ML - Aspen Peak

2012 - Issue 1 - Summer

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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F ront Runners Don Crawford, Carol Fuller (standing), and Pru Walton ride the Red Onion float at Aspen's Fourth of July Parade in 1976. on parade ASPEN'S MAIN STREET SETS THE STAGE FOR SASSY SUMMER FUN. F or more than a century, Aspen has staked its claim as one of the best places to celebrate the Fourth of July. Last year nearly 20,000 gathered for our patriotic tribute. The first July Fourth parade down Main Street is believed to have occurred in 1884. According to the Rocky Mountain Sun, a mining-era newspaper, "The day was all that could be desired. The sun shone bright and its hot rays were enjoyed in the cool breeze that came from the snow- covered ranges.... The parade was an honor to the citizens of Aspen." Since then, our pride in America's independence has only grown larger, and sometimes—as exemplified by this 1976 Red Onion float, "the red, white, and blue salute to the house of ill repute"—more uninhibited. "Parades were a little wilder back then," says longtime Pitkin County official Pat Bingham. "Someone was always pushing the envelope of political correctness. You might see a float that alluded to the end of the Vietnam War or a controversial local issue, or a little nudity. Fake bank robberies were staged at the Ute City Bank restaurant and Hotel Jerome bar, complete with gun-slinging good guys and bad guys on horseback. A time or two, horses were ridden right into the Jerome bar." The festivities will begin with a cannon shot from mining expert Jay Parker, evoking memories of late miner Stefan Albouy, who used to fire a blast from the vicinity of Smuggler Mine. Along with the storied noontime parade on Main Street, featuring an estimated 100 floats, attendees will enjoy the Boogie's Diner Buddy 5-Mile Charity Race, the America's Birthday Carnival at Paepcke Park, community parties, and a free downtown concert. A spectacular finale is assured, with evening fire- works over Aspen Mountain. Even for longtime locals, the kaleidoscope of colors is a sight that never gets old. AP 10 aspenpeak-magazine.com photography by aspen historical society collections

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