The VIP passes allow you to access seating close to the stage, two free drinks (either alcoholic or non-alcoholic), a free commemorative festival t-shirt and a chance to win a backstage pass to Meet & Greet the performers.

It’s that easy. Just book lodging in Winter Park for the festival weekend of your choice (or both), let us know how many people are in your group, and we’ll throw in the VIP passes for the festival.   Check out the details for the free Winter Park festivals below!

KYGO HIGH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL

July 10th, 2010.

We’ve got Chris Cagle, who, since his debut on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks in 2000, has produced numerous top-ten hits including “I Breathe in I Breathe Out”, “Chicks Dig It” and “What Kinda Gone”.

Also on the line-up is Texas’s The Josh Abbott Band, the “fastest rising young stars in Texas country,”  and Denver’s own up-and-coming star, the Kory Brunson Band.

103.5 THE FOX CLASSIC ROCK MUSIC FESTIVAL

August 7th, 2010

If you love classic 80′s & 90′s rock, then you’ll have a great time in Winter Park this weekend.

The headliner of the event is Night Ranger, whose biggest hits include Sister Christian and Don’t Tell Me You Love Me. Their twin lead guitar and melodious metal has become a genre all their own.

We’ll also have Pat Travers,  Lewis & Floorwax and Denver’s own The Groove Hawgs to bring their entertaining rock to the stage. You won’t want to miss this festival of rock n roll!

You don’t have to live in the heat of Arizona to enjoy the spectacular summers of Winter Park. Temperatures in Winter Park rarely get past 80 degrees and there is no humidity, which makes for perfect weather for hiking, mountain biking, golf and so many more summer activities in Winter Park and Grand County.

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

JP Soars and his handmade guitar

It turned out to be another perfect weekend of beautiful weather and outstanding blues performances for the eighth annual Blues from the Top festival in Winter Park, Colorado.  This weekend is my personal favorite of all Winter Park music festivals because: 1) it kicks off the summer in Winter Park; and 2) you can dance to the blues music right in front of the stage. You must check it out sometime if you haven’t yet.

The festivities started on Friday night with Curtis Salgado followed by Andy Irvine’s Blues Collective at Music at the Mall at Cooper Creek Square, then moved over to Smokin’ Moes for the official Pre-Festival Jam with jam performances by the festival’s performers.   The dance floor at Smokin’ Moes was packed as usual and the musicians were probably having as much or more fun than we were!

I missed the show on Saturday, but the highlight (from what I’ve heard) was the Walter Trout performance preceded by the hail strorm that swiftly cleared the park out for about 10 minutes. The cooler air after the storm was welcomed by my festival-goer friends, who came back to enjoy Walter and his band close out Saturday’s show.

Sunday’s show started out with a mimosa followed by several beers. Oh, and the music was great, too. We had Curtis Salgado, Nick Moss and the Fliptops, Mike Zito, Theresa James, JP Soars and Trampled Under Foot.  JP Soars was especially entertaining with his handmade guitar (pictured). His high energy paired with a voice that seems to come from a much bigger body was definitely a lot of fun to dance to. 

There were a lot of vendors to peruse between acts, plus good food like BBQ, Fried Catfish and Mexican. I loved the authentic $3 tamale and the mint chocolate chip ice cream for desert.  The continual lathering of sunscreen was necessary with all the wonderfully bright sunshine, with no afternoon thunderstorm or hardly a cloud in sight.  The Australian hat vendor sure must have made a killing, although be warned, he doesn’t take bargaining jokes lightly.

Ah, just another fun summer weekend in Winter Park, with plenty more to come. Next up is the Free Hi Country Music Festival, the Winter Park Jazz Festival, the Free Fox Classic Rock Festival and the Crankworx Colorado Mountain Bike Festival. The summer was just kicked off wonderfully by the Blues from the Top Music Fest.

Don’t miss the 2nd annual Fraser Valley Community Gear Swap benefitting Habitat for Humanity on Saturday & Sunday, June 19th and 20th. Come out between 9am & 5pm to the Epic Mountain Sports parking lot at the Park Place Shopping Center (with Conoco and Movie Theater).

Sell your used skis, snowboards, bikes, kayaks, golf clubs, tents & camping gear or any other sporting equipment you no longer need, or pick up a new addition for your outdoor gear collection.

To sell your stuff, drop off your gear on Friday afternoon between 4pm and 6pm or on Saturday morning between 7am and 9am. You name your price, fill out a sale form and keep 100% of the proceeds from your gear. If you don’t want to take that old stuff back to your garage, you can donate it to the Habitat for Humanity.

Plus, all Park Place Shopping Center stores will donate 5% of Saturday sales to the Habitat Humanity. Take advantage of the big sale at Epic Mountain Sports and specials at Rise & Shine Bakery, and feel good about helping out the community.

For more info, call Epic Mountain Sports at 970-726-2868.

You only really need 1/2 of the chipotle mayonnaisse that this recipe makes if your preparing four salmon fillets, but it’s so yummy you’ll want to save the leftover to spread on sandwiches or use for other meals. 

