Crystal Valley Blog

Free summer concerts continue this weekend bringing powerhouse bands with full horn sections! Enjoy these premiere Colorado cover bands, playing real live music—not background tracks! Plus, an impressive array of trucks at the Touch-A-Truck event at Highlands Ranch, where kids can even take a ride in a Monster Truck! It’s all happening this weekend, near Castle Rock.

TODAY/TONIGHT, Thursday, July 19

DANCE WITH WASH PARK!
This powerhouse band features dynamic vocalists, a full horn section, and a rhythm section to deliver an energy-filled concert of danceable music! You will be on your feet, moving along with the choreographed front line of the band! Voted as Denver A-List’s #2 Band in the state, Wash Park has been delighting crowds since its inception in 2009. The group is known for its powerful and faithful reproductions of the horn band era dance music from the 70’s to the top 40 hits of today.

Discovery Park, 20115 Mainstreet, Parker
6:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE

GROOVE ’N MOTION ON STAGE!
Rock with Groove ’N Motion this week at the Highlands Ranch free concert series! The band features a five-piece horn line and five-piece rhythm section to drive home your favorite horn-driven classics from Chicago, Tower of Power, Earth, Wind & Fire, Blood, Sweat & Tears, as well as current hits! Four outstanding and energized vocalists re-create your favorite tunes, and special requests are always encouraged!

Highland Heritage Regional Park, 9651 Quebec Street, Highlands Ranch
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE 

Thursday-Saturday, July 19-21

THE NEXT BIG THING – GARY GULMAN!
Comedy is one of the only places where “the next big thing” is a guy who has been doing it for 20 years! There’s no doubt that Gary Gulman is funny—he’s one of the few comedians who has performed on every single late-night television comedy program! And the Village Voice raves that he “will be the next giant ex-Bostonian comic to break huge, you heard it here first!”

You may have caught one of his many comedy specials featured on Showtime, Comedy Central and Netflix. Gulman placed third on NBC’s Last Comic Standing (Season 2) and he can be seen in the HBO series Tourgasm plus Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer.

Comedy Works-South, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village
Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 7:15 and 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $22-$27
Phone: 720-274-6800

Friday, July 20

MUSIC WORKSHOP AND CONCERT AT CHEROKEE RANCH!
Have you always dreamed of being a musician—getting up on stage and jamming? This all-day workshop is your chance to learn from two award-winning artists, followed by evening performances and a chance to jam onstage! All ages are welcome to this special event!

The workshop includes a crash course in the Blues, with award-winning artist Otis Taylor. You’ll learn about the African roots of the genre, followed by the call and response method, in an interactive and inspiring program that puts the student in the musician role. Joining Otis Taylor is singer-songwriter Gayle Skidmore, who will inspire with her award-winning songwriting talents!

Cherokee Ranch, 6113 N. Daniels Park Rd., Sedalia
1:00-9:00 p.m. (Workshop and Concert); 7:00-9:00 p.m. (Concert only)
Tickets: $45 (Workshop, dinner, and concert); $20 (Concert only)
Phone: 303-688-5555

ELK BANQUET AND DRAWING
If you are a hunter and are hoping for a chance to hunt just 10 minutes from home in the 8,200-acre Backcountry Wilderness Area, you won’t want to miss this event! At the annual Elk Banquet and Drawing, you will be entered into a special lottery to determine the tags: bull elk, cow elk, coyote, and spring turkey. The number of tags varies year to year as determined by the state.

The evening includes dinner, door prizes, first dibs at a new Backcountry Wilderness Area hat, the auction, and most importantly…the drawings! All of the proceeds raised directly benefit the Backcountry Conservation and Education Fund.

Southridge Rec Center, Wildcat Auditorium, 4800 McArthur Ranch Rd., Highlands Ranch
6:00-8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $60
Phone: 303-791-2500

Friday-Saturday, July 20-21

FINAL WEEKEND TO SEE THIRTY PLAYS IN SIXTY MINUTES!
A series of two-minute plays performed at lightning-round speed makes this experimental theatre experience mind-blowing! Three talented actors perform 30 plays in 60 minutes, presented in random order and with a stopwatch on stage to keep things moving and honest!

