Mountain Almanac for January 31

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Mountain Jackpot
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Wednesday, Jan. 31

Wellness Walk. Scheduled for Nov. Jan. 10 at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center at 9 a.m. Meet at the upper level and choose a one, two or three-mile hike. Maps are available. Healthy living tips and mindfulness exercises to enhance your walk. Dress for the weather, wear comfortable shoes and bring plenty of water. Free admission

Ice Castles Is Open! This iconic, fantasy-like, attraction, capped by LED embedded ice walls, tunnels and slides, is now open for visitors in Cripple Creek.  Ice Castles will be open daily through the winter months.  Great deals are available for locals on special days, especially on Wednesday for southern Teller residents.  See related story and Ice Castles updates at www.mountainjackpot.com. or on our Facebook Page. The Cripple Creek Ice Castles location is one of only a handful in the nation. For ticket information, visit, icecastles.com/Colorado, or visit the city of Cripple Creek’s tourism website, which also has details on Ice Castles parking and transportation and ticket availability.

Stilling Basin Beautification Forum. Scheduled for Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. in the Green Mountain Falls Town Hall. Final plans are being developed for the Stilling Basin project overlooking the lake. Visit the GMF town website for details.

Thursday, Feb. 1

TOPS. Takes Off Pounds Sensibly.  Meets every Thursday morning at 9 a.m. in the basement of Church in the Wildwood (10585 Ute Pass Ave.) Green Mountain Falls, CO 80819. Affordable, effective weight-loss.

The Woodland Park City Council will meet on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the WP Council Chambers, next to city hall.

Friday, Feb. 2

Final weekend of Crimes of the Heart. A special production by the Friends of the Butte Theater will conclude this weekend. The show, which features a number of familiar faces, and part of its community appeal, is written by Beth Henley and directed by Courtney Loggin. Show times are the Butte are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. For more information, call 719-689-640

Saturday, Feb. 3

New Casino and Hotel. Chamonix Casino and Hotel, Cripple Creek’s new mega addition, which features about 300 rooms, and a spree resort-like amenities, such as a rooftop pool and spa, is now open for business in the initial stage. The Chamonix, part of Bronco Billy’s, features about 250 slots and table games. Check out the games and amazing lobby and the Chamonix Bistro.  This is the first stage of a $300 million development, the largest project ever undertaken in Cripple Creek. It will encompass a 500,000-plus square-foot area, when fully completed. For more details, see related story on the TMJ website and on Facebook.

New Local Cannabis Shop. Teller County’s first medical and recreational marijuana dispensary, High Stakes Leafery, located in Cripple Creek, at 324 Hwy. 67 South, just one block off the main drag on Second Street, is now open for business. See related story on the TMJ website and on our Facebook page.

Sunday, Feb. 4

Upcoming

The Woodland Park Downtown Development Authority will meet on Feb. 6 at the WP Council Chambers, starting at 7:30 a.m.
Best of the Teller High County.  Don’t forget to vote in the 35th annual Best Of contest, sponsored by TMJ, featuring more than 70 categories in local and area-wide competition.  To vote, visit the link on TMJ’s website at www.mountainjacpot.com.  Results will be announced in mid-March.

Super Bowl Sunday.   The grandest sports spectacle of the year, promising endless entertainment, and great commercials, if anything else is slated for Sunday, Feb. 11. Super Bowl LVII will hit center stage in Las Vegas, with kick-off scheduled for The grand prelude to the Super Bowl with the respected AFC and NFC Championships, slated for Sunday, Jan. 28.  Hang onto your seat and prepare for a wild ride, as the field is down to the final Two. Great opportunities a abound to check out the action at one of Teller’s comfortable sports bars, such as McGinty’s Wood Oven Pub in Divide, the Blue Moose in Green Mountain Falls, the pool hall in Woodland Park and Peak View Barbecue, just to name a few.  Nothing like giving your friends and enemies a little trash talk for their opposing pigskin views. More importantly, don’t miss TMJ’s special Super Bowl issue on Feb. 6, as we feature the top picks and scores from Teller celebrities and experts.

Quilters Above the Clouds Guild membership meeting is held on the fourth Friday of the month at the Mountain View United Methodist Church, 1101 Rampart Range Road in Woodland Park, from 1:00 pm – 4 pm. Local quilters are invited to attend. Quilters Above the Clouds sponsors local and nationally-known speakers and provide workshops, to expand our knowledge, and to encourage our creativity. The primary purposes: of the organization are to promote an interest in and appreciation of the art of quilt making, share quilting information and education, encourage high standards of quilting techniques and designs, and provide hand-crafted quilts to area non-profit agencies and individuals in need. Each meeting includes a speaker, business meeting, updates on community service and upcoming events, show-and-tell, and fellowship. For more information about membership fees, community service, quilt show, and programs, visit www.quiltersabovetheclouds.com.

 

Cripple Creek Ice Fest. The organizers of the Cripple Creek Ice Festival are excited to announce that planning is underway for the 2024 Cripple Creek Ice Festival, which will be held February 17-25.  The head-to-head carving challenges will also be returning to the event on Saturdays at 12:00, 1:30 and 3:00.  Carvers will compete in a stadium setting for a $1,000 cash prize each weekend.  Carving teams will also be doing their best to win the People’s Choice Award for a huge cash prize.  Plan your visit and cast your vote for the most impressive carving. We are excited to have some of the top carving teams in the country participating in this event including SNICE Carving, Cool Hand Ice, The Bear Spot, The Ice Farm, and Ice Castles.  Come and see their imaginations come alive in ice. As always, this event is free and open to the general public.  Carvers will be working throughout the event on their sculptures.  Activities, vendors, and head-to-head carving competitions will only take place on the weekends (Feb 17-19 and Feb 24&25) including President’s Day.  Interested in sponsoring or participating more in the event? Reach out to jmosher@cripple-creek.co.us for more information.
Building Ute Pass Community. Local volunteers are forming a new nonprofit, Building Ute Pass              Community, which will support Bronc Day            festivals and other future events in the Ute Pass area. The purpose of the new nonprofit is to unite the Ute Pass Community by providing meaningful cultural, social, and historical events. The team is excited about this venture and have many ideas of ways to strengthen the communities of Cascade, Chipita Park, and GMF.  For more information or to volunteer, contact: Lisa Bonwell, Chair of the Annual 86th Bronc Day Festival, lisabonwell@gmail.com.

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