Crystal Valley Blog

What a weekend! The best festival on the Front Range, Parker Days, features the incomparable Trace Adkins (he performs tonight!) and next week you can catch country mega-star Clint Black, if you head south. From tribute bands playing Beatles and Van Halen favorites, to a classic car show and chemistry camp, there’s much to choose from to fill up the weekend!

Thursday-Sunday, June 7-10

TRACE ADKINS AT PARKER DAYS!
Are you ready for the best festival on the Front Range? It’s Parker Days and it’s happening all weekend long, with carnival rides, strong man competitions, fun food, and music, including the great Trace Adkins and more bands that you can shake a corn dog at! Billed as the most fun you can have in a weekend, Parker Days includes a wine and whiskey tasting garden, inflatables, a waterfall attraction, three music stages, and no shortage of entertainment, food or fun!

Downtown Parker, 19590 E. Mainstreet, Parker
Thurs., 5:00-10:00 p.m.; Fri., 5:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.; Sat., 10:00 a.m.-Midnight; Sun. 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Free; Carnival Pass: $30; Food Tickets $1

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS
This musical comedy-farce is based on the movie by the same name and set on the French Riviera. When a big-time, smooth-talking British shyster meets a small-time American con man on the way to the coastal villa, they quickly discover the town isn’t big enough for both of them!

They make a bet that the first to con $50,000 out of a beautiful young heiress wins the right to stay in the town, and the other will have to leave. A swinging score accompanies the escalating antics of the two crooks as they battle it out over the rich sugar-mommy! Winner of 11 Tony Awards, New York Theatre calls the play “funny, not infrequently clever, with a nice sprinkling of the outrageous!” Recommended for ages 16 and older due to adult language and humor.

Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs
Thurs./Fri./Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$45
Phone: 719-634-5581

ROCKABILLY RIOT!
Brian Setzer, iconic guitarist, vocalist and three-time Grammy award winner is a “musician’s musician” credited with continually taking chances with innovative and daring musical styles, while single-handedly resurrecting two forgotten genres of music (rockabilly in the ‘80s and swing in the ’90s). Along the way, he has scored chart-topping hits, sold 13 million records and received the Orville H. Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award. His decorated career as founder/leader of the Stray Cats, his 19-piece Brian Setzer Orchestra, and as a solo artist has earned him the title of one of the world’s greatest living guitarists.

Hudson Gardens, 6115 S. Santa Fe Dr., Littleton
7:00 p.m.
Tickets: $29-$39
Phone: 303-797-8647

Friday, June 8

THE WHO/VAN HALEN TRIBUTE BAND
Van-WhoLen, the Who/Van Halen tribute band will wake up the wildlife to kick off the summer at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle. This group personifies two of the greatest rock bands of all time, with music that says it all. Grab your bell bottoms and plan to dance the night away in your rock star and bohemian attire as you step into the time machine and head for the 90s. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and Mama Lisa’s famous pizza will be served at 6:00 p.m.

Cherokee Ranch, 6113 N. Daniels Park Rd., Sedalia
7:30 p.m. 
Tickets: $45
Phone: 303-688-5555

BEATLES’ EXPERIENCE ON THE TERRACE
Yesterday and Today: The Interactive Beatles Experience is the nation’s most innovative and unique show utilizing the works of the Beatles. This amazing group, anchored by The McGuigan Brothers, does away the worn out “tribute” format of bad wigs and fake accents. Instead, they perform as themselves and leave the song choices completely up to you! A set list is created five minutes before the show, based upon the songs chosen by you and your friends! Every show is different and interactive, and everyone has a favorite Beatles’ song!

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $30-$50
Phone: 720-509-1000

Friday-Saturday, June 8-9

NIKKI GLASER LIVE!
Nikki Glaser is one of the most sought after young comedians and actors in the comedy world today. She was the creator, executive producer, and star of the hit Comedy Central series Not Safe with Nikki Glaser featuring some of comedy’s funniest voices. The series premiered in February 2016 and was also Comedy Central’s first series to be introduced and developed across multiple social platforms, including a companion Snapchat original series, Quickie with Nikki.

Previously, Nikki hosted the MTV late-night talk show Nikki and Sara LIVE and co-hosted the popular podcast You Had to Be There. She has also made memorable appearances on Comedy Central’s @midnight with Chris Hardwick, Inside Amy Schumer, The Roast of Rob Lowe, and has had multiple appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Comedy Works South, 5345 Landmark Pl., Greenwood Village
Fri./Sat., 7:15 & 9:45 p.m.
Tickets: $28
Phone: 720-274-6800

Saturday, June 9

CLASSIC CAR SHOW
You know the seasons have changed once you start to see the car shows popping up in and around Castle Rock. These shiny and polished restored classic cars are the talk of Highlands Ranch and not only are there plenty of amazing vehicles on display, you can also enjoy food, music – fun for the whole family. 