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is a witty collection of comic, tragic, political, personal and abstract plays. “The most clever, most urgent show in town” (Chicago Theatre) is recommended for ages 18 and over.

Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs
8:30 p.m.
Tickets: $18-$20
Phone: 719-634-5581

Friday-Sunday, July 20-22

SISTER ACT ON STAGE
A convent proves to be the perfect undercover hiding place for wannabe disco diva Deloris Van Cartier when she witnesses a crime, and hilarious antics ensue as Deloris livens up the nuns’ lives under the watchful eye of Mother Superior!

Don’t miss this uplifting musical with irresistible music that will have you swaying along as Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices—and unexpectedly rediscovers her own. Featuring original music by eight-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Newsies), Sister Act is filled with outrageous show-stopping dancing!

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker
Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat./Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $24-$29
Phone: 303-261-5153

Saturday, July 21

TOUCH A TRUCK AND SMILE!
Make your kids’ dreams come true when you put them in the driver’s seat of legendary vehicles like big rigs, fire engines, police cars, construction trucks, dump trucks—and even a Batmobile! The 7th Annual Touch-a-Truck event at Highlands Ranch also gives kids a chance rub elbows with their hometown heroes.

Let them take a jump or two in the bounce houses! How about a ride on a real Monster Truck? Food trucks will be on site for a great lunch option! While the event is free to the public, some activities have a small fee and food is an additional cost. Children must be accompanied at all times by a responsible adult.

Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE
Phone: 303-791-2500

ALL-AMERICANA MUSIC
One of the most endearing attributes of Americana music is its ability to continuously reinvent itself. Grammy-award winner Mollie O’Brien is a master at this skill. Together with her husband, guitarist Rich Moore, O’Brien refuses to remain within musical boundaries, preferring to make herself at home in any genre while never sacrificing the essence of a song.

O’Brien and Moore have been reinventing other artists’ songs for nearly three decades, with genius interpretations that are the hallmark of great singers. Songwriters themselves, they also add their own tunes to the canon of American roots music they inhabit. You won’t want to miss this evening of American musicianship at its finest, with twists and turns from blues to traditional folk to jazz to rock and roll!

Lone Tree Arts Center, Terrace Theater, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $27-$32
Phone: 720-509-1000

Sunday, July 22

PRINCESS TEA PARTY
Your daughter will love the chance to be a princess for a day, at a real castle, for a fairytale party she won’t forget! Fancy snacks and beverages, mingling with other princesses, and the opportunity to make her very own crown are just some of the highlights of this special party! Guest princesses will be on hand for photo ops! Reservations are required, and since this is a child-oriented event, castle tours will not be conducted.

Cherokee Ranch, 6113 N. Daniels Park Rd., Sedalia
1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $35
Phone: 303-688-5555

LEAD A SEMI-CHARMED LIFE!
Who likes the post-grunge 90s band Third Eye Blind? Turns out, pretty much everyone who realizes they are the band behind such recognizable radio hits as Semi-Charmed Life, Jumper, and How’s It Going to Be. Their songs are cultural touchstones from TV shows and movies of a whole generation.

Their concerts get rave reviews from fans because as band front man Stephan Jenkins says: “There are no spectators in Third Eye Blind shows. We’re all in this together.” Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of this iconic band as they promote their latest album!

Hudson Gardens, 6115 S. Santa Fe Dr., Littleton
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $42-$52
Phone: 303-797-8565

Crystal Valley Charm!

Just ask the residents here, the master-planned community of Crystal Valley, nestled in wide open spaces and just five minutes from historic downtown Castle Rock, the neighborhoods have a charm all their own. Take a spin through the community and tour the models offered by D.R. Horton, Kauffman Homes, and Richmond American Homes. Crystal Valley homes are available in ranch and two-story models and priced from the high $300s.