Leadville Celebrates its Mining and Old West Heritage with 63rd Annual Boom Days Festival
Leadville Boom Days
Leadville’s rich mining and Old West heritage will take center stage during the annual Boom Days Festival. This Colorado mountain town was one of America’s longest-lived boomtowns during the gold and silver heydays of the 1880s. This year’s celebration will offer entertainment and activities that range from mining competitions, a 5K and a rod and gun show, to live music, a street fair, historical re-enactments, shootouts and appearances by Old West characters. The 21-mile Leadville Boom Days International Pack Burro Race, the second leg of Pack Burro Racing’s Triple Crown, will top off this unique Colorado mountain festival.
The 2013 Leadville Boom Days kicks off off on Friday, Aug. 2, with the opening of the food and craft fair at 2 p.m., guided historical tours departing from The Delaware Hotel all afternoon and an opening ceremony and the Cloud City Riders’ motorcycle games at 5 p.m. Carin Mari and Woodman will perform at The Tabor Opera House at 7 p.m. (www.TaborOperaHouse.net) A dance and live music will follow at the Elks Lodge on West 5th Street at 8 p.m.
Saturday’s events will begin with a pancake breakfast on the Lake County Courthouse Lawn from 8 to 10:30 a.m. The third annual Vonnie’s Voice 5K Walk/Run (www.vonniesvoice5k.com) at The Center at 315 W. 6th St., and the Eagles Softball Tournament at the fields at Harrison Avenue and Leiter St., will begin at 8 a.m. The Leadville Rod and Gun Club’s annual rod and gun show at the 6th St. Gym and mining competitions behind the Elks Lodge, including jack leg drilling, spike driving, hand mucking and hand steeling, will both start at 9 a.m.
The always-festive Boom Days parade will start at 10 a.m. and will travel down Harrison Avenue, alongside the Lions’ Club beer garden, which will feature live music throughout the day. This year’s Grand Marshals will be the Leadville City Police Department, which has served the community for 135 years. The Cloud City Riders’ bicycle events will follow the parade. 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. (www.leadville-train.com) Guided tours will depart from The Delaware Hotel from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the Elks Lodge will host a dance with live music at 8 p.m.
There will be plenty of free fun for kids on Saturday as well, including a bouncy house, obstacle course, egg carry, sack races, water balloon tosses, a sand pile money grab and three-legged races, beginning at 1:30 at the Lake County High School Football Field on West 4th. Lake County High School will sponsor free events for teens at Ice Palace Park from 5 to 11 p.m.
The festivities will continue on Sunday with a pancake breakfast and the softball tournament beginning at 8 a.m., and the food and craft fair, team and kids’ mining competitions, and the rod and gun show at 9 a.m. Guided tours will depart from The Delaware Hotel at 10 and 11 a.m. The 21-mile Open Burro Race will also begin at 11, followed by the 13-mile Women’s Burro Race at 11:15. The Main Street Events will kick off next, including an 1880s costume mosey, costume contests and a pie-eating contest. The burro racers will start to return around 1:30.
Leadville Boom Days
In addition to the Boom Days happenings, Leadville and Twin Lakes offer a wide range of high-country summer activities, including hiking, biking, golf, museums, mine tours, shopping, fishing and camping. 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 beautiful scenery, affordable prices, history and outdoor recreation, 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. More information is available at https://www.