Cherry Hills Community Church, 3900 Grace Blvd., Highlands Ranch
10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Free (Car registration: $20-$25)

Sunday, June 10

ZIKR DANCE
The Zikr Dance Ensemble’s Runes will focus on the ancient magical northern European alphabet as it was used in its symbolic form for divination and prophecy.  This stunning new work will feature the use of a cyr wheel along with a breathtaking set of monolithic structures designed by Perspective Design Fabrication visionaries Devin Gores and Charles Lefkowitz. 

The Zikr Dance Ensemble  offers a spectrum of works that are based on transcendent dance rituals from many different ancient world cultures along with original and contemporary  dance/theatre realizations. The Ensemble’s varied and unique repertoire ranges from the Gurdjieff sacred movements, including The Assyrian Women Mourners, which is over 2,000 years old, to hypnotic interpolations of the Sufi Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes and the Balinese Sanghyang trance dance. The breathtaking choreography and music is complemented by mesmerizing visual projections, completing an evening of mystery, rite and revelation.

Lone Tree Arts Center, 10075 Commons St., Lone Tree
2:00 p.m.
Tickets: $24-$29
Phone: 720-509-1000

TOMMY EMMANUEL
Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel has a professional career that spans over four decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world. A household name in his native Australia, Tommy has garnered hundreds of thousands of loyal fans worldwide. Tommy’s unique style – he calls it simply “finger style” – is akin to playing guitar the way a pianist plays piano, using all ten fingers. As a solo performer, Tommy’s dazzling performance, flawless guitar skills and voluminous repertoire never fail to amaze and engage

Emmanuel’s music and life are legendary in Australia. He began playing guitar at age 4, by learning to play by ear without any formal instruction. Emmanuel and his older brother Phil were child prodigies, starting their professional career in the 1960s. By the age of six, Tommy was already working as a professional musician. Guitar legend Chet Atkins was one of the first to inspire Emmanuel to pick up the guitar as a child. Decades later, Atkins himself became one of Emmanuel’s biggest fans.

Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
6:00 p.m.
Tickets: $35-$50
Phone: 719-529-7469

Monday-Friday, June 11-15

CRAZY CHEMISTRY CAMP
Explore molecular madness, crazy chemistry and all kinds of radical reactions as you whip up potions in this exciting chemistry-themed camp! Find out how different chemicals react when mixed together and use your skills as a chemist to create several fun projects to continue your scientific discoveries at home!  Learn how to properly use laboratory equipment and safety gear — we’ll cover proper lab terminology and safety protocols.  Explore the use of catalysts, indicators, cross-linkers and other special chemicals! Sign up now for this week-long class for ages 6 to 11.

Lone Tree Hub, 8827 Lone Tree Pkwy, Lone Tree
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Cost: $199
Phone: 720-245-2601

Tuesday, June 12

NORTH KOREA: A CLOSER LOOK
Tensions between North Korea, the United States, and much of eastern Asia continue to accordion without any clear path for final resolve. Join Active Minds for a discussion of recent developments as well as a review of North Korean history. Looking at the dynastic leadership of the Kim family as well as the country’s ongoing development of nuclear weapons, the discussion will cover North Korea’s place in the world relative to global issues such as international trade and human rights, and what the future may hold as events continue to unfold.

Tattered Cover-Aspen Grove, 7301 S. Santa Fe Dr., Littleton
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
Phone: 303-470-7050

Wednesday, June 13

GRILL & CHILL
Every Wednesday this summer, the University of Colorado-South Denver will host a weekly backyard barbecue. The lunch features a delicious, $10 grilled summer lunch and the opportunity to connect with the surrounding community over lawn games and music. “Grill & Chill” will take place in the gorgeous courtyard which boasts native Colorado landscaping, unique architecture and a cascading waterfall. Get out and enjoy the weekly Grill & Chill — the perfect opportunity to soak up the sun, enjoy a fresh meal and have some fun!

CU South Denver, 10035 S. Peoria St., Lone Tree
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Cost: $10
Phone: 303-315-9444

AN EVENING WITH CLINT BLACK
Country music megastar Clint Black is returning to Colorado Springs amid one of the most storied careers in modern music. Black has sold more than 20 million records; earned more than a dozen gold and platinum awards in the U.S. and Canada; landed nearly two dozen major awards and nominations, including over a dozen GRAMMY nominations; and earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Black wrote or co-wrote every one of his more than three dozen chart hits, including A Better Man, Where Are You Now, When My Ship Comes In, A Good Run of Bad Luck, Summer’s Comin’, Like the Rain and Nothin’ But the Taillights, part of a catalog that produced 22 number one singles and made him one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the modern era.

Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs
6:00 p.m.
Tickets: $43-$53
Phone: 719-529-7469

Festival Season in Crystal Valley!
The possibilities for healthy, happy living multiply in the master-planned community of Crystal Valley, near shopping, restaurants, recreation and lots of local amenities. Visit the beautiful new models offered by D.R. Horton,  Kauffman Homes and Richmond American Homes to see the latest designs  in brand-new ranch and two-story homes, priced from the high $300s.