NEW - Friday Dive at 5

The Gunnison Aquatics Center announces a new kids program - Friday Dive at 5! . Every Friday from 5pm until closing, youth admission will only be $1. (this is a $3 savings) There will be games for kids of all ages in the pool. Lifeguard supervised games and activities will take place between 5 and 6pm. The pool is located in the Gunnison Community Center at 200 East Spencer Avenue (behind Wal-Mart and True Value on the north edge of town). For more information contact Ben at: bgoldstein@cityofgunnison-co.gov Come out on Friday evenings for a splashing great time!

This Weekend

It was another busy week in Gunnison. The Streets and Alleys crew are performing street maintenance, including street sweeping, pothole repairs and fixing street signs. The water and sewer crew have been sending a miniature camera through the sewer lines to detect breaks and problems. This can pinpoint the areas that need repair without having to dig up the entire line. Retrofitting of the old dumpsters for pickup by the new refuse truck continues. Grinding of tree limbs, waste asphalt and concrete has been completed. The ground organic material is used in the composting operation at the Wastewater Treatment Plant to make "Gunnison Gold Compost". The Finance Department is processing utility bills and the Clerks Department is working on completing open records requests, processing Court paperwork and working on a couple of new liquor license applications.

This weekend there will be music on the Gunnison Arts Center patio on Friday evening at 5pm. Saturday will be a busy day at Jorgensen Park with the annual Wet Grocer Softball Tournament and the Colorado State Marbles Tournament. Head on over to the park and watch the action! Saturday will also see the Farmers Market downtown adjacent to the IOOF Park on East Virginia Avenue and Sundays at 7 will take place at Legion Park - obviously on Sunday starting at 7pm.

Cattlemen's Days starts up and the Annual 4-H Horse Show takes place at the Gunnison Rodeo Grounds on Saturday. Good luck to all of the participants. Yee-haw! Have a safe and happy relaxing weekend.

4th of July Schedule of Events

The 4th of July Schedule of Events:
11am-3pm Music by Furtado and U-47 at IOOF Park. Kids' slip and slide and other activities
3:45pm Trivia questions and prizes at Jorgensen Gazebo
4 - 4:45pm Live music by Pimp Valley Drifters in Outdoor Rink
4:45 - 5pm Band Break; trivia questions & prizes at Gazebo
5 - 6pm Pimp Valley Drifters Music
6 - 7pm Patriotic Activities at Gazebo; more trivia games and prizes
6 - 7pm Beer Garden with music at Outdoor Rink
7 - 7:45pm Live music by Bruce Hayes Band in Outdoor Rink
7:45 - 8pm Band Break; trivia questions and prizes
8 - 9pm Bruce Hayes Band Music
9:15pm Elizabeth Bond sings the National Anthem at Gazebo
9:20pm Fireworks Show Begins

Independence Day Weekend!

It is a busy upcoming Independence Day weekend in Gunnison. Everyone is invited to the ribbon cutting of the new Legion Park playground structure at 5:30pm today, Friday, July 2nd. Aimee Wesley from Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) will cut the ribbon. After the dedication, head downtown for the free "Fridays at 5" on the Arts Center patio. After relaxing to the great jazz music of the "Carl Mienecke Jazz Explosion" and enjoying some liquid refreshments, head inside the Arts Center and start your "Gunnison Gallery Crawl". This month the Arts Center is hosting the Francis King Western Art Collection from the Sangre de Cristo Art Museum in Pueblo. Also included in the first Friday of the month Gallery Crawl is the Brick Cellar, Gunnison Art Gallery, Rocky Mountain Frames, Mochas and the Blue Thunder Artists Coop. Have dinner at one of Gunnison's fine restaurants and then head south of Gunnison to the Gunnison Valley Observatory. Tonight, Friday July 2nd marks the beginning of the Summer Lecture/Viewing Series. Local astronomer Mike Brooks will be speaking on "Globular Clusters" and public viewing will take place through the publically-owned 30" cassegrain telescope and through smaller amateur telescope set up on the facility grounds. There is a requested donation charge of $5 for adults and $3 for children. The publically-owned GVO runs solely on donations and grants. The GVO will offer the program again on Saturday night. The gates will open both nights at 8pm. Bring a jacket - it gets chilly after dark.

Just after dawn on Saturday morning, ride your townie bike over to Jorgensen Park to watch the ascension of the annual Gunnison Balloon Rally. Stu and Diana Barton of the local Trough Restaurant are to be commended for hosting this annual event over the 4th of July. Balloonist from mostly New Mexico and Colorado come to Gunnison to enjoy the cool mountain air. bring your camera - it is a beautiful site. After a hearty breakfast at one of the local eateries, grab some coffee from one of the wonderful coffeehouses and visit the Gunnison Farmer's Market. Stock up on organic fruits and vegetables and delectable bakery goods, buy a bottle of Western Slope Wine, and peruse the arts and crafts. Local food vendors offer some tasty vitals. While you're downtown stroll through the downtown sidewalk sales for some great deals on unique items. Many other businesses in town will also be holding 4th of July weekend sales. Be sure and check them out! Saturday morning at 9am is the start of this year's Jack Russell Terrier Trials at the Fred Field Western Heritage Center (rodeo grounds) Watching this fun-filled event of these intelligent and energetic pups is free to the public.