Tip: If you’ve got a sensitive tongue, (i.e. Taco Bell’s hot sauce is too spicy for you), you may want to stick to the milder variation of Watercress Mayonnaisse.

Ingredients:

Up to 8 Salmon Fillets & Chipotle or Watercress Mayonnaise

Chipotle Mayo
1 cup light or regular mayo
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle peppers
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the peppers (or to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and black pepper to taste

Watercress Mayo
1 cup light or regular mayo
1/4 cup finely chopped watercress
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

First, decide whether you’d like to prepare the salmon directly on the grill or if you’d like to steam it in foil over the grill. Both ways are easy, but if you use the steaming method you don’t have to worry about flipping the fillets or any stickage on the grill.

Prepare the chipotle or the watercress mayo next, just by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing until completely blended.

Start the fillets, using a medium-high flame. If you’re grilling directly over the flames, all you need to do is salt and pepper the fillets, then grill on each side 4-5 minutes or until they’re completely opaque.

If you’re steaming with foil, make sure to double up or use heavy duty foil. Set each fillet on a piece of foil large enough to completely wrap around it, spread a tablespoon or so of the mayo over the top, then fold the foil over the fillet. Set over a medium-high flame with the lid closed for about 15 minutes, or until completely opaque.

After the steaks are done, top with chipotle or watercress mayo and serve with wild rice and a green veggie for a pretty and healthy dinner.

Going Fast!

Check this out, if you live in Albuquerque or Salt Lake City, you can get to Denver on Southwest Airlines for $50 each way if you book by June 3rd. Act fast!

Also, Midwest Airlines has flights to Denver from Kansas City or Omaha  for as low as $59 each way and from New York La Guardia for $139 each way.  You must travel on a Tues/Weds and book by this Friday, June 4th to grab these deals.

More Flight Deals

Let us know where you’re flying  from and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for deals for next month’s report. Just email valarie@wplbo.com. You can also check online at www.airfarewatchdog.com, and while you’re there, set up monthly, weekly or even daily alerts for flights to or from the airports of your choice.

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

Let us know where you’re flying  from and we’ll keep our eyes peeled for deals for next month’s report. Just email valarie@wplbo.com. You can also check online at www.airfarewatchdog.com, and while you’re there, set up monthly, weekly or even daily alerts for flights to or from the airports of your choice. 

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.

We started a new tradition at our end-of-season Winter Park Lodging Company party a couple of weeks ago. What started out as “witty banter” between Heather and Sarah  in the office about who can make a better pie, turned into the “First Annual Winter Park Lodging Company Pie-Off” at the annual end-of-season bash.

The idea took off with more momentum than any of us expected, and we had about eight pies in the running, although we were dissappointed that Dace, local chef for Wild Horse Gourmet & Catering, ”forgot” about the contest and came to the party empty handed. Sarah made sure we didn’t let him forget, so I’m sure next year he’ll won’t make that mistake again.

So, here is the recipe for my personal favorite of the contest, perfected by Amy, the super-hero of the daunting “spreadsheet” and so much more at Winter Park Lodging Company. Thanks, Amy!

Ingredients:
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 ounces pkg. fresh or frozen blackberries (thawed)
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

Directions:
Place berries in pie shell. Combine one cup sugar, sour cream, flour and salt. Spread sour cream mixture on top. Combine bread crumbs and remaining sugar and butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes or until done.

Recently, our household had four avocadoes in the fridge thanks to our combined efforts in grocery shoppping and the amazing sale on avocados. So, I decided to try making some guacamole, and surpised myself with the delicious results (based on my history of recipe failures).

Yum. Guacamole, a delicious dip or topping made with avocado. Personally, I like it chock full of other fresh ingredients, like the recipe below. I just made it up, my goal to replicate the delicious guac at Mirasol Cantina.  I really don’t know what’s in most guacamole recipes, so tips are welcome and thank you very much!

Ingredients:

3 avocados
1 small tomato
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion
1/2 4 oz can of green chiles (or if you’re lucky enough to have fresh, 2 tbsp chopped)
salt to taste
optional: 1 tsp fresh squeezed lime

Preparation:

First, halve each avocado and remove the pits. I like stabbing the pit and pulling it out with a fork. Quarter the halves and then you can usually just peel the skin right off. Then, chop the avocado into cubes, about 1-2 inches.

Mash the avocado up alone first, using a potato masher worked for me, since I don’t mind it a bit chunky.

With the tomato, chop it into small pieces, first removing the juicy seeds so your guac isn’t too runny. I sliced mine first, removed the juicy center of each slice, then chopped it into 1/2 inch or smaller pieces. Fold the tomatoes into the mashed avocado.

Mince the garlic and chop the onions finely, adding them into the mixture along with the green chiles. If you’re adding lime, add that last. Add salt to taste.

That’s it. Try not to eat it all before any one else gets to try it. This recipe made about 2 1/2 to 3 cups. Enjoy!

Remember to check with us for availability at a vacation rental in Winter Park for your dates first, then book your flights! Search Winter Park Lodging Company now to see what options await you.