ICYMI: FAC at GCAP is TPTB

 If you’re all thumbs when it comes to internet acronyms, let us decode them for you: In Case You Missed It (ICYMI), Friday Afternoon Club (FAC) at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park (GCAP) is The Place to Be (TPTB).

Already midway through the summer season, with five weeks left, there are still plenty of opportunities to unwind at the end of the workweek with fun, food, friends and more! Every Friday from 5 – 8:30 p.m. through August 18, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park hosts FAC at the Lookout Grille, an indoor-outdoor venue with the hands-down best views in Glenwood Springs – including jaw-dropping sunsets over the Colorado River.

Each week features a different band, all playing danceable sets which could include anything from rock-and-roll to reggae and hip-hop. In addition to a mix of upbeat music, Glenwood Caverns’ FAC is famous for its drink specials that switch at regular intervals throughout the evening. With the spin of the wheel – similar to the Wheel of Fortune – the drink specials change every half hour. Enjoy wine, beer and cocktails at happy hour prices, from $2 – $4 per drink, with $2 Coors Light on tap all night.

The Park’s FAC also includes a free tram ride with a coupon that appears in the Post Independent printed and e-edition on Fridays. One coupon is valid for free tram or bus rides for up to four people starting at 4 p.m. Guests can also enjoy the Park’s rides and attractions during the FAC events. A Funday Pass, just $38 with the free tram ride, includes both walking cave tours and unlimited access to all of the Park’s rides and most attractions. The outdoor rides are open until dusk; the Laser Tag arena and 4D Motion Theater are open until the park closes at 9 p.m.

Two More Weeks of Mountain Fall Festival!

Have you made it up to the Mountain Fall Festival? If not, no worries! There’s plenty of time to head up Iron Mountain to Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, where autumn fun awaits!
The park is still alive with fall colors, and there are lots of great photo opportunities all over the park. It’s a beautiful place to enjoy your fall day.

Every day of the week, we have autumn decorations, a pumpkin patch, and Oktoberfest food and drink specials, including brats & kraut, seasonal beer and a Bloody Mary bar. We’ve also got spiked cider, hot chocolate and other cozy fall drinks. On Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., we ramp up the festivities with hayrides, kids games (with prizes!), face painting and pumpkin decorating. Kids can also participate in a sticker scavenger hunt! Watch our Fall Festival video to see what the festival is all about.

As always, you can enjoy our thrill rides and attractions. Get a spectacular view of the valley on the Soaring Eagle Zip Line and the Glenwood Canyon Flyer, or watch your little one’s face light up on the Wild West Express kid’s coaster. Zoom down through beautiful fall foliage on the Alpine Coaster, and then experience the magic and wonder waiting underground on one of our Cave Tours. Buy a Funday Pass for a whole day of fun at a great value.

Saturday, October 22 brings the band Alpine Echo up to the mountaintop, where they will play Octoberfest tunes all day long. Founding member Gerhard Rill is originally from Bavaria, Germany. He came to Colorado and started making music, and soon partnered with Bill Rill (also from Bavaria) and John Pataky (from Hungary). Together, the trio formed Alpine Echo. Joe Pologar of Leadville, Colorado later came on board to round out the band’s sound. The foursome performs festive, lively tunes that are a treat for the ears!

To celebrate the band, we’re bringing back Can-for-a-Tram: On October 22, bring at least one can of food to donate for a free tram ride to the top. Can-for-a-Tram benefits Lift-Up, a non-proft organization that provides humanitarian aid to struggling families and individuals in our community.

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Mardi Gras at Glenwood Caverns is a family friendly event

For more information, visit the Fall Festival page. The festival runs until October 30, and there are still two Saturdays left. We hope to see you soon!

Lift-Up: “A beaming light in a trying time of darkness”

As most people familiar with Music on the Mountain know, we partner with the non-profit organization Lift-Up for Can for a Tram, a program that collects cans of food at the tram base at every concert. We also collect turkeys in November for Lift-Up’s Thanksgiving meals during our Turkey-Tram-a-Ganza event. We thought we would shine a spotlight on this important organization that’s helped thousands of people all over the region!

Lift-Up began during the oil shale boom in Rifle, when workers flooded into the area, looking for jobs but living in cars and under bridges. In the ensuing oil shale bust in the 1980s, Lift-Up was invaluable when Exxon closed overnight and 2,000 people were suddenly unemployed. Ever since, they’ve been a facilitator for the community to respond to people in need.

While food collection and donation is a big part of their program, they do much more. “Lift-Up’s mission is to provide essential humanitarian assistance in the communities we serve,” says Kim Loving, Lift-Up’s director. “We serve the unemployed, underemployed and homeless in our communities.”

To show the impact they have, let’s look at the year 2015: in that year alone, Lift-Up gave out over 35,000 bags of groceries! They assisted 42,872  people in 2015 with everything from groceries, prescriptions, thrift store vouchers, bus passes, emergency help, and soup kitchen meals. Last year, Lift-Up assembled and distributed 1,738 food baskets during the holidays. “To me, our numbers served show the impact we have on the community,” Loving points out.

