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Category: Night activities

Java Mic Night at the Mountain Grind in Winter Park

Mountain Grind Coffee & Bistro Brings Winter Park Live Music with Java Mic Night

For some fun on a Friday night with live music, a cozy atmosphere and yummy treats, come on down to the Mountain Grind Coffee & Bistro in Cooper Creek Square for Java Mic Night. Every week they feature a different artist, based locally, regionally or even nationally, for a variety of musical genres including Blues, Folk, Rock-n-Roll and more.

Along with enjoying great music played live, you can shop the Mountain Grind’s fun and trendy selection of gifts, souveniers and clothing. I love their funny greeting cards and retro magnets.  You can also find some really neat coffee mugs, T-shirts, funky laptop bags and other colorful items.

While you’re at it, sip on a coffee, hot chocolate or even a cocktail now that they have a licence to serve alcohol. The Mountain Grind also has excellent fudge, Italian gelato and other treats. Actually, their Italian gelato is better than any ice cream I’ve ever had, but then again it’s not ice cream, it’s gelato!  They also serve sandwiches, soups, chili (great) and salads, too, but you have to come by before 5pm to get those.

Well, you can see that I’m a fan of the Mountain Grind, but let’s move on to the music! See below for the current line-up for the Java Mic Night Series along with some insider info about each performer. Thanks to Ali Grayson for putting on such a fun weekly event and for providing the following information!

 

Java Mic Night Line-up (all shows are from 7-9pm):

Feb. 26th: Brad Pregeant ($5 cover or $2 for students K-12) 
A local favorite! Music critic Jerry Minnich wrote pianist Brad Pregeant’s “range allows him to shift from jaunty blues to Bill Evansish standards to rippling New Orleans R& B . . .”  Brad Pregeant was born in Louisiana and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Southeastern Louisiana University with a degree in piano performance, Classical. His Java Mic Night performance is sure to be saturated with authentic Cajun goodness! Local high school student & musician, Zach Thorpe, will be opening for Brad with some sultry Blues!

March 5th: Bobby Walker ($5 cover or $2 for students K -12)  - Bobby Walker delivers blues, soul, and funky rock n’ roll performances with his trademark gravelly voice… [and] enthusiasm from the realness of the music he feels.  He has a sense with guitar that drives home a lifetime of authentic music experiences to his audience.  He has many recordings dating back to 1982, and has enjoyed performing all over the Western U.S., as well as Europe and Japan.  Everyone who hears Bobby Walker knows from the first note that he is the Real deal. 

March 12th: Jeremy Dion ($5 cover or $2 for students K-12)
Insightful progressive folk, like John Mayer meeting James Taylor. Tight grooves, soaring harmonies and a vocal style that is soulful, expressive and candid. Jeremy grew up outside Seattle, where he was influenced by the music of Crosby, Stills and Nash, James Taylor, and Paul Simon. Jeremy has been singing, playing guitar, writing songs and performing since he was a student at U.C. Berkley, combining the sounds of his musical influences with a bluegrass twist.

March 19th: Diane French ($5 cover or $2 for students K-12) - For the past several years, the Fraser Valley has been silenced by the intoxicating sound of Diane French and Band.  Performing Songwriter Magazine calls Diane French’s music “soulful”, “cinematic” and “mesmerizing.”  Java Mic Night is excited to feature Diane French again this year! 

March 26th: Gregory Alan Isakov ($10 cover or $2 for students K-12)
Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Gregory Alan Isakov’s song-craft lends to the deepest lyrical masterpieces. With hints of his influences, Leonard Cohen, Iron and Wine and Kelly Joe Phelps, Gregory Alan Isakov has been described as “strong, subtle, a lyrical genius” and has shared the stage with touring artists such as Calexico, Ani Difranco, Brandi Carlile, Indigo Girls, Richie Havens, and Fiona Apple. He has performed throughout the United States and Europe and appeared at numerous music festivals such as South By Southwest, Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Rocky Mountain Folks Fest.  Java Mic Night is honored to have GAI as our Season 6 finale show!

 

The Mountain Grind Cafe & Bistro is across from the fountain on the ground level of Cooper Creek Square, which is the three-story brick shopping mall in downtown Winter Park.

For more information, call 970-726-0999. You can also visit www.javamicnight.com,  www.aligraysonmusic.com or www.coopercreeksquare.com

 
 

Winter Park Village Free Events

Winter Park Resort Village in ColoradoFree Events in Winter Park Resort Village

There are many many activities in the Winter Park Village and almost all of them are absolutely free.  The new Village is in its first full year of operation and there are now four eateries up and running:

Goodys is a European creperie offering made to order crepes and homemade ice cream.

