

Then on Dec. 9-11, the Charis Bible College will be hosting their annual Heart of Christmas performance. In addition, the bible college will feature their Christmas Market.

Starting on Dec. 15, the Funky Little Theater Company will be bringing A Christmas Carol to the Ute Pass Cultural Center. The show starts at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15, 16, and 17 and there will be a matinee showing on Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Charis Bible College will host their Live Nativity Scene that weekend as well. The Live Nativity Scene at the college will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 16-19.

Cripple Creek Christmas Events

Last weekend the holiday season officially kicked off in southern Teller County with the annual Head Frame Lighting. Over the next month Cripple Creek will feature a variety of prime holiday events.

The city’s Butte Theater will be hosting a special holiday play, which kicked off  on Nov. 25 and will run until Dec. 31. This year the theater will be showing “The Wizard of Oz, Colorado” which is a new holiday play written by Chris Sorensen based loosely on L. Frank Baum’s Ox stories. The performance has already received rave reviews. For showing times and to purchase tickets visit their website at ButteTheater.com.

On Dec. 8, the Aspen Mine Center East will be hosting their Winter Wonderland Reception from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event will have Kid’s Pajama Night with ornament & cookie decorating and reading of “A Visit from St. Nick.”

On Dec. 9, the Mine Center will host Soup for the Soul and Christmas Cookie Contest from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Then that night, Victor decorates its downtown and there will be the Victor Parade of Lights starting at 6 p.m.

Then on Dec. 10, there will be a day filled with the following Gold Camp Christmas events:

Gold Camp Christmas Craft Fair at Parks & Recreation Building, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Artist Market at the Hotel St. Nicholas, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 Annual Luncheon at Aspen Mine Center East, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 Children’s Activities including ornament & cookie decorating at AMC East, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Hot Chocolate/Cider and S’mores outside Aspen Mine Center East, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Gold Camp Christmas Parade led by Ft. Carson Color Guard  down Bennett Avenue, noon

Visit with Santa at Aspen Mine Center East, 12:30 p.m.

Contest Awards & Silent Auction Ends at Aspen Mine Center East, 1:30 p.m.

Colorado Springs Chorale FREE CONCERT at CC Baptist Church, 3 p.m.

Green Mountain Falls Festivities

The town of Green Mountain Falls will feature a big Yuletide and tree lighting celebration on Sunday, Dec. 4 from 4 to 8 p.m. The majority of the festivities will occur at the Sallie Bush center. The event is sponsored by the Ute Pass Chamber of Commerce, the Church in the Wildwood, Ute Pass Elementary and Green Box Arts and more.

The festivities include a holiday craft show, live music,  a choir performance and BBQ food, courtesy of the Southern Pride Asian Fusion.

The event culminates with caroling in Tatter Hall in the Church in the Wildwood and the lighting of a huge Christmas tree in the Gazebo Park.

For more Yuletide and New Year celebrations, visit TMJ’s Mountain Almanac or our website and Facebook page.