ASPEN COLORADO – WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON - WHAT’S COMING UP

Jerome B. Wheeler, former Macy's executive who later moved to Aspen, Colorado, and helped develop the town during its silver-mining boom era in the 1880s. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Aspen, Colorado really is a delightfully unique place.

While the town is recognized internationally as a skiing and snowboarding mecca with many high-profile events and activities geared towards the rich and famous, it also provides the venue for many other outstanding activities and events that are accessible to the “common folk” as well.

Having grown up in Aspen and having lived here (or close by) for most of my life, one would think that I would take advantage of this, but it is astonishingly easy sometimes to take opportunities like this for granted. Only recently have I acted to rectify this and avail myself of activities and events that I had once brushed off or ignored completely.

Over the last year, I have listened to Aspen Music Festival concerts, sat in on lectures and presentations by the Aspen Center for Physics and the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) , and even participated in local community dances. 



I have also come to realize that I surely am not the only one who was unaware of or ambivalent to a lot of these opportunities, so I began this blog as an avenue for acquainting others with some of the lower-profile events, activities, presentations and lectures available in Aspen, Colorado.

Here is what I plan to explore and this summer: 

ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL
 

Although last summer I attended only one Aspen Music Festival concert, I plan on making more this summer –here’s the lineup: 

http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/index.cfm?&swf_plugin=0,1,2
 

Locals 10-event passes are currently on sale for only $150 – 970-925-9042. 

ASPEN CENTER FOR PHYSICS

Last winter I went to several Maggie & Nick DeWolf FREE Physics Lectures at the Wheeler Opera house presented by the Aspen Center for Physics. I enjoyed such presentations as (“Darwin, Evolution and Cancer” and “Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe”). 

This summer, in conjunction with their 50th Anniversary celebration, the Center will feature the 2012, Heinz Pagels Lectures and Dialogues series: http://www.aspenphys.org/public/currentlectures.html

 

ASPEN CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Also last winter, I went to several of the ACES Naturalist Nights Series lectures at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, co-sponsored by the Wilderness Workshop. I attended the presentations on “Forecasting Powder and Other Weather Fun”, “Climate Change and Our Future in the Rocky Mountains”, “The Future Forest: Understanding our Forests and Efforts to Protect Them”, and several others.

I plan on going to the Naturalist Nights Series lectures again next winter, but naturally, during the summer, many of the ACES programs center on actually being outdoors. Their upcoming schedule includes “ Daily Walks and Programs ” as well as other programs for adults , children , and families. 

ASPEN INSTITUTE

A new endeavor for me this summer will be to take advantage of more public programs available at the Aspen Institute. Last summer I attended several of the Aspen Ideas Festival lectures and plan to make more of them this summer. Here is their schedule for this year: 

The 2012 Ideas Festival (June 27-July 3, 2012): http://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/2012/06/27/2012-aspen-ideas-festival

McClosky Speakers Series (July 10, 2012 - August 14, 2012, 6:30pm - 7:30pm: http://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/mccloskey

 
Please check back regularly to discover more about these and other interesting events, activities and presentations taking place in Aspen, Colorado.