Crystal Valley Blog

From a Native American Pow Wow and Wicoti to an imaginative What If Festival, you will find a wide variety of things to do this weekend from Castle Rock to Colorado Springs! Among them are benefits to help find cures for diseases or homes for slaughter-bound horses. Family-friendly activities include two days of exploring local history in Highlands Ranch! Don’t miss your chance to try something new this weekend!

Thursday-Friday, September 6-7

DANCERS FOR A CURE
While you don’t need an excuse to attend a dazzling dance performance, it only makes a great thing better to know that you are also contributing to a worthwhile cause in doing so. Dancers for a Cure is a benefit for Colorado Ballet soloist and dance photographer Francisco Estevez, who has recently been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. Proceeds from the performance will also support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

Be a part of this meaningful evening along with several Colorado dance companies that will be performing, including Colorado Ballet, Cleo Parker Robinson, Parasol Arts, Colorado Ballet Academy, Littleton Youth Ballet, Zikr Dance Ensemble, International Youth Ballet, Engage Movement Arts, and more.

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
Thurs./Fri., 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$75 
Phone: 720-509-1000

Thursday-Saturday, September 6-8

HIGHLANDS RANCH DAYS
This family-friendly celebration proves that history can be fun! This is your chance to explore the Highlands Ranch Mansion while learning all about a community’s heritage. Highlands Ranch Days features historical reenactments, blacksmithing, pottery, Indian fry bread, a petting zoo, a real chuck wagon, livestock displays, and more. Hay rides will provide views of the ranch not typically seen by the public. Tours of the mansion will be held throughout the event.

Don’t miss performances by Native American dancers and a raptor demonstration by Nature’s Educators. Parking will be limited on Thursday and Friday, and not available on Saturday. Access to the mansion on Saturday will be via a free shuttle from the Mountain Vista High School Parking lot, beginning at 8:30 a.m. 

Highlands Ranch Mansion, 9950 E. Gateway Dr., Highlands Ranch
Mountain Vista High School, 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $3-$5

LIVE TAPING OF COMEDIAN MITCH FATEL
If you are brave enough to be a part of twisted history, come out to this exclusive live taping of Mitch Fatel’s brand new special, I’m Very Funny, for Comedy Central! This is Fatel’s third stand-up special, and Satellite Radio fans will recognize him as one of their most requested comedians. 

Fatel has been showcasing his talent for the past 25 years. He appeared numerous times on both the Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A Colorado favorite, he was voted Best Comedian at the Aspen Comedy Festival in 2006. Don’t miss your chance to catch him live on stage after a five-year hiatus!

Comedy Works-South, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village
Thurs., 7:30 p.m.; Fri./Sat., 7:15 and 9:45 p.m.; Sun., 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $16-$24
Phone: 720-274-6800

Friday, September 7

ART TO THE RESCUE!
See some art, save some horses! Art to the Rescue is the first annual art exhibition and sale benefitting Drifter’s Hearts of Hope, a non-profit horse rescue. Proceeds will go directly to saving slaughter-bound horses and finding them loving, forever homes. The exhibit will showcase nationally and internationally recognized artists known for their work in landscape and equine themes. The ticket price includes a catered buffet meal and open bar.

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker
5:30-9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $125
Phone: 303-805-6800

NATIVE AMERICAN CELEBRATION DINNER
A wicoti is a night of appreciating Native American culture with entertainment and traditional Native American cuisine, and this celebration kicks off this year’s Native American Youth Summit! The dinner and party will be held on the veranda of Cherokee Castle, and you can take part in this special cultural event. 

The Native American Youth Summit (NAYS) brings together Native and non-Native students for two days to foster mutual understanding. Show your support for this endeavor that acknowledges the students’ efforts while enjoying entertainment featuring Reuben Fast Horse, an inspiring Lakota performer, and an amazing dinner!