Lime is a modern Mexican eatery with great tacos and margaritas.

The Back Bowl Soup Company offers homemade soups, breakfast burritos and fantastic breads.

The Cheeky Monk is a Belgium beer bar with great Flemish food with some of the best beers known to man.

Enjoy all these restaurants and spend a night in Village with some of their free events.  From Mardi Gras celebration to free ice skating lessons there something for everyone in the Winter Park Village.

DISCO SKATE NIGHTS
Thursdays, January 7 & 21, February 4 & 18, 6-8pm

Get down tonight! Grab your skates and come dance to funky disco music! You are sure to have fun with your friends while ice-skating on the Village Ice Rink to a dj playing 1970′s disco music while the disco ball lights up the ice! Bring your costumes!

KIDS’ NIGHT OUT
Thursdays, December 17 – April 8, 5:30-8:30pm

The Village at Winter Park introduces Kids’ Night Out! This fun, activity-filled evening is for 4-12 year olds, and is loaded with activities – including dinner and s’mores by the firepit! Kids’ Night Out is a worry-free night out for Mom & Dad and a convenient alternative to at-home babysitting.

Details:
▪ Kids’ Night Out is held at Kids Ski and Ride School on Thursday evenings from 5:30-8:30pm
▪ Kids’ Night Out is a FREE childcare service offered to parents on the condition that $30 per child is spent in any commercial outlet at the resort during the hours that your children are in the program. We do require original receipts to verify the expenditure. If less than $30 per child is spent, parents will only be charged the difference.
▪ Kids’ Night Out includes dinner from Doc’s Roadhouse and indoor activities such as games, seasonal crafts and movies
▪ Please reserve your child’s space by 3pm on Thursday. Call Winter Park Guest Services at 800.729.7907 to reserve your child’s space. Enrollment is limited and is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

MINI RAIL JAM
Fridays, January 15 - March 19, 4:30-6pm

*No Mini Rail Jam on February 19

Little jibbers come practice and show your tricks! Hit the mini rail park, Bouncer, in the Village for some fun after the mountain has closed for the day. Practice your rail slides and jumps in a training mini terrain park.

Details:
▪ Recommended for skiers and snowboarders ages 6 – 12 years old. Helmets are recommended.
▪ Located at the Bouncer Terrain Park located across from Doc’s Roadhouse and adjacent to the Discovery Center in the Village

FIRESIDE STORY-TELLING

Saturdays, January 9 - March 27, 3:00-4:00pm Join around the Discovery Center Plaza firepit for an animated story retelling the history of Winter Park Ski Resort, the railroad, early settlers and mountaineers. This FREE story-telling series is offered weekly from January through March and will include the stories of Fraser Valley locals such as: Doc Susie Anderson, the Byers family, the Cozens family and David Moffat. A perfect event for the entire family!

COWBOY SING-A-LONG
Fridays, December 18 – April 18, 4-5pm Come and join us by the campfire for our fun Cowboy Sing-A-Long just outside of the Village Gazebo, located at the base of Winter Park Resort. Cowboys and cowgals of all ages will enjoy this laid back and entertaining live show featuring all your campfire favorites! This FREE family entertainment is available Fridays from 4–5pm in the Village Gazebo.

ICE-SKATING LESSONS
Daily*, December 19—mid-March, 4-5pm

*Saturdays are Blade Capades, ice-skating games

Come join a FREE lesson to learn how to “hit the ice” (after “hitting the slopes”) or improve your skills on ice. An instructor and hot chocolate will be provided for each lesson. Bring your own skates or rent skates near the Village Ice Rink.

*Sign up by 3pm at Village Rentals on the day of the lesson

MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION
Saturday, February 13, 12:00-5:00pm

High Altitude Style! Come join the party in the Village to celebrate this New Orleans tradition Winter Park-style! This event features bands, street performers, festive decorations, food and plenty of beads to go around!

Music (in Starbucks Plaza)

12:00pm-1:00pm:  Louisiana Clan Dogs
1:20pm-2:20pm:  Aden Harrell & Friends Jazz Quartet
2:40pm-3:40pm:  Otones Brass Band
4:00pm-5:00pm:  Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe
Performers (throughout the Village)

12:00pm-5:00pm:  Salida Circus Performers (includes flame throwers, jugglers, trapeze artists, jesters & unicyclists)
12:00pm-5:00pm:  Face-Painting and Caricature Drawings
12:00pm-5:00pm:  Children’s Crafts – masks and crowns
1:00pm-3:00pm:  Giant Puppetry
2:00pm-4:00pm:  Ear2Ear Photobooth

Food (in Starbucks Plaza)

Jambalaya, crawfish, etouffee, gumbo, crepes, bread pudding and beignets provided by Village restaurants

Lots of things to to do for free at “the Village”.  If you would like to have a free family night out, the Winter Park Village can not be beat.