Saturday afternoon is your opportunity to enjoy a swim and splash with the kids on the slides or water features at the Gunnison Community Center pool. If swimming is not your cup of tea - try the fishing in Pac-Man Pond at Jorgensen Park or walk, run or ride the trails at the City's VanTuyl Ranch or Hartman Rocks Recreation Area. You can finish out your Saturday activities by catching the 3-D movie at the Ruby Cinema at the Student Center at Western State College.

Sunday is Independence Day! And a busy day it is. Very early, the balloons will once again be flying over the City. Starting at 12 Noon until 4pm, there will be activities at the IOOF Park. There will be food, games and activities. The bands "U-47" and "Iola" will be providing great music. At 4pm, head over to Jorgensen Park. From 4 to 9pm, activities will be centered in the outdoor covered ice rink. There will be a "food court" of local food vendors and a beer garden with beer provided by Gunnison's CB Brewing Company.Live music will be provided by the "Pimp Valley Drifters" and the "Bruce Hayes Band". At 9:15pm, the 58th Annual Rotary Fireworks will commence. Kick back on the lawn of Jorgensen or Legion Park and enjoy the show.

Just a reminder - while many, many City employees will be working this weekend to make it a safe and enjoyable weekend, City offices are closed for the long holiday weekend on Monday, July 5th. We'll be open Tuesday morning to serve you. Refuse routes normally picked up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday, July 6th.

For everyone's safety, Highway 50 (Tomichi Avenue) will be closed at 5pm on Sunday, July 4th and traffic will be detoured around the parks areas via North Adams Street, East Georgia Avenue and North Colorado Street. Plan accordingly ahead of time where you want to park. Parking and driving will not be allowed along Tomichi Avenue. In addition, the road around the south and east side of Jorgensen Park will be closed all day, Sunday, July 4th.

Also remember, that all fireworks that leave the ground or explode are prohibited in the City. Violators could be ticketed. For everyone's safety do not bring any fireworks with you to the Rotary event - just enjoy the show. Have a fun and safe Independence Day weekend.

Week of June 28th

We just finished up a very busy weekend. Friday evening there was a well-attended music concert by the WSC Brass Band at the WSC Quigley Bandshell. Approximately 1200 weary but grinning bicyclists crossed the Bicycle Tour of Colorado finish line at the Gunnison Community School on Saturday. (picture at left) They started in Gunnison on Sunday, June 20th and finished in Gunnison after touring southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Congratulations to City Manager Ken Coleman for completing the entire tour! This past weekend also saw the very successful Public Services Expo at Jorgensen Park on Saturday. Hundreds of children and adults toured the emergency services vehicles and equipment and learned about what the highly skilled and trained emergency services workers do to help our community. City Fire Marshal Dennis Spritzer (pictured at right) educated the kids about fire safety at the Kiwanis-sponsored Junglemobile. If you missed it, put it on your calendars for next June. It is a worthwhile event - and it is free! The Gunnison River Festival was held on Saturday and Sunday. Events started on Saturday with a river parade starting at the north bridge by Garlic Mike's and floating downriver to the Gunnison Whitewater Park west of town by the twin bridges. 400 to 500 folks attended Saturday's festivities at the Whitewater Park and participated in kids activities and enjoyed watching the thrilling river rafters and kayakers. The River Fest wrapped up Sunday with the Upper Taylor River Kayak Run and the Lower Taylor River Poker Run. A great time was had by all participants. Local Kayaker Kit Davidson (pictured left) placed second in the Upper Taylor River Run. It was a great summer evening on Sunday to round out the weekend of Gunnison activities at Legion Park. The Gunnison Arts Center's Sundays at 7 saw the inagural of the GOCO-grant funded Legion Park Pavilion. The Gunnison Bluegrass Connection concert was well attended by locals and visitors alike.