Cherokee Ranch, 6113 N. Daniels Park Rd., Sedalia
6:00 p.m.
Tickets: $75
Phone: 303-246-7740

Saturday, September 8

NATIVE AMERICAN YOUTH SUMMIT POW WOW 
You can witness the beauty and spectacle of a Native American Pow Wow, complete with traditional Native arts and crafts, drumming, tipi-raising, drum-making, music, competitions and more! The Pow Wow is the culminating event of the Native American Youth Summit, hosted by the Tipi Raisers and Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation, with the assistance of CSU’s Native American Cultural Center. 

Cherokee Ranch, 6113 N. Daniels Park Rd., Sedalia
10:00 a.m.
Tickets: $5-$25
Phone: 303-246-7740

A DAY OF “WOWS”
If you believe in joy and hope, you won’t want to miss the annual What If Festival! This incredible day of showcasing innovation and creativity is a chance for the entire family to immerse themselves in whatever passion calls to them! Interactive experiences in engineering, cool science, technology, the arts, as well as free live music, delicious festival food, and a beer and wine garden make for an unforgettable day!

You will experience interactive presentations, hands-on demonstrations, exhibitions, and performances occurring throughout the Festival. “This festival has the power to help make our community a more amazing place by bringing people of all ages together to celebrate the power of creativity” (Daniel Johnson, Director of The Innovative Minds Program, Colorado College).

Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Tickets: FREE

CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE
Take part in this exclusive, exhilarating air and auto show that showcases a collection spanning all collectible eras! If you are an aircraft, automobile or motorcycle buff, you won’t want to miss your chance to see this incredible array of the earliest significant models to breathtaking modern jets and super cars!

The list of attractions at this event boasts one-of-a kind vintage vehicles, one-off-assembly automobiles as well as custom private jets and extraordinary vintage aircraft. Proceeds from this event will benefit children’s cancer research. The sponsor of the event, the Morgan Adams Foundation, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and survival rates of children diagnosed with pediatric brain tumors and other rare cancers.

Centennial Airport, 7425 S. Peoria Cir., Englewood
6:00-10:00 p.m.
Tickets: Starting at $250
Phone: 303-758-2130

CULTURE CLUB WITH BOY GEORGE
If you remember Boy George from the 1980s, when he was sporting dreadlocks and a bowler, you will also remember all the classic hits of Culture Club, including Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, Karma Chameleon and I’ll Tumble 4 Ya. Now this iconic British performing artist is making a name for himself again, by re-forming and touring with his beloved band! 

Culture Club is….”a true show band, with a master at its center. If you like…to be transported by music, if you are in search of authenticity in a land inundated by fake, then this is your gig!” (Music Critic Bob Lefsetz). Also appearing is the equally dynamic B52s, so this is a concert you won’t want to miss!

Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, 6350 Greenwood Plaza Blvd., Greenwood Village
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $29.50-$89.50
Phone: 303-220-7000

POWERHOUSE SINGER MORGAN JAMES
Hailing from New York, Morgan James has had plenty of experience belting out a wide variety of songs on Broadway and more intimate gigs. But with her first studio album as an independent artist, co-writing all of the songs, James emerges as a voice worth listening to.

The album is stocked with lush horns and harmonies, and stretches limbs between genres for a sound all its own. From the Rufus-inspired soul swagger of the opening track Up In Smoke, to the delicious R&B slow jam You Thought Not, to the infectious soulful pop of Unworthy, James takes the listener into her new era of freedom and empowerment.

PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $34-$39
Phone: 303-805-6800

Sunday, September 9

FOLK STOMPERS
The Passport to Culture program is back with the Folk Stompers, an entertaining group of musicians who explore the history of acoustic, folk instruments and genres. Designed specifically for children and families to experience art outside the classroom and inside a world of imagination through performances, this event is a fun way for you and your kids to learn about the history of folk music. In the spirit of Pete Seeger, Folk Stompers use their instruments to explain the global influence of folk from songwriting to strengthening community.

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
1:30 p.m.
Tickets: $5
720-509-1000

Music, Theatre and More Near Crystal Valley!

Living in Crystal Valley is convenient to all kinds of events for the entire family! There are a wide variety recreational and educational events plus first-class entertainment not far from your front door in this master-planned community – one of the top five fastest-growing in the state!. Tour one of nine beautiful new 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.