Leadville Celebrates Boom Days August 6 – 8
July 26th, 2010Leadville, Colorado — The 60th Annual Boom Days hit the streets of Leadville, Colo., Aug. 6-8. This celebration of the area’s mining heritage will offer entertainment for people of all ages and interests, from mining competitions, motorcycle games and a rod and gun show, to live music, a craft fair and the 21-mile Leadville Boom Days International Pack Burro Race, the second leg of Pack Burro Racing’s Triple Crown.
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Boom Days will kick off on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 6, with a food and craft fair on Harrison Avenue, including more than 100 vendors along with the Lions’ Club Beer Garden and live entertainment. An opening ceremony will begin at 5 p.m., with the Cloud City Riders’ motorcycle games at 5:30 p.m., and Keir Magic Show at The Tabor Opera House at 7:30 p.m. A dance and live music will follow at the Elks Lodge on 5th Avenue at 8 p.m.
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Saturday’s events will begin at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast on the Lake County Courthouse Lawn and a parade down Harrison Avenue at 10 a.m. The Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad will provide a chance to see the alpine flowers at their peak with a Wildflower Special train ride at 10 a.m., followed by lunch and a stroll through the heritage gardens at the Healy House Museum. The food and craft fair will continue all day.
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Other highlights on Saturday will include: the 6th annual Boomin’ Auto Show, the Leadville Rod and Gun Club’s annual rod and gun show, and the Eagles Softball Tournament. The mining competitions will be held behind the Elks Lodge starting at 9:30 a.m., including jack leg drilling, spike driving, hand mucking and hand steeling. Kids’ bicycle games will start right after the parade at 4th and Harrison Ave. Additional events for kids, including sack races, water balloon tosses, a sand pile money grab and three-legged races, will start at 1:30 at the Lake County High School Football Field on West 4th. Live entertainment will continue throughout the day at the Beer Garden and on the Courthouse Lawn. There will be a spaghetti dinner at the Eagles Lodge at 812 Hemlock starting at 5 p.m.; a performance by Leon Littlebird and the Yampa Valley Boys at The Tabor Opera House at 7:30 p.m., and a dance and live music at 9 p.m. at the Elks Lodge.
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A pancake breakfast will start the events again on Sunday, beginning at 7 a.m. The food and craft fair will continue, along with the softball tournament, team mining competitions, and the rod and gun show. At 11 a.m., the Open Burro Race will begin, followed by the Women’s Burro Race at 11:15. The Main Street Events will kick off next, including an 1880s costume mosey, costume contests and pie-eating contests. The burro racers will start to return around 1:30.
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Boom Days is a dog-free event. Doggie day care and overnight boarding are available from Cold Nose Warm Heart; call 719-486-2014 for details. For more information about the schedule of events, visit http://www.leadvilleboomdays.com or call 888-532-3845.
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Located in the geographic center of Colorado, Leadville is just 103 miles west of Denver and 129 miles northwest of Colorado Springs, on US Highway 24, part of the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway. Known for its authentic mountain-town hospitality, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America. With average high temperatures in the mid-70s this time of year, it’s the perfect place to escape the summer heat and explore one of Colorado’s most historic towns. Click here for more information.
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