FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:
Mandy Gauldin, 970-945-5534

LEADVILLE’S 59TH ANNUAL BOOM DAYS CELEBRATES MINING HERITAGE
Three-day event includes mining competitions, pack burro races, craft and food fair, rod and gun show, motorcycle games, live music, kids’ activities and much more

LEADVILLE, Colo. (July 17, 2009) — The 59th Annual Boom Days, which will take place in Leadville, Colo., Aug. 7-9, 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 a parade. This year’s 21-mile Leadville Boom Days International Pack Burro Race — the second leg of Pack Burro Racing’s Triple Crown — marks the 60th year of burro racing in Leadville. 

“Boom Days is a celebration of Leadville’s mining heritage and of the important role this area played in Colorado’s history as one of the country’s richest and longest-lived boomtowns,” explains event chairperson Jim O’Neal. “The weekend is packed with events, entertainment and activities; it’s a unique mountain festival that the whole family will enjoy and remember for years to come.”

Boom Days will kick off on Friday afternoon 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 7 p.m. A dance and live music will follow at the Elks Lodge on 5th Avenue.

Saturday’s events will begin at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast on the Lake County Courthouse Lawn. The food and craft fair will continue all day. Other highlights will include: the 5th annual Boomin’ Auto Show, the Leadville Rod and Gun Club’s annual rod and gun show, the Eagles Softball Tournament and a parade down Harrison Avenue. Kids’ bicycle games will start right after the parade at 4th and Harrison Ave. The mining competitions will be held behind the Elks Lodge, including jack leg drilling, spike driving, hand mucking and hand steeling.  Kids’ events, including sack races, water balloon tosses, a money pit 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. A dance and live music will start at 8 p.m. at the Elks Lodge.

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, Board Walk Race, and more. The burro racers will start to return around 1:30.

The Tabor Opera House will feature some special performances during the weekend as well. On Friday at 7:30 p.m. Duke Davis and his award-winning band Buckshot will perform a mix of traditional Western songs interspersed with cowboy poetry and humor. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Leon Joseph Littlebird and the Yampa Valley Boys will play Native American music ranging from primitive to the contemporary.  Tickets are available at www.taboroperahouse.net.

The Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad will provide a chance to see the alpine flowers at their peak. The Wild Flower Special train ride on Saturday will be followed by lunch and a stroll through the heritage gardens at the Healy House Museum. Tickets are available at www.leadville-train.com.

For more information about the schedule of events, visit www.leadvilleboomdays.com or call 888-532-3845. 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.

This summer, Leadville and Twin Lakes are celebrating 150 years of gold mining in Colorado with a Gold Rush Getaway Weekend Contest. Visitors can enter by stopping by any seven Lake County businesses for signatures, including any two restaurants, any two retail stores, any lodging property and any two museums. There will be six grand prize weekends given away throughout the summer, ranging from a summer camping weekend with horseback riding, to a fall foliage trip with a scenic train ride, to a three-day ski weekend. Gold Rush Getaway kits, which include the entry form, maps and helpful information about the area, as well as a kids’ coloring page and activities, can be picked up at the Leadville/Lake County Visitors Center at 809 Harrison Avenue in Leadville, Inn of the Black Wolf in Twin Lakes, as well as at restaurants, shops and lodging businesses throughout the county. Complete contest rules and information are available at http://www.visitleadvillecolorado.info/contest.

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. Go to http://www.VisitLeadvilleColorado.info for more information.

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About Leadville and Twin Lakes
Leadville, the highest incorporated city in North America, is located in the geographic center of Colorado, 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. Once one of America’s richest, longest-lived and bawdiest mining boomtowns, 70 square blocks of the downtown area has been designated as a National Historic Landmark of Victorian architecture. Activities include skiing, fishing, camping, golfing, hiking, whitewater rafting, four-wheeling, biking, museums, historical tours and train rides. Nearby Twin Lakes, located 15 minutes from Leadville at the eastern entrance to Independence Pass, is also a National Historic District and a popular summer destination for camping, boating, hiking and fishing. Go to www.VisitLeadvilleColorado.info for more information.