SEPTEMBER SPLENDOR IN THE ROCKIES EVENTS
*All event dates and times are subject to change. Go here for the most up-to-date calendar. To see our lodging offers please visit our deals page! Check the September Splendor website regularly for additions
to the event listing.
Saturdays - Gunnison Farmers’ Market, Virginia Ave & Main St.
Shop for fresh regional produce, preserves, meat, baked goods, and arts and crafts on Saturdays throughout September at the Gunnison Farmers’ Market located at Virginia and Main Street. Visit www.gunnisonfarmersmarket.com/ for more details.
Sundays - Crested Butte Farmer’s Market, Elk Avenue
Shop for fresh regional produce, preserves, wine, hard cider, cheese, meat, baked goods and arts and crafts on Sundays throughout September at the Crested Butte Farmers’ Market. The market takes place on Elk Avenue between First and Second Streets. Visit www.cbfarmersmarket.org/ for more details.
Fridays & Saturdays (Through September 14th) - Gunnison Valley Observatory Open for Public Viewing, Gunnison
On Public Viewing Nights, the observatory’s 30-inch reflector telescope (the largest public telescope in Colorado) and outside scopes will be used to observe the night sky. A minimum donation of $5 per adult and $3 per child is requested. Gates to the observatory open at dusk on these evenings. Visit www.gunnisonobservatory.org/ for more details.
Aug. 31 - Sept. 1 – The People’s Fair (Arts, Crafts & More), Elk Avenue, Crested Butte
The People’s Fair in downtown Crested Butte. Hundreds of locals and visitors stroll Elk Avenue to take in this homespun cultural experience and to soak in the last of the high-country summer. The People’s Fair features an eclectic mix of booths showcasing regional arts and crafts, collectibles and antiques, and preserved foods from local gardens as well as live music, a tasty fair food, and nonprofit organization booths selling books, baked goods and more. Since 1988, The People’s Fair has been made possible by the volunteer efforts of the artist members of The Paragon Gallery, a cooperatively owned arts and crafts gallery in downtown Crested Butte, located at 132 Elk Ave. For more information, contact The Paragon Gallery at (970) 349-6484.
Sept. 6 - First Friday Gallery Crawl & Music, Various Galleries & Locations, Gunnison
To kick off each month right, enjoy great art in Gunnison at the First Friday Gallery Crawl & Music starting at 5 p.m. Refreshments, on-site artists and great socializing are highlights. Call Gunnison Gallery at (970) 641-6111 for participating businesses and more information. Free.
Sept. 7 - Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-Off, Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Get into the spirit of autumn with Mt. Crested Butte’s 14th Annual Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-Off held at the base of Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) ski area. Not only will there be great live music, amazing chili and views to knock your socks off, all early registrants will be entered to win a case of beer a month for an entire year! Call the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce at (970) 349.6438 for complete details.
Sept. 7 – 8 - 37th Annual Pearl Pass Mountain Bike Tour, Crested Butte
This oldest mountain bike event in the world runs from Crested Butte to Aspen via Pearl Pass. In 1976, the first group of 15 or 20 cyclists from the Butte rode one-speed town bikes over the 12,705-foot Pearl Pass to Aspen in response to a group of Aspenites riding their motorcycles over Pearl Pass and parking them in downtown Crested Butte. The Crested Butte rowdies pulled up in downtown Aspen in front of the historic Hotel Jerome. By the early 1980s, the expert ride had grown and become a weeklong event known as Fat Tire Bike Week. Today, Fat Tire Bike Week is held in June and the Pearl Pass Mountain Bike Tour is in September to celebrate Crested Butte as one of the birthplaces of mountain biking. For information, call (970) 349-6817 or visit http://www.mtnbikehalloffame.com/.
Sept. 15 – 21 - 28th Annual Vinotok Fall Harvest Festival, Crested Butte
The autumn equinox, a time of balance between day and night, heralds in the celebration of Vinotok in Crested Butte. Meaning “fall wine festival” in Slovenian, Vinotok culminates on Sept. 21 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 28th annual celebration is a colorful array of medieval characters, a street theatre performance, storytelling, Liar’s Night, a community potluck, and much more. For more information, contact Molly Murfee at (970) 349-0947 or Marcie Telander at (970) 349-6509.
Sept. 26 - ArtWalk Evening, Studios & Galleries in Crested Butte
To wrap up the month in style, from June to September, Crested Butte’s ArtWalk Evenings bring art enthusiasts on a tour of the galleries on the last Thursday evening from 5 – 8 p.m. Light refreshments, music and on-site artists are featured at many of the locations. ArtWalk Evenings also take place December – March. For a list of participating galleries, go to www.awearts.org/.
Sept. 26 - 29 Crested Butte Film Festival, Crested Butte & Gunnison
The Crested Butte Film Festival is dedicated to providing an annual forum that celebrates the art of film and the power of storytelling. Their mission is to inspire and educate our audience through films and discussions that spark creativity, cultural awareness, and personal, social, and environmental change. The Crested Butte Film Festival is a component fund of the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley. TO find out more, visit www.awearts.org/.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FALL FOLIAGE
Nature and the communities of Gunnison - Crested Butte, Colo., are known for pulling out all the stops to let local colors shine in September with outstanding fall foliage and autumn activities during "September Splendor in the Rockies." We're offering lots of great lodging deals for fall as well!
A few highlights include the Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-off, Vinotok harvest festival, gallery crawls, mountain biking series, a fun run and more.
Large Aspen groves turning brilliant shades of color, a wide range of outdoor recreation, amazing fall drives, a scenic self-guided heritage driving tour, great deals on vacation packages , and September Splendor in the Rockies fun make the month an ideal time for people who love the sights, smells, sounds and feel of fall.
Take a serene stroll alongside a mountain stream or careening down an exhilarating single-track trail on a mountain bike, the sheer splendor of aspen ablaze in yellow, red and orange provides a stunning setting for recreation, casual drives and the many events that take place in September.
For more information please call 877-351-8724, Options 1 & 2 can provide you with destination information, while Option 3 can assist you in making lodging reservations immediately!
When you see the amazing gift of the trees' fall fashion show against the backdrop of pure blue, sun-soaked sky and crystal clear air, you'll get a sense of why people who live in the Gunnison Valley consider September a special time of year.
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Kebler Pass
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Ohio Pass
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To see these images and more fall photos, visit our
fall photo gallery.
For events beyond September, please visit our
event calendar.
Background photo by Allan Ivy