Entertainment

Springtime in AspenASPEN, CO - Spring in the Roaring Fork Valley isn’t quite like spring everywhere else: snow blankets the mountaintops, the red clay gets soggy with snowmelt, contractors and landscapers go to work on multimillion dollar home improvement projects, and locals – ready for a little rest and relaxation after a busy ski season - flee the off-season doldrums for warm, sunny destinations like the California coast, South France, Florida, and Las Vegas. Even the seasonal employees participate in the mass Aspen exodus. This is the time of year when Aspen’s streets are empty, with a number of hotels and restaurants boarding-up until June, when the summer travel season officially begins.

Street View: BBQ Pits line the street, each offering a unique BBQ specialty from various restaurants around the U.S.ASPEN, CO – Residents and visitors venturing into the chilly fall morning air of Aspen on August 28th were met with the strong scent of a variety of meats being smoked and grilled. Throughout the day, the scent only strengthened. The source was not difficult to find. A quick scan of the sky above Aspen directed those who were curious to the First Annual Big Aspen BBQ Block Party, a sister event to the Big Apple BBQ Block Party in New York City. The inescapable smell, sight, and sound of the event were, in my opinion at least, what made the event as successful as it was. The whole thing seemed last-minute. There was no advertising until just a couple of weeks before the event. The week before, not too many had heard about it. Many people seemed to come from the Aspen Saturday Market directly to the BBQ, just following the scent.

This weekend marks the 4th Annual Summit for Life, spiritual brainchild of snowboarder and local Olympian Chris Klug. The event benefits the Chris Klug Foundation, dedicated to promoting lifesaving organ donation and improving the quality of life for donors, donor families, organ transplant candidates and recipients.

From Rodeo to Rock and RollASPEN, CO “Thanks to everyone for coming out to see us. Hope your sunburned hangovers weren’t too painful on your pleasant drive home. Dodging the state troopers, drunks and left-over Roman Candles has forced me into buying this sweet new ride that I found over in South Central. I traded a six pack of Bud for the rims. It’s gonna be a good summer.” - Ryan Bingham, from whatever’s on his mind at binghammusic.com.

Winning a Golden Globe, Academy Award and Grammy for Best Original Song from the movie Crazy Heart hasn’t really changed much for gritty, down-and-out sounding Outlaw Country hero Ryan Bingham. True, he’s now far from down-and-out, but the raw, earthy, road and world-weary sentiment behind his music still rings true, despite his meteoric rise to center stage and into the spotlight.