There are also the personal stories that put a face to the individuals that Lift-Up helps. Take the case of Lisa (name changed for privacy), a struggling mother who was at her wit’s end:
“This past winter, we found ourselves in need of help. We had mounting medical bills due to a sick child, and I was sick myself. This resulted in numerous ER visits and surgeries. We didn’t have medical insurance at the time so the bills added up quickly. We paid $800 a month in medical bills on top of a mortgage and other various bills. Soon, we were struggling to keep food in the pantry and on the table. In November, one of our debtors decided to raise our bill significantly, and would sue us if we didn’t keep up. This was most of our budget for food. We had no choice but to swallow our pride and reach out for help. I reached out to a friend who told me about Lift-Up and what it was all about. I remember crying all the way down to Lift-Up, thanking God that there was someplace that could help us keep our children fed.

When we arrived, I didn’t know what to expect. Debi, a Lift-Up employee, was so wonderful and just started filling boxes and bags of food for our family. She was so sweet and caring. There was no judgement; just love.
Lift Up helped us get through Thanksgiving and Christmas. They helped me with jackets and snow pants for my kids, so they could be warm during winter. We are so grateful for Lift-Up and what they did for our family. They were a beaming light in a trying time of darkness. We appreciate them and we are eternally grateful for providing what we needed and for their love and compassion.”

The organization is always trying to branch out and fulfill needs that aren’t being taken care of. Lift-Up began a new Mobile Friday Lunch program last November, in collaboration with the school district. Kids going to Garfield RE2 schools only go four days a week, so Lift-Up makes and distributes a nutritious sack lunch at three lower-income locations in Rifle on the days when school is not in session.

“We have distributed over 1,800 lunches so far in 2016. This program has been such a blessing for Lift-Up. I personally enjoy handing out the lunches to the kids. They have been so thankful and a joy to be around!” exclaims Loving.

During Turkey Tram-a-Ganza, people donating turkeys get free tram rides to the top of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

“I would encourage anyone who can to come join us and hand out lunches on Fridays. We start at 11:00 at Davidson Park in Rifle and end up at Joyce Park at 12:00. The middle stop is Cottonwood Springs Park, which begins at 11:30. The smiles and thank you’s are so worth it, even when it is really cold out.”

If you’d like to donate to Lift-Up in other ways, Loving says, “we are always in need of donated food items or even gift cards from grocery stores, where we can purchase meat for the pantries. Monetary donations are welcomed too!” A full list of items Lift-Up always wants on their shelves can help guide you.

“I would like the community to know that all of Lift-Ups’s programs wouldn’t be possible without the support we have received. I can’t ever thank everyone enough,” Loving concluded.

Bring at least one can of food to donate to Lift-Up and receive a FREE tram ride to the top for Music on the Mountain this weekend, and every Music on the Mountain show in the future. Thank you for making a positive impact on our community! For more information about upcoming concerts, visit Music on the Mountain.

Beatles music & fire performances kick off Music on the Mountain

It’s that time of the year again in Glenwood Springs, Colorado: live music season! Music on the Mountain, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park’s free mountaintop music series, returns this weekend for its 8th year. We can’t wait for another season of great music, mountaintop dancing and summertime enjoyment.

It all kicks off this Friday, May 27, with Doctor Robert. It’s become a tradition to start Music on the Mountain with this Crested Butte-based Beatles tribute band. Doctor Robert has well over 100 (and counting) Beatles tunes in its catalog. The four-member group celebrates the Fab Four in style with high energy, retro dress and a true love for playing the music. You will certainly have a great time bopping along and you can be sure that they sound amazing wherever they perform. That may be down to the Graham Slee HiFi equipment they use. The fun they have on-stage is always infectious!

Doctor Robert kicks off Music on the Mountain’s 8th season

To add to the celebration this year, Maciej Mrotek will perform the Dance of the Sacred Fire at 8:20 and 9 p.m. Mrotek and his team manipulate fire to create innovative, mesmerizing shows. Dance of the Sacred Fire has been performed on national and international stages, and we can’t wait to see it for ourselves. This magical performance is not to be missed!

Every year, Music on the Mountain, through the Can for a Tram program, raises thousands of cans of food for the Lift-Up community food pantry. This grassroots non-profit is committed to making sure no one in our Valley goes hungry. They truly “lift up” those in need, and Glenwood Caverns has been able to collect more than 53,700 food items for them since Music on the Mountain began in 2009.

The park is buzzing with activity, summer rides are open and the Summer Funday Pass is back. Come for the day to soar through the air on our Giant Canyon Swing or zoom across the cliff on the Cliffhanger Roller Coaster. Stay for an evening of music, fire, drink specials and merriment!

Bring at least one can of food to donate to Lift-Up for a free tram ride to the top. For more information, please visit Music on the Mountain. Hope to see you there!