While I’m not one to play favorites, 2011 is definitely on the short list of exciting years at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. Here’s a quick look back at the highlights…
January: We announced that a new species of pseudoscorpion unique to Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves was named.
February: Bret Pfost, Disney’s Senior Manager for Worldwide Safety, Training and Compliance, spent a day sharing his process for building a safety culture with our management team.
March: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park was named Editor’s Pick for “Best Emerging Attraction” by Colorado Meeting + Events magazine at its annual Best of Colorado awards ceremony in Denver.
March: We launched a mobile site to provide our guests with helpful information while they’re on the road.
April: Our friend Julian Vogt celebrated his 100th birthday with a ride on the Alpine Coaster.
May: This one is hard to beat…Bert “the Conqueror” Kreischer and Sam Champion, Good Morning America’s meteorologist, visited the park and screamed like little girls on the Giant Canyon Swing. The visit, which still makes me laugh out loud, was broadcast on Good Morning America.
May: We kicked off our third annual Music on the Mountain concert series on Memorial Day Weekend AND opened the only Bungee Jump in Colorado!
June: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park was voted #1 in two categories in the annual Post Independent’s Locals’ Choice Awards: Top Locals Attraction and Best Place for a Kids’ Birthday Party!
July: The Bert the Conqueror episode featuring our owner Steve Beckley sharing his first-ever ride on the Giant Canyon Swing with host Bert Kreischer, aired on the Travel Channel. Steve and Jeanne’s sons Shane and Stenar, along with many of our employees, were stars on the show as well.
July: More than 1,200 cavers from around the world visited Glenwood Springs as part of the National Speleological Society’s annual convention. The “Howdy Party” was officially the largest single private event in our history, and the convention itself was the largest ever held in Glenwood Springs.
July: Glenwood Springs was named the Most Fun Small Town in America during the USA Today – Rand McNally “Best of the Road Rally!”
August and September: Our Music on the Mountain concert series continued. All combined, the community donated more than 7,600 cans of food for the LIFT-UP food pantry during the series!
October: Since we’d set the lofty goal of reaching 10,000 cans during the 2011 Music on the Mountain series, our management team presented LIFT-UP executive director Mike Powell with a check for $1,200 to purchase the remaining 2,400 cans.
As the year winds down, we are all thankful for the support of our community, our guests, our fans, friends and followers, for a successful year. Here’s to even more fun in 2012!
Glenwood Caverns Tops Off 2011 Music on the Mountain Series with Donation to LIFT-UP.