Djangofest Colorado Brings Gypsy Jazz to MT. Crested Butte

DjangoFest Colorado Brings Gypsy Jazz to Mt. Crested Butte Concerts & workshops slated for Labor Day weekend, September 5 - 6

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, CO - DjangoFest Colorado celebrates the tradition and spirit of Django Reinhardt, the great French/Belgian gypsy guitarist, and returns to Mt. Crested Butte for the second consecutive year over Labor Day Weekend, Sept. 5 - 6. The two-day festival provides an opportunity for gypsy jazz musicians and music lovers from around the globe to attend and participate in concerts and workshops by internationally renowned players.


Don't be surprised when impromptu “djam" sessions pop up wherever one turns, as the Mt. Crested Butte Town Center gets into the swing of things. In addition to the concerts and workshops mentioned below, Jason Anick will be accompanied by Kevin Nolan at a performance at Django's small plate restaurant and wine bar on September 6 from 5 - 7PM.


Concerts, Lodge at Mountaineer Square Conference Center
Saturday, Sept. 5, 8:00PM: Hot Club Sandwich
Kruno with Kevin Nolan & Simon Planting; Cost: $32


Sunday, Sept. 6, 3:00PM: Deco Django
Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan; Cost: $28


Sunday, Sept. 6, 8:00PM: Mango Fan Django
Andreas Oberg with special guest Kruno; Jason Anick with Kevin Nolan & Simon Planting; Cost: $32


Workshops, Grand Lodge Crested Butte
Several two-hour workshops will be offered on Sept. 5 and 6 for both novice and experienced musicians, giving them the opportunity to learn from Kevin Nolan, Kruno, Simon Planting, Alfonso Ponticelli, Tony Ballog, Juliano Milo, Beau Sample, Andreas Oberg and Jason Anick. Guitar, violin, accordion and slap bass seminars will be offered.


For times and specific details about workshops, go to www.djangofestcolorado.com. The cost is $40 per session.


Tickets, Lodging & Information
DjangoFest Colorado is sponsored by the Mt. Crested Butte Town Center Community Association. Visit www.djangofestcolorado.com for artist bios, tickets and more.


Stay right at the heart of the festival at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square in Mt. Crested Butte and also get tickets to all three performances for just $199 per person. Package price is based on double occupancy and can be reserved by calling Crested Butte Vacations at (888) 280-5721or visiting www.skicb.com.


Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages
To find out about Gunnison-Crested Butte events and attractions or to book personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's official reservations center at (800) 814-8893 or visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com. During the summer and fall, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines.


About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado
Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado. Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing. Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities. In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding. Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels.


Recognized as the “Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's “Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the areas conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails.


Gunnison, a real western town located 28 miles from Crested Butte, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, a four-year institution offering majors in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields. Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities.


In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorados largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our countrys newest national parks. Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.

Colorado's Forests Need Your Help!

Colorado's pristine roadless forest lands are home to many imperiled species such as the Canada lynx and cutthroat trout. Thanks to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more than four million acres of Colorado roadless areas are now protected from new logging activities and oil and gas drilling.

But the Forest Service has issued a proposal to roll back some of these protections, exposing vital wildlife habitat and key recreation areas to development.

Help us ensure this proposal does not move forward, and that Colorado's wild roadless heritage remains protected. Click here to take quick, effective action.

Sincerely,

Kathy Kilmer
The Wilderness Society

Tell the Bush administration not to log the wild forests of Hell Canyon

The Forest Service recently announced a proposal to log parts ofthe 5,900-acre Hell Canyon Roadless Area in Colorado's Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest. Hell Canyon is a pristine area, and an essential habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including mountain lions, black bears, elk, mule deer, wild turkeys, blue grouse and northern goshawks. Named by early explorers for its rugged landscape, the canyon also includes aforaging area for peregrine falcons and the headwaters forseveral streams; it also may contain ecologically valuable stands of old growth trees. Because the canyon has been left untouched until now, it remains a very special island of solitude, and most Coloradans, as well as Americans across thecountry, want these wildlands protected.

Although the Forest Service's overall proposal includes some important goals, including protecting houses on private landnear the forest from fires, most of the proposed logging in the roadless area is far from any homes, and is not necessary toprotect these or any other structures. Moreover, the proposed logging project could destroy important wildlife habitat and violate the Roadless Rule that protects roadless areas nationwide from harmful logging and road construction. Logging and roadbuilding could even increase fire risk by drying out the woods and increasing access for motor vehicles and people.

The Forest Service is accepting public comments on its proposed logging project through December 11th.

== What to do ==

Send a message, before the December 11th deadline, urging the Forest Service not to log roadless areas in Hell Canyon unlessthey are within 100 yards of buildings or private property.

== Contact information ==

You can send an official comment directly from NRDC's EarthAction Center at http://www.nrdc.org/action/

Or use the contact information and sample letter below to sendyour own message, and please include your own reasons why protecting these stunning lands from logging is important to you.

Dyce GaytonArapaho-Roosevelt National Forest
Canyon Lakes Ranger District
2150 Centre Avenue, Building E
Fort Collins, CO 80526
Email: dgayton@fs.fed.us

== Sample letter ==

Subject: No roadless logging in the Hell Canyon Roadless Area

Dear Mr. Gayton,

I urge you to ensure that the Thompson River Fuels ReductionProject protects the Hell Canyon Roadless Area. According to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, Hell Canyon provides essential habitat to an incredible array of wildlife, including mountainlions, black bears, elk, mule deer, blue grouse, northerngos hawks and peregrine falcons.

I support legitimate methods to reduce the risk of forest fire,but logging activity in remote areas is unnecessary to protect homes from forest fires and may actually increase forest fire risk to local communities by creating slash and increasing access to the forest. Logging in this area also could damage theremaining old growth forest and key wildlife habitat. For these reasons, I encourage you to plan logging in the Hell Canyon Roadless Area only within 100 yards or so of private land with ahome or other occupied structure, where the owners are committed to doing their part to make the property fire-safe, and where the activities are unequivocally allowed by the 2001 Roadless Rule.

I also oppose the construction of any new roads for the project,whether they are designated permanent or not, and urge you to concentrate all activities on land immediately adjacent to private land with homes that need protection. This is the proven way to protect homes and communities, and should be the highest priority for the Forest Service.

Sincerely,
[Your name and address]