Blues Show at Smokin’ Moes in downtown Winter Park this Saturday!

bluesGrand County Blues Society is at it again! If you’ve never heard of the Grand County Blues Society, you’re missing out on some of the most passionate Blues supporters out there. Once or twice a month these guys bring the Blues to Winter Park by hosting a great band at our very own Smokin’ Moes Ribhouse and Saloon, located in Cooper Creek Square. Check out their website where you can read more about what they do and check out upcoming shows. The shows are always a blast; be ready to dance to some fabulous live music and enjoy Smokin’ Moes’ famous ribs.

If you take a break from tearing up the dance floor during the show, track down one of the Blues Society members with your questions about blues music , you won’t be disappointed! This Saturday, they’re hosting John Richardson and the Jelly Roll Bakers (Johnny O and Andy Irvine) at 9pm. You can check out a quick bio about these guys on the Blues Society website.

Hope to see you there!

Free Friday Music, Movies and More at Winter Park Resort

Kick off the weekend with some evening mountain biking, free live music, an outdoor movie and more. New for this summer, all of these activities are on Fridays from 4pm to 7pm at the base of Winter Park Resort.  

FREE Music & Movies
From 4:30 to 7:30 pm, you can enjoy free live music in front of the Discovery Center in The Village. After the music, get cozy under the stars with a free outdoor movie starting at 8pm. Check out the line-up below:

  • July 10th
    • Music by Grand County’s own Hunker Down winterparkresortminigolf
    • Movie is Journey to the Center of the  Earth
  • July 17th
    • Music by Empty Suits (Denver & Local)
    • Movie is Hotel for Dogs
  • July 24th
    • Music by Rockin’ Jake from New Orleans, LA
    • Movie is Mamma Mia
  • July 31st
    • Music by Healing Force of Denver
    • Movie is Kung Fu Panda
  • August 7th
    • Music by Thick As Thieves (Denver & Local)
    • Movie is Madagascar II
  • August 14th
    • Music by Peter Karp of Englewood, NJ
    • Movie is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
  • August 21
    • Music by Johnny O Band of Denver
    • Movie is Monsters Vs. Aliens
  • August 28
    • Music by Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe of Lawtell, LA
    • Movie is Horton Hears A Who
  • September 4
    • Music by Tempa & The Tantrums of Denver
    • Movie is Night at the Musuem 2

Evening Base Area Activities
Now you can hang out a little longer at the base of Winter Park to play an extra round of miniature golf or to take a sceninc evening ride on the chairlift. From 5pm to 7pm, a round of mini golf is $10/round or a scenic chairlift ride is $15/person.

Sunspot BBQ Dinners
Hungry after a long day of mountain biking & alpine sliding? You don’t have to go far from the Winter Park base to enjoy a yummy BBQ dinner – just 2000 feet on the Zephyr Express Chairlift!  Take a beautiful ride with amazing views of the Continental Divide, then enjoy a beef rib eye steak, pork spare ribs, beef brisket, BBQ chicken or grilled portabella mushroom steak. All entrées include corn on the cob, Texas toast, ice cream dessert and choice of sides featuring potato salad, coleslaw or baked beans. Every Friday through Sept. 4th  mountain-bike-winter-park-lodging1between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  The cost is $24.95/adult, $19.95/children (10 and under), which includes includes the round-trip chairlift ride, live entertainment, and dinner.

Mountain Bike Madness
Can’t get enough biking in or just can’t make it up during normal lift hours? Then the extended hours at  Trestle Bike Park are sure to please.  The lift pass for three extra hours on Fridays from 4pm to 7pm costs only $15, plus you can get a sweet deal on a sweet downhill bike and protective gear rental – starting at $29.99. 

Trestle Bike Park Evening Race Series
Have you ever wanted to try out competing in a bike race, but just haven’t mustered up the courage? Well, the new Trestle Bike Park Evening Race Series could be the perfect place to start.  There are races for gravity and cross-country riders of all ages. A great way for new riders, even kids, to give mountain bike racing a try.  For more information, including registration fees, evening race times, and course details, visit www.trestlebikepark.com or call 970-726-1590.

