The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
With the uncertainty surrounding community gatherings due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the likelihood that the prohibition against large gatherings will remain in effect throughout the summer, the Center felt it was in everyone’s best interest to cancel the Center’s long-standing Alpenglow live music series and the Crested Butte Wine & Food Festival for Summer 2020.
“We deeply regret this extremely unfortunate turn of events, given the 28-year legacy of Alpenglow and the 10-year production of the Crested Butte Wine & Food Festival. We know how important these events are to the Crested Butte community,” said Interim Executive Director Melissa Mason. “But we felt strongly that we should not take any action that could place our locals, part-time residents, visitors and volunteers at risk. This was an extremely difficult decision for the Center because, like so many other businesses, individuals and families in our community, we are struggling to survive in the face of the pandemic’s devastating economic impact. Donations and sponsorships are a huge piece of the funding that sustain these events and the year-round operations of the Center,” Mason concluded.
Due to the Eighth Amended Public Health Order’s limiting public gatherings to 10 people, and the uncertainty of what the next order will allow, we did not see a way to safely and equitably produce the Alpenglow concert series nor the Food & Wine Festival as these social events typically draw several hundred people.
For Alpenglow, the Center looked at alternative models from ticketing each event, to performing within the Center’s indoor theater and streaming the shows to local businesses, but social distancing protocols will still be in effect regardless of crowd size and location, adding complexities from protecting at-risk populations, to enforcing separation.
Considering the unknowns, and placing the safety of its patrons and staff first, the Center felt it was the best decision to cancel Alpenglow 2020, and have released the scheduled artists from their dates at this time. The Center is currently communicating with the artists from this year’s lineup regarding similar dates in 2021.
“We certainly regret the implications these necessary actions may cause. Should a significant easing of public health restrictions occur during the summer in a way that would allow us to produce Alpenglow in a safe and equitable manner, the Center will not hesitate to recruit bands and endeavor to produce this event for our community,” according to the Center.
