Below is a short clip of the finale of the 4th of July fireworks show in Telluride taken from Tomboy road looking down on Town Park. I really liked the large shells (can be heard at the very end) which send off a booming sound which reverberates a big bass sound throughout the entire box canyon.
While I’ve always known the 4th of July celebration in Telluride is one of the larger events of the summer and draws a large number of people, I seem to forget that it apparently brings in more people in their cars and trucks than any other festival. It was major gridlock getting out of town last evening with police stationed on mainstreet at the major intersections. Even the alleys were jam packed. It’s interesting, because there are probably more people in town for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival; however, most of them are staying overnight at either a local Telluride hotel or will be camping …. where as many folks visiting town for the 4th are driving back to Durango, Farmington, Cortez, Grand Junction, etc. that night.
The Fouth of July in Telluride is always a traditional sort of celebration with a parade, bbq, hokey games, and of course fireworks. There was supposed to be a flyover this morning at 10:40, but being in Ophir and not going to town until later, I can’t say for sure if it happened and/or whether they were jets. I’ve seen old war relic prop planes before, but the jet formation is definitely a spectacular sight to see … where they fly information very low through the mouth of the box canyon, then pull up into a rapid climb at the very last second before approaching Ajax.
The 2010 Telluride Wine Festival is the first year they put on a music segment on the big stage in Town Park. Jackie Greene headlined on Friday and I forgot the name of the headliner on Saturday (something like Kavorka), although the 2nd to last act (voitzen drizen or something like that) received good reviews.
On the heels of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, music could be heard throughout the valley for a second weekend in a row. While I am a BIG fan of music in general, I have to admit that I was kind of annoyed at having to hike an hour on the Sneffels Highline trail to escape the booming sound of the bass and simply hear the sounds of birds and other wildlife.
I did not officially attend the festival, but walked up to the fenced boundary which was posted directly south of the basketball court in Town Park. The shot below was taken from this vantage point:
It was difficult to say for sure what the attendance was from where I was standing, but my guess is about 400 – 600 people (give or take) were present. It is interesting to note the Telluride Blues and Brews Festival once had it’s boundary fence in the exact same location … which allowed for anyone to walk up to the basketball court or play frisbee on the north softball field while the music was playing. Now, Blues & Brews is just shy of Bluegrass in terms of attendance and their overall footprint. Jazz Festival has migrated to the main stage from the big white “DIA Tent” and has increased their attendance a bit over the past couple few years … although I believe they will always try to keep their event as intimate as possible as a matter of philosophy. Nonetheless, this could change. Same goes for the Telluride Wine Festival. I don’t know about the ambitions of the Telluride Wine Festival, but it could very well turn into another 10k x3 day event. Similar to Blues & Brews, the wine festival seems to attract and promote a particular vibe which isn’t exactly my favorite. It’s kind of a “pass the gray poupon” flavor of drunken stupor vs. the more mellow fanaticism of the bluegrass crowd. Nonetheless, I’m sure local area businesses don’t mind the extra revenue, but what about residents who simply want to relax, hike, bike, fish, etc. with a little peace and quiet? Maybe the answer is to grow the Nothing Festival into a major event!
Here’s the kid’s fishing pond in Telluride Town Park at sunset:
Today was day 42 for me, which was both a powder day and the when local’s tix went on sale. I chose to suit up and wait in line and go snowboarding afterward. I think ther was only 4 new inches of fresh snow, so it wasn’t exactly the biggest powder day in Telluride this ski season.
The shot below was after getting to the home stretch for Phish tickets in Telluride. They required locals to actually line up and present proof of residency in order to purchased from the special allotment.
Papa Mali & Bill Kreutzman played at the Telluride Cajun Festival last evening on main street. While it wasn’t exactly a free concert on The Haight, you could still see the show from the sidewalk for free or from the patios of the various restaurants immediately next door.
They opened up with Bertha and played for well over two hours without a set break … which included many extended jams, covering: I Know You Rider, Mr. Charlie, Lovelight, Death Don’t Have Know Mercy (and upbeat Mississippi 1/2 step sounding version), and many others … most of which were arranged in a new & extended manner.