Freeride Fridays at Winter Park’s Trestle Bike Park

Check this out, new Freeride Fridays are keeping things interesting this summer at Trestle Bike Park at Winter Park Resort, with extended hours on the bike lift, live music & free outdoor movies.  Now you can keep on riding the lift to jam out a few more rides on the downhill trails, until 7pm! Plus, there are live bands performing from 4:30pm to 7pm and free outdoor movies starting at sunset.  Denver residents can head on up in the late afternoon, get here at 4pm and get a bike lift pass, downhill bike rental and protective gear for only $29. That stuff altogether usually sells for about $70 bucks.

Winter Park Jazz Festival Kick Off Party

winter-park-jazz-fest-kick-off

Saturday June 13th 2009

Dotsero and Hazel Miller will be playing a Winter Park Jazz Festival warmup.  Jazz at Jacks Winter Park Jazz Festival Kick Off Party / Emcee Becky Taylor .  Purchase Jazz Festival Tickets here and enter to win ticket packages, lodging and more.  In before 8pm NO COVER for Dotsero.  Some good Jazz down in Denver.  Head out and get ready for the Winter Park Jazz Festival a month early!

Keep on checking back to the Winter Park Lodging by Owner news/blog page and we will keep you updated on the Winter Park Jazz Festival.  If you still need lodging for the jazz fest weekend you had better get going as accomodations are filling quicky.  Mention you saw the Winter Park Lodging  by Owner news/blog page and get 15% off of your lodging.

Winter Park Area Rodeo – This Saturday, May 30th

Yeee Haaa!!
Yeee Haaa!!

Kick off the Rocky Mountain summer right and get to the Granby Rodeo this weekend at the Flying Heels Arena (located just past City Market on the right hand side of Hwy 40).

The Buckaroo Series starts at 3pm, and the Performance is at 7pm. 
Want to catch a bite before dinner? Try Brickhouse 40 - a new bistro in Granby.
Get your bandanas and cowboy boots on, and come cheer the Colorado boys as they ride ‘em Cowboy!
Stay for 20% off this weekend. Call us at 1-877-329-1383 and we’ll fill you in on studios to 5 bedroom homes perfect for your family.

Free Taxi Service in Winter Park on Thursdays!

valley_taxi-logoValley Taxi is now offering FREE taxi rides on Thursday evenings for the spring. From 7pm to 2am, you can get a ride anywhere in Winter Park and Fraser for free – just tip your driver so they can continue to offer this free service throughout the summer.

 This is perfect for the free Thursday night concerts in Hideway Park and for going out for a few cocktails after the show with your friends. Just call 970-726-4940 to get a ride and check out their website for information about Valley Taxi.

Tickets on sale soon for Winter Park’s Blues From the Top Festival!

tabbenoit3The Grand County Blues Society just announced the 7th annual “Blues From the Top” music festival that will be held from June 26-28 at Smokin Moe’s in Winter Park. Get ready to boogy to the “blue collar” lineup which includes Tommy Castro, Jimmy Hall, Trampled under Foot and Deanna Bogart to name a few. The party starts on Friday, June 26 to the tunes of Tab Benoit and Trampled Under Foot. Saturday night you’ll catch the rest of the bands in action for the “Walkin Blues Tour”. The tickets will go fast so make sure to get yours when they go on sale April 1st, for just $15/day. Tickets will be available at The Paper Clip in Granby, The Visitor Center in Winter Park, and online at www.grandblues.org

Cheeky Monk in The Village at Winter Park

Cheeky Monk's bar

Cheeky Monk's bar

Here’s your first glimpse at the newly opened Cheeky Monk in the Village at Winter Park.  We tried it out last week and loved it. 
Here were our favorite things about the look of the place:
- The cathedral ceilings make it feel huge- Great views of the Continental Divide
- Large outdoor porch overlooking the ice skating rink (heated floor!)
- Big chandeliers
Here are our favorite things about the food/drinks:
- Great list of beers (mention “Winter Park Lodging By Owner” and get a free Bruxelles draft – $5.25 value!) and they each come in their own glass (see photo below)
- Food is great. We had the fries (see photo below). Actually, we had 3 orders of fries they were so good. They are the salty skinny kind and come with a yummy white sauce for dipping (as well as ketchup). 
We also had muscles – I usually think they taste fishy but these were very good
Beers and Fries at Cheeky Monk

Beers and Fries at Cheeky Monk

They have their full menu now and we’ll have to hit it again for dinner to give more info on what’s good, but so far, we found nothing we didn’t like.
Oh, and the owners personally came out and met us as did the manager. Energetic,  friendly folks. 
And, they answered my question…there is NO skiing in Belgium so we can’t really say it looks like a “Belgium ski lodge” but if there were, this is what it would look like.
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