Chalk art, horse drives, bike rides and much more on tap this week
By the Thirst Team
Get Out of Town is our weekly roundup of recommended events across Colorado. For more happenings, check out our events calendar. With the Kentucky Derby, Star Wars Day and Cinco de Mayo all coming up, there will be plenty of celebrations, but we rounded up a few other happenings.
Chalk art and wine in Aurora
VIP and general-admission tickets are still available for Chalk Lines and Vines, an art and wine festival in Aurora on Saturday and Sunday. More than 20 chalk artists will be on hand creating live murals while at least 15 Colorado wineries pour unlimited samples. The event also includes a diverse lineup of local, live music, art activities, food trucks, shopping and more.
Horses and bikes in northwest Colorado
As Colorado continues to grow and urbanize, it’s easy to forget the state’s Western heritage, but it’s still alive and well in Moffat County. Some Old West culture comes thundering through Maybell on Sunday.
Every spring since 1959, Sombrero Ranches has moved a horse herd across northwestern Colorado sagebrush from winter pasture to ranch headquarters. The horse drive is expected to travel through Maybell between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
There also is a free 30-mile “Where the Hell’s Maybell” bike ride from Craig to Maybell on Saturday. The ride starts at 7 a.m. in Craig, and shuttles from Maybell back to Craig begin running at 10:30.
Three days of music in Durango
The iAM Music Fest brings more than 30 artists to six stages Thursday through Saturday in downtown Durango. The musicians include “psychedelic punk rock marching band circus troupe” MarchFourth, Zimbabwean multi-instrumentalist Blessing “Bled” Chimanga and “alterNATIVE pop hip-hop band” 2MX2, Thirst Colorado cover star Daniel Rodriguez and many more.
Full weekend passes are sold out, but a limited number of separate festival and late-night show passes are still available. A few individual day passes also are available.
Festival season starts in Hotchkiss
About three hours north of Durango, Big B’s Delicious Orchards kicks off its concert and camping season with the fourth annual Hestival event running Friday through Sunday. The festival is billed as an all-inclusive family- and pet-friendly weekend full of outdoor adventures, live music and camping among the apple orchards and mountain views.
On Friday, Stray Grass And Madeline Hawthorne will perform, followed by Desert Child And Dragondeer on Saturday, and Mama Lingua on Sunday.
Fat tires in Fruita
Also in western Colorado, the Fruita Fat Tire Festival runs from Friday to Sunday. It is one of the country’s biggest non-racing gravel and mountain bike festivals. Cyclists can spend three days riding classic trail loops while testing new bikes and gear. In addition to a range of cycling vendors, the event includes live music, food and Ska Brewing beers.
Save the date: Blues in Winter Park
The Blues from the Top Music Festival returns to the Rendezvous Event Center in Winter Park June 27 to 29. Headliners include JJ Grey & Mofro, Little Feat and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram. Single-day and weekend VIP and general-admission tickets are available now. Children 12 and under are free with general admission tickets.
The Grand County Blues Society, which hosts the event, is a nonprofit that promotes blues and roots music through live performances, music outreach and education. The group also supports hospital music therapy departments, and has donated more than 800 instruments to children with life-threatening health issues.
As always, please send us your events and announcements. We’re happy to share them. If they don’t fit in the Get Out of Town column, we will add them to our events calendar.