A 24-hour spoke-tacular.
Gunnison provides the backdrop for a 24-hour relay bike race in which individual entrants and teams ride a 13-mile loop continuously from noon Aug. 15 to noon Aug. 16. The person/team in each category with the most laps wins. A shortened 12-hour race that starts at midnight and finishes at noon also is offered.
Letting the chips fall.
About a dozen wood carvers from Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Washington will gather Aug. 19-21 in Legion Park in Gunnison to transform tree stumps into art for the Carvin’ Up Colorado event. The chain-saw carving competition will start at 10 a.m. Aug. 19 and 8 a.m. Aug. 20 and 21. Judging will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday. 970-641-7992
The pulse of summer.
Mount Sneffels Half Marathon and the Grillin’ Chillin’ Thrillin’ Music & Brew Fest takes place in Ouray on Aug. 28. Get your heart going during the half-marathon, then unwind in Fellin Park with live music, barbecue and microbrews from the Western Slope.
Early lederhosen alert.
Oktoberfest in Beaver Creek, Sept. 4-5, offers oompah music, beer, brats and more. Enjoy traditional music from Helmut Fricker and Trachtenkapelle, a visiting band from Beaver Creek’s sister resort in Austria, Lech-Zurs.
Baa’d to the bone.
The 24th annual Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials will take place Sept. 8-12. This competition will bring together 125 top international dog/handler teams who will compete for a $25,000 purse plus other prizes. There also will be an art contest/auction; food and craft fair; dog handling, saddle making and other demos; a petting farm; pancake breakfasts; a bluegrass concert; and more. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors and kids age 8-16 and free for the under-8 crowd.
Beer, chili and an uphill run.
Mount Crested Butte’s Annual Fall Festival of Beers & Chili Cook-Off will be held Sept. 11 at the base of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort ski area. Sample chili prepared by area cook-off contestants noon-2 p.m. and wash it down with a cold brew, poured noon-4 p.m. by several microbreweries. Live music will be played through the afternoon. Visitors can also enter the Beer & Chili Dash and Dine 10K Fun Run. Registration will be at the ski base beginning at 10 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. start. Admission to the festival costs $20 per person and includes unlimited beer samples, chili samples and music. It is an extra $5 to also participate in the Fun run, or $10 to do the 10K by itself.
Rolling in Copper.
Enjoy a weekend full of criterium racing, cyclecross racing and leisurely fall colors rides during the Copper Criterium Sept. 10-12. For registration and event information, visit .
Compiled by Anya Semenoff
