Crested Butte’s 26th Annual Vinotok Honors Eastern European Roots & Autumn Equinox – Sept. 18 – 24, 2011

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (August 19, 2011) - The autumn equinox, a time of balance between day and night, heralds in the celebration of Vinotok in Crested Butte, Colo.  Meaning "fall wine festival" in Slovenian, Vinotok culminates on Sept. 24 after several days of celebrating and commemorates the bounty of the summer harvest and gathering of the community before the long winter ahead.

It is a time of village feasting, of forgetting the woes of yesterday and honoring traditional Eastern European roots.  In the midst of the 26th annual celebration, from Sept. 18 - 24, is a colorful array of medieval characters, a street theatre performance, storytelling, and music. 

How Vinotok Started
The origins of Vinotok began when creator and now "Godmother" of the event, Marcie Telander, sat around the pot belly stove at Tony's Conoco, listening to the "old-timers" of Crested Butte tell stories from their native lands of Austria, Hungary, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Italy and Slovenia. 

A common thread emerged.  Many of these cultures had a wine festival in the fall when, as they were putting down wine for the upcoming year, the old wine from the previous year had to be drunk.  They roasted a goat, told tales and danced polka.  A fire was always present, a vestige of ancient cultures asking the sun to not stay away too long.  It was typically on the fall equinox, a time of planetary balance, and in those cold countries, the start of the new year.  They celebrated what they harvested-the hay, children and stories of those who had created roots in a new land.

The Celebration Today

• Today, the festival begins naturally with the Crested Butte Farmers' Market on Sunday, Sept. 18. The market features fresh regional produce, preserves, arts and crafts, wine, cider, baked goods and other tasty treats from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Elk Avenue between First and Second Streets. The Vinotok booth will feature wreath making, grump boxes, costume items, and more. Visit http://www.cbfarmersmarket.org/.
• On Sept. 19 and 20, the celebration continues with Vinotok Founder Marcie Telander and Vinotok mummers, characters and passion players sharing the ancient traditions, multicultural stories and mythology of the festival. This is a chance to experience Vinotok and its healing traditions at Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum from 7 - 9 p.m. Attend one or both evenings.
• To hear the tales of Crested Butte from old-timers and mid-timers, head to Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum for storytelling, Croatian potica bread and hot chocolate on Sept. 21, 7 - 9 p.m.
• Liar's Night celebrates the tradition of tall tales, whoppers and adventure stories blown out of proportion by sharing them on Sept. 22 at The Eldo, beginning at 8 p.m. Prizes are awarded and the Green Man, a symbol of virility and vitality and the promise of spring to return again, is revealed. The Green Man is selected by the women of the valley. Admission cost will be announced soon. The cost is $7 or $4 for storytellers and those in costume.
• A Community Feast, featuring regionally harvested dishes and roast pig, will be held on Friday, Sept. 23, 5:30 p.m. at the Crested Butte Depot. Local musicians, writers and poets will provide the entertainment. Bring your instruments, your poems, short stories or other written creations to share. A new feature is the ancient,nondenominational handfasting ceremony performed by Marcie Telander, D.Div. Couples, families, friends,partners and the entire community can join in sharing vows and promises ofrecommitment for a healthy, transforming future. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door and can be purchased at the Farmers' Market, museum and Rumors Coffee & Tea House.
• Weeks before the celebration, "Grump Boxes" will be set about town. Townspeople write down their "Grumps," the grievances they want to forget at the change of seasons in order to move into the new year with a clean slate. These thoughts are then stuffed into the Grump itself, a 20-foot tall grimacing effigy. The Grump plays a major role in Saturday evening's activities.
• The Saturday of Vinotok, Sept. 24, is the high point of the celebration. A cast of medieval characters featuring maidens representing the 12 months of the year, accompanied by torchbearers and flag bearers "mum" out in the streets and into restaurants singing harvest songs, dancing and inviting all to participate in the evening's festivities. Runs from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
• As night falls, a street theatre production is held in front of The Eldo on Elk Avenue at 7:30 p.m. In a drama honoring the cycles of nature and the imbalances of our modern world, characters are the Harvest Mother, a tremendously pregnant woman from town; the Earth Dragon, representing nature; and Sir Hapless, the symbol of technology. The Grump is put on trial, the sacrificial scapegoat for the discordance between nature and technology. Citizens decide to find him guilty, and then proceed to the town crossroads to burn him and all of the grievances of the year. The Grump goes up in flames in an enormous bonfire that happens at the four-way stop near the visitor center at 8:30 p.m. Now with a clean slate, the townspeople look forward to a new harvest of winter snow.

VISITOR INFORMATION & PERSONALIZED VACATION PACKAGES
To find out more about other area events or to book personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's toll-free line, (800) 814-8893, or visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com/packages.  Find the Tourism Association on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcbta or follow us on www.twitter.com/gcbta.  Air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines year-round and American Airlines in the winter.

ABOUT GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, COLORADO
Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado.  Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.  In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding.  Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels. 

Gunnison, county seat and a real western town, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, which offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional fields.  Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities. 

Recognized as the "Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is 28 miles from Gunnison and the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.  Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the area's conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails. 

Marble is located in the Upper Crystal River Valley along the Elk Mountains and is the gateway to nearby Crystal, home to one of the most photographed mill sites in the country. Marble has seven sites on the National Register of Historic Places and is the location of the Yule Marble Quarry.

In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country's newest national parks.  Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.

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