Signature Special Events Highlight Schedule for Spring/Summer Seasons
Trevor Phipps
For many local residents, the Ute Pass Cultural Center (UPCC), located in the heart of downtown Woodland Park, has become a mini-home.
The event packed the house and visitors found that they were now much more comfortable with the addition of the building’s first air conditioning system. The building also received a new sprinkler fire suppression system and a brand-new curtain for the stage.
According to UPCC Event Center Manager Melody Campbell, the recent remodeling project was a culmination of five years’ worth of effort in getting the funds in the budget and securing the contractors. “Part of what helped get it going is we have a local theater company (Light Bulb Theater Company) that did a fundraiser to raise money for the new stage curtain, then they presented it in front of city council,” Campbell said. “I think that was a big help to get this project underway.”
Campbell said some of the upgrades were a little overdue. The building had a fire alarm, but it didn’t have sprinkler inside the facility in case a blaze broke out.
“It was tough to be closed from January through mid-April, but the air conditioning was so needed especially when you have 200 people out on the dance floor,” Campbell explained. “I have had grooms at wedding parties ask me to turn up the AC. This is going to be huge to have air conditioning in here. And now with the fire suppression system we will be safe. We kind of went too long without it, quite honestly. And, we can have candles now at weddings, so it kind of opens up some of the décor and abilities for events. And you don’t even notice it (the sprinkler system). People walk in and not even see anything, but it adds an extra layer of security.”
The New “Woodie’s Bar” Holds Its Grand Opening
The city staff running UPCC also gave the facility’s bar a new face lift and a new name. During the event at UPCC on New Year’s Eve, they put out a white board where people attending the party could write their suggestions. Then, they put it out on the city’s social media channels, and had residents vote on their favorite.
The name “Woodies’ Bar” ended up being the winner after the votes came in. Residents like how the new name plays on the old nickname for people who live in the area the Woodland Park area, or who have ties to the region.
The bar now has a new look and a bright sign sporting its new name. The city staffers also teamed up with a local bartender to come up with an all-new menu of “City Above the Clouds”-inspired cocktails and drinks.
While the building was shuttered for a few months, UPCC staff worked on other small project enhancements. The team upgraded the rental agreement with the city, and worked on adding new décor to the facility.
Upcoming UPCC Events
Now that the Cultural Cener has reopened, the city has plans for a number of public events for the next few months. This Saturday the UPCC hosts their 4th annual Mom and Son Dance. The dance starts on April 26 at 5 p.m., and this year the dance will have a “superhero” theme.
Then starting next month, the UPCC plans to host a free community concert every second Wednesday of the month. “We have sponsors who cover it and pay for the talent so we can make it free for the public,” Campbell said. The first free concert features Jeremiah Campfire on May 14 starting at 6 p.m.
The remodeling efforts and new events followed plans by the former UPCC event manager to revamp the business model for the building in 2019. The concept developed was to make it more of an event venue. As a result, the building is more revenue-driven than it was in the past.
“Our goal is basically to make what we spent,” the UPCC event center manager said. “If we stopped doing the events for free then we would, but we want to continue to give away about that $70,000 a year in free events. Every year, we have been able to earn more and more by getting in more weddings (weddings are our number one profit event) and by getting sponsors for our events.”
The building was first constructed in Woodland Park in 1936, and it held a gymnasium and classrooms for local students. The building was used as the elementary school and the middle school until it closed in 1988.
The building sat vacant for almost a decade until funds from a grant allowed it to be remodeled into a community center. The gymnasium was transformed into the Main Room with a building façade and streetlights added to mirror an actual mining building in Victor. The grand opening of the Cultural Center occurred on August 28, 1996.
