We’ve got your plans for the next few weeks

By the Thirst Team

This is one of two event previews for this week. Click here for a preview of the fall arts seasons opening in the coming days.

Get Out of Town is our roundup of the best events across Colorado for the next few weeks. For more happenings, check out our events calendar.

BEST BETS FOR THIS WEEK

Dinosaur fest in Dinosaur Friday to Sunday

Dinosaur National Monument is one of Colorado’s most underrated landmarks. If anyone needs an extra excuse to visit the northwest Colorado attraction, the Stone Age Stampede runs all weekend in the town of Dinosaur, with cornhole tournaments, art competitions, a watermelon seed-spitting contest, crafts and family activities, a beer garden, antique cars and tractors, and live music from Faultline, the Untitled Vernal Project and Flying Blind Band.

For more information about the monument, look for our fall issue.

Colorado Wine Walk Saturday

Blanchard Family Wines hosts another Colorado Wine Walk next Saturday at Denver’s Dairy Block.

GA tickets include unlimited samples of a wide variety of Colorado wines, a commemorative wine glass, wine tote, opportunities for wine purchases, and conversations with winemakers. The event also includes an optional ticketed seminar about wine glasses at 5, 6 or 7 p.m.

Team Thirst will also be there with magazines and swag. Come say hello.

Dry Hop Fest Saturday

Denver‘s largest nonalcoholic beer fest comes to the Phoenix in Denver next Saturday. Attendees can sample a wide variety of NA craft beer and win exclusive raffle prizes. Rationale, Three Kings, Ted Segers, Gruvi, Ceria, Summit Cultures, Mash Gang, Wackadoo, Go Brewing, Tweedle, Eighteen Twenty, Wisetails, Years, Kit, Juna and others will pour samples.

Backcountry Taproom Saturday

Upslope Brewing Co. hosts its 10th annual Backcountry Tap Room on the Mary Jane side of Winter Park ski area, at 9,600 feet. It also marks the debut of this year’s spruce tip IPA. Proceeds benefit Leave No Trace, which has a mission to protect the outdoors.

Tickets cost $35 with fees, including four drink tickets. Non-drinker tickets cost $23, and kids 16 and under are free.

Photo provided by the Community Roots Art Festival

Community arts in Boulder Saturday and Sunday

Colorado-based people of color will present visual art, dance, food and music at the fifth annual Community Roots Art Festival at Boulder’s VisionQuest Brewery. The lineup includes more than 25 performers, 10 food vendors and 55 artist booths.

Aspen FilmFest opens Tuesday

The renowned 46th festival comes to the Aspen Film Isis Theatre.

"La Grazia," directed by Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino, opens the festival Tuesday.

The festival closes Sunday, Sept. 21, with "The Muppet Movie." In between are eight feature films and six documentaries, including the world premiere of “Dreamboats” directed by Zach Thompson. It is the story of two chefs who row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

The chefs and director Zach Thompson also will answer audience questions after the screening.

Photo courtesy of CAVE (Colorado Association for Association for Viticulture & Enology)

Colorado Wine Week starts Monday

The Colorado Mountain Winefest is the state’s biggest wine festival in the state’s biggest wine town. Palisade is dotted with an ever-growing number of wineries, and most will be represented alongside other Colorado wines at the festival.

The event runs from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, in Riverbend Park, and includes unlimited sips from dozens of Colorado wineries, live music, silent disco, a grape stomp, chef demonstrations and educational seminars.

There also will be events at many wineries across Colorado in the week leading up to the festival, including food pairings, winemaker dinners, a fundraiser concert at Restoration Vineyards, a vintage wine tasting at Colorado Cellars, a harvest festival at Buckel Family Wines, falconry experiences at Talon Wines and more.

Click here for an itinerary for touring through Colorado wine country.

PLAN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Photo courtesy of Smalltown for the Cause

Music and yoga in Salida Sept. 18-20

Campout for the Cause returns after a six-year hiatus. The event has been rebranded as Smalltown for the Cause. The new iteration will bring back the causes, activities, artistry, and mindfulness previous attendees have grown to love about the three-day yoga and music festival.

For more information and to meet the organizers, read our preview story here.

Fresh hop beer fest in Montrose Sept. 20

Billy Goat Hop Farm in Montrose hosts the fourth annual Southwest Fresh Fest. Attendees can sample fresh hop and seasonal beers from across the region. The event also includes live bluegrass music, local food trucks, farm tours and games.

Bluegrass and beer in Breckenridge Sept. 26-28

Breckenridge Bluegrass & Beer opens Sept. 26 with a beer pairing dinner at Sauce on the Maggie. Saturday brings the grand tasting at Main Street Station, including live music from Grass it Up. VIP access begins at 12:30 p.m., and GA access runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday brunch at Sauce on the Maggie rounds out the weekend.

Books in Aspen Sept. 26-28

Aspen Words hosts the first Aspen Literary Festival, starting Sept. 26. The three-day event brings 40 authors for lectures, panel discussions, parties and more. Presenters include prolific mystery writer Malter Mosley, “The Big Short” and “Moneyball” author Michael Lewis, “The Nix” author Nathan Hill and “The Perfect Storm” author Sebastian Junger.

Paid tickets are required for some events.

Blues in Colorado Springs Sept. 27

Grammy nominee Ruthie Foster headlines the fifth annual Blues on the Mesa festival at Gold Hill Mesa in Colorado Springs. The lineup also includes Mike Zito, Eden Brent, Jack Hadley and Grant Sabin.

The festival will also bring local food and drink vendors, a health fair and more. General-admission and VIP tickets are available, and children 16 and under are free with a paying adult.

Wine Festival in Cañon City Sept. 27 and 28

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City hosts its 23rd annual Harvest Festival.

The event is free and open to the public, with wine, live music, food, chili roasting, a farmers market, and arts and crafts vendors. The two-day event opens at 10 a.m. Saturday with the blessing of the harvest by Father Jesse Perez of St. Michael’s Catholic Church.

Musicians include Hammerstadt Fusion of the Soul, Deja Bluz, Gentle Rain and Deep Blue Sea

Celebrating elk in Estes Park Sept. 27 and 28

Estes Park celebrates its most famous fall visitors at the Estes Park Elk Fest in Bond Park. Saturday opens with a 5K run. Both days also bring a bugling contest, educational presentations, live music, Native American dancing and more.

Elk will also wander through and around town, but be warned that elk can be aggressive, especially during the rut, or mating season.

Whiskey fest in Breck Oct. 3-5

The Breckenridge Craft Spirits Festival, also known as Still on the Hill, comes to Breckenridge, with live music, seminars, cocktail pairing dinners, mine and distillery tours, happy hours and more.

The highlight of the event, though, is the grand tasting from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Riverwalk Center, offering a chance to sample spirits, meet distillers, and vote for their favorite sips.

Local restaurants serve gourmet bites, and Local Folk will play bluegrass music. Advance tickets cost $70, including unlimited tastings. The event is 21+, and no pets are allowed.

Bluegrass festival near Manitou Oct. 3-5

The Buffalo Lodge Bicycle Resort is a unique lodging option between Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs that aims to foster community and excitement around cycling.

The hotel will host the Buffalo Grass festival, including live music, group bike rides, yoga, vendors, bluegrass circles and more.

The music headliners are Wirewood Station on Friday, Blue Canyon Boys on Saturday, and Magoo on Sunday.

Beer fest in Manitou Oct. 4

Down the road in Manitou, the 10th Heritage Brewfest moves to early fall and showcases regional Southern Colorado beer and music. The event is a fundraiser for the Manitou Springs Heritage Museum.

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.