Major Events Planned for “Summer of Fun” in the Local Region
Trevor Phipps
An explosion of summer events, spanning every corner of Teller County and the lower Pass, is planned for 2025.
With a rather short season, the Ute Pass region is loaded again with a spree of festivities between mid-June and August.
The month of June marked the start of this festive trend, often referred to as the “Summer of Fun.” Last weekend was especially a big one with Victor’s rock and mineral show and Oddities Alley, snagging the spotlight for both tourists and locals. And with the Fourth of July right around the corner, the area will experience quite a surge in events starting from now until winter. The following are a few highlights of our local festival season.
Cripple Creek/Victor
One of the biggest festivals coming to Teller County takes place in downtown Cripple Creek. The 94th annual Donkey Derby Days, highlighted by donkey races, a parade, zany contests and live music, kicks off this Friday and lasts through Sunday with no shortage of events. The festival is sponsored by the Two Mile High Club, the group that takes care of the town’s donkey herd, and was rated by the readers of TMJ as the best special event in the region.
Last week, the O.U.T West Art Show kicked off at the Cripple Creek Heritage Center, which is slated to run until July 6. “This Year, we are featuring 7 incredibly talented artists, all from Teller County, the Visit Cripple Creek website states. “They include Jon Zimmer, the show’s co-founder (28 years), Vera Egbert (8th year), Michelle Rozell (8th year), Sue Marion (2nd year), Frank Glass (2nd year), Lori Hankins (2nd year), Laura Klien (1st year / High School Art Teacher) along with works by some of her students.”
The following weekend will also be packed with events in Cripple Creek. On the Fourth, the Cripple Creek Heritage Center will have vendors during their art show and provide a good spot to view the fireworks. The street festival this year will take place on Friday and Saturday for the nation’s 249th birthday and it will include family games, food and drink vendors, donkeys and live music. Fireworks will take place at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday night only.
And during all of the other events, it will be possible to catch a melodrama at Cripple Creek’s Butte Theater. “The Colorado” Colleen” show will be featured at the Butte at various times during the week and weekend until mid-July. Visit the theater’s website (cityofcripplecreek.com/butte-
Then on July 12, the Cripple Creek Heritage Center offers a History Talk with Sherry Skye Stuart called “Forgotten Female Felons.” On July 19, the Cripple Creek Parks and Recreation 5K/10K Poker Run/Walk takes place along with a history talk at the heritage center. The talk is highlighted by Linda Wommack speaking about her relative Bob Wommack, regarded as the man who pioneered the 1890s gold rush.
The Victor Gold Rush Days, with vintage baseball games and pack burro races, also takes place during the weekend of July 18-20. A new show starts at the Butte that same weekend called “Beehive: The 60s Musical,” and runs until August 31.
The Teller County Fair then launches on July 25 with two weekends of events, capped by the tough truck competition and demolition derby. On August 2 a history talk will take place at the heritage center with Dave Martinek speaking about JJ Hagerman. That same day the city will hold their annual disc golf tournament.
The next two big events in southern Teller County will occur over the weekend, starting on August 15. The Salute to American Veterans Rally returns to Cripple Creek, with a full lineup of veteran tributes, memorial rides and ceremonies planed for Aug. 15-16. In addition, Victor hosts their 126th annual Great Fire Days, that weekend, and the city features its Pikes Peak Memorial Wall ceremony at Mt. Pisgah Cemetery on Aug. 18.
Woodland Park
The Woodland Park Farmers Market kicked off several weeks ago, with this popular gathering at Memorial Park scheduled for every Friday through September from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market features many items for sale from arts and crafts, to produce and various food truck specials and exhibits.
The big event weekend for the City Above the Clouds then comes during the Fourth of July holiday. The day of festivities starts at Woodland Park’s Memorial Park at 8 a.m. with the annual Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration that runs until 3 p.m. Then, the 45th anniversary Symphony Above the Clouds Concert kicks off at Memorial Park at 5:30 p.m. Fireworks are then planned afterward, but they are weather dependent.
Also on the Fourth, the Ute Pass Historical Society hosts their annual Cemetery Crawl during which characters from the past tell their stories. Then on July 5th, the inaugural America’s Mountain Music Festival will take place at the Tava Event Center in downtown Woodland Park. The concert will feature country music stars such as Ned Le Doux, Michael Martin Murphey, Curtis Grimes and Jon Wolfe.
Green Mountain Falls
Starting on June 27, the Green Box Arts Festival launches in Green Mountain Falls. The festival features a variety of events including art installations, performances, classes, and community events. One of the signature festival highlights, which recently got installed, is the “Off the Beaten Path” display by Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics. This display, featuring “floating kinetic sculptures” almost resembling kite-like material, is showcased over the Gazebo Park through October. It was inspired by the “murmuration of birds flocking together or schools of fish coalescing and moving simultaneously.”
On the Fourth of July, there will be several events as a part of the Green Box Arts Festival including a block party featuring Aerial Aura and the Badda Boom Brass Band from 6 to 9 p.m. The town will then hold its water lantern launch at 9 p.m. at Gazebo Lake Park. For a full list of events visit https://greenboxarts.
The town then further celebrates the summer season during the 87th annual Bronc Day on July 26. The festival starts at 7:30 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m., with live music from Tenderfoot Bluegrass from 6 to 8 p.m. It also features one of the more scenic and impressive parades.