City staff and crews are busy this week. Preparations are being made for next weekend's 4th of July activities. Not only does the City contribute almost $6,000 in City grant funds to the annual Rotary Fireworks program, but also a great deal of in-kind service hours are spent by the Parks and Recreation, Events, Police and Neighborhood Services, Fire Marshal, Public Works and Refuse employees to make this annual event a continuing and safe success. Approximately 200 City employee hours and $3,500 in employee costs help bring this event to the community. The Parks crew is working diligently to complete the new playground structure at Legion Park. The two slides still need some work. On Friday, July 2nd at 5:30pm there will be a grand opening and ribbon cutting of the GOCO-funded equipment. Many community organizations and businesses donated time and money to help make all of the new Legion Park amenities a reality! Thanks to everyone who participated. The climbing boulder has been a great success with the kids and adults alike. The Parks crew is also working on additional features such as railings and lighting for the new Legion Park pavilion. The Recreation Department is working on the solar panels control monitors at the community pool. The pool is seeing a lot of summer use for swimming lessons and recreational swimming. The PD is working on planning for the 4th of July activities and the Hells Angels visit the end of July. Community Development is working with the Catholic Church on a variance application for the Parish Hall, presenting the VanTuyl Ranch Management Plan to City Council and the Planning Commission for their input and working with the Gunnison Hospital on their proposed expansion. The Public Works crews are going to be asphalt patching street cuts and potholes this week. They are also working on completing the bus shelter on North 11th Street and assisitng with the 4th of July events preparations. The Clerks Department is busy with several special events liquor permit applications for upcoming events and working on the application from Wal-Mart for them to sell 3.2% Beer at their store in Gunnison. We are also keeping you all updated through the City website and this blog. We hope you find this information useful. Have a great and safe week.

Another Great Weekend

It's another fun-filled weekend coming up in Gunnison! Start out Friday evening with the Gunnison Arts Center's Friday at Five with free live music on the patio. The Center is located at the SE corner of Tomichi and Main Street. Follow this with dinner at one of the great Gunnison restaurants and then head out to the Western State College Quigley Band Shell. Bring your lawn chairs or a blanket and settle on the grass for the WSC-Colorado Brass Band Concert, directed by Steve Asheim. The free concert starts at 7:30pm and marks the 36th year of the concert! Come hear great tradional brass band music. It'll make you want to get up and march.

Saturday will be a full day of activities in Gunnison. The Gunnison River Festival starts at 9am with the Gunnison River Parade. Rafts and boats will start at the Gunnison River northbridge (by Garlic Mike's) and will parade downriver to the Whitewater Park at the east edge of Gunnison by the twin highway bridges. During the day there are activies for the kids, a competitive raft race, kayak freestyle rodeo, food vendors, a raft rodeo, exhibitions, and the popular Hooligan Race from 3:30 to 4:30pm. The Festival concludes on Sunday after the Upper and Lower Taylor Canyon races and river run. For more information on the festival activities go to http://www.gunnisonriverfestival.com/

Saturday morning sees the commencement of this summer's Gunnison Farmers' Market. This is held next to the IOOF Park on the 100 Block of East Virginia Avenue. There will be a tempting selection of fruits, vegetables, baked goods and crafts.

After stocking up at the Farmers Market, head over to Jorgensen Park on East Tomichi Avenue (Highway 50) at 10am for the Public Safety Expo. There will be a wide variety of activities and displays. Some of the public safety services displays include: Gunnison Police Department equipment, the Forest Service and BLM, Gunnison and Colorado State Patrol HazMat, Gunnison Ambulance, Gunnison Fire Department, Airport Fire and Rescue, City Electric and REA, Gunnison Hospital, Public Health, Gunnison Sheriff, WSC Mountain Rescue Team, the National Guard, Park Service, Colorado State Parks, the Childrens' Hospital Junglemobile Safety Van and many, many more displays. Bring the kids out for hands-on, interactive safety instruction. The 4-H kids will be hosting a fundraising lunch.

On Sunday, after breakfast at one of the great Gunnison eateries and watching the final events of the Gunnison River Festival, head to the outdoors and enjoy fishing, climbing, biking, rafting, hiking, or just enjoy the cool summer high mountain air. Finish out the weekend with the Arts Center's Sundays at Seven free music concert at Legion Park. This will be the first time the new Legion Park Covered Pavilion will be used by the performers. This week the concert will feature the "Gunnison Bluegrass Collective". Bring a picnic supper and enjoy the bluegrass musicians. If you can't find something to do in Gunnison this weekend - you're not really trying!

Have a fun and safe weekend.

Broncos Country Caravan Is Coming

The Community is invited to the Broncos Country Caravan City Celebration on Thursday, June 24th at Jorgensen Park. The event will be held from 5 to 7pm. Come meet Bronocos Cheerleaders and Broncos Alumni. Meet "Miles" the mustang mascot. See the Super Bowl trophies! There will be activities for the kids and prizes. It's Free and Open to the Public! Bronocos merchandise will be available for sale.

In addition to the free event at Jorgensen Park, there will be a Denver Broncos and Gatorade Junior Training Football Camp. This will be held on Thursday morning, June 24th from 10am to 11:30am at Meadows Park (by the Community Center). The camp is open to girls and boys ages 6 to 12 years old. The training camp is FREE but pre-registration is required for the training camp. Stop by the Community Center at 200 E. Spencer Avenue or call 641-8060 to get signed up. A signed waiver is needed for each child wanting to participate. GO BRONCOS!