Catch the Last Bit of Summer!

Summer is slowly coming to an end! If you happened to miss out on the great summer events Durango has to offer, you are in luck! Durango still has a few exciting events coming up!

     1. San Juan Brewfest

Source: http://sanjuanbrewfest.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/crowd-shot.jpg

     Mark your calendars for Saturday, August 27th 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM! Located in Buckley Park (12th and Main), there will be 54 craft breweries and distilleries, along with live music and food vendors for your enjoyment! General Admission tickets ($32.49) gets you a 5 oz souvenir tasting glass and unlimited tastings. There are upgraded and VIP tickets available as well. Visit www.sanjuanbrewfest.com for more information.

     2. Farmers Market

Copyright 2016 Sydney Jeanne Design

     Don't miss Saturday mornings at the First National Bank parking lot! Every Saturday until the end of October is our local Farmers Market! A place where our community comes together to share their creative talents and harvests! Live music + veggies + meats + cheeses + jewelry + fresh food and more! Come down and show some local support! Don't forget to buy a t-shirt and bumper sticker with their new 2016 design! Design by my very own assistant, Sydney! 

      3. Durango Blues Train

Rockin’ Jake on the 2014 Durango Blues Train. Copyright Kevin Younger Photography.

      Limited tickets left for Friday, August 12th! Saturday is already SOLD OUT! Don't miss out on this incredibly unique and fun night! A two night event (August 12-13th) on the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train ride is approximately 3.5 hours long and will feature 2 full bands + 4 individual artists. Once the train gets going, attendees are free to move about the train cars to see the different artists, dance around, purchase food and drinks at the concession cart, and use the restrooms. Visit www.durangobluestrain.com for more lineup, tickets, and more information. 

     4. Mushroom Festival

Source: https://www.purgatoryresort.com/events/mushroom-festival/

          This annual festival is located at Purgatory (Durango Mountain Resort). It is a two day event. Friday from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM is an exquisite 6-course meal featuring wild mushrooms picked from the mountain (tickets to each event are sold separately and are expected to sell out). Saturday morning at 9:00 AM is a guided mushroom hunt on the mountain. Experts will help you identify different types of mushrooms along with other helpful info! Starting at 1:00 PM is the culinary showcase. Five local fine dining restaurants will be participating: Eolus, East by Southwest, Ore House, Mutu's and Purgy's. Each dish will include mushrooms and a wine pairing chosen by the chef. Visit the event website for ticket prices and more details. 

Durango Events THIS WEEKEND!

The weather is finally heating up in Durango; flowers are blooming; rainy days are making everything green and beautiful! Just in time for a great spring event weekend to kickoff Durango's fun-fulled summer! If you don't have plans for this weekend quite yet, I suggest you check out at least one of the following events!

Source: http://www.ironhorseinndurango.com/why-stay-with-us/

MAY 13TH - SPRING GALLERY WALK    
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM @ DOWNTOWN MAIN
Starting at 5pm, there are 13 galleries located downtown that are participating in the "Spring Gallery Walk." Each gallery will be displaying local and regional artists, as well as showcasing a little something new and exciting! 

Source: http://www.foxfirefarms.com/tasteofspring

MAY 14TH - 15TH - TASTE OF SPRING
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ FOX FIRE FARMS IN IGNACIO
An amazing spring kickoff event for the whole family! Five hours of live music, petting baby farm animals, face painting, local artisans and more! Free admission!

Source: https://www.peachsneetfeet.com/event/taste-of-durango/

MAY 15TH - TASTE OF DURANGO
11:00 PM - 2:00 PM @ DOWNTOWN MAIN
Durango's annual summer kick-off party! A fabulous festival with a ton of local restaurants and craft brewery vendors. Buy tokens at the entrance and use them to sample all the incredible local food, beer, cocktails, and more! Previous years have had local attendance of 78%! Come downtown for a great Sunday with amazing music and familiar faces!

5 Best Springtime Activities in Durango

If you have lived in Colorado for more than a year, you already know that the spring weather changes daily. One day it's sunny with a high of 75, and the next day we're getting 2 feet of snow! Despite the crazy weather, the best part of spring in Durango are the events! Check out my favorite 5 springtime activities to put on your calendar this spring!

1. Hiking Trails
   Durango has so many incredible hiking trails. Take advantage of one of these warm, sunny days and get hiking! Check out this website for different trails and their conditions. Always good to check the conditions before heading out! 

2. Durango Bluegrass Meltdown
   April 15th-17th  10:00 AM - 10:00 PM @ Downtown Durango
   Come downtown and enjoy live bluegrass music for three days at various venues downtown. There will be over 20 different bands performing throughout the three days. Some bands choose to play at a few of the bars later with no cover charge! There will also be various indoor and outdoor locations for informal jam sessions. Go to this website for more information and an updated lineup.

3. Durango Farmer's Market
   Saturdays May 14th-October 29th 8:00 AM - Noon @ First National Bank Parking Lot
   Great venue full of local farmers, value-added vendors, artisans, live music, and more! All goods are grown/made by their seller. Fantastic weekly event that supports Durango locals and our community!

4. The Taste of Durango
   Sunday May 15th 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM @ Downtown Durango
   All of downtown Main closes for this epic Durango event! Many local restaurants and breweries have a booths set up where you can sample dishes and beer with tokens. Do not miss out on all the fun, live music and dancing!

5. Iron Horse Bicycle Classic
   May 28th-30th 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM from Durango to Silverton
   One of Durango's most popular events. Every year thousands of cyclists come down to Durango to race the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Silverton. The first race was back in 1972 with only 36 riders!

Do you have any favorite springtime activities in Durango? Let me know in the comments! 

All Aboard the Polar Express!

   If you have kids and are lucky enough to live in the Durango area, odds are you'll be riding the Polar Express annually for several years! 

The train ride lasts about 2 hours and it goes out to the North Pole (aka Sleeping Beauty Ranch in the Animas Valley). The "Chefs" on board are very cute teens--in fact our nanny was one a couple years ago. They are usually theater students looking for extra money during break! Luckily the train ride is entertaining for the kids with all the singing and treats. Kids often dress in pajamas or a robe, which makes it extra cute! 

This year, my mother in law came to visit and we rode the Polar Express with all the cousins! As you can imagine, it was nutty!

After the ride, the kids can meet Santa and sit on his lap. Ryder said he wanted a "quiet robot" for Christmas!!! (It's because last year Santa brought him robot that was too loud and it scared him!)

Unfortunately, the Polar Express can be expensive and there are families who aren't able to ride this train. Last year I donated 4 seats to a family in need. I found them through the Family Center  who was incredibly helpful in organizing this. 

Since the holidays fill me with extra gratitude, I try to help those who are less fortunate every year. This year I've adopted two families in need (one is elderly and one is disabled) and plan to do some shopping and cooking for them. I look forward to doing this, and I plan to involve my kids more in the process so they can help too. 

For more information on Project Merry Christmas, click here. 

Let me know ways that you like to get involved with the community. I am always looking for more ways to help! 

Happiest of Holidays to you all! 

House Hunters in Durango, Colorado

The popular show from HGTV, House Hunters, was looking to film in Durango. My buyers and I had the opportunity to be on the show in April, 2013. We filmed in October of 2012. 

It was such a neat perspective from behind the camera... certainly different from what you see on the show! 

Many people have asked to see the episode after it aired and I never knew where to find it. Lately, a friend told me it was on Netflix. 

You can also watch the episode here, on Amazon

Enjoy!!