FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

LEADVILLE’S VICTORIAN DAYS WEEKEND OFFERS A GLIMPSE OF HOLIDAYS PAST, DEC. 5-7, 2008

LEADVILLE, Colo. (Oct. 29, 2008) — Experience the sights, sounds and tastes of an old-fashioned holiday during Leadville’s Victorian Days Weekend. Featuring a parade of lights, carolers, refreshments, a visit from Santa, Victorian Home Tour, a catered Victorian-style dinner and parlor casino games, this year’s event will run from Friday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 7.

“Leadville’s Victorian architecture, rich heritage and culture, with more than 40 blocks of the downtown area designated as a National Historic District, always allow our visitors to take a step back in time,” explained Heather Scanlon, Director, Leadville/Lake County Chamber of Commerce. “But each year during Victorian Days, we really pull out all the stops. It’s a real treat for anyone who wants to experience a holiday weekend in the late 1800s.”

The festivities will include:

Friday, Dec. 5
5:30 p.m.                    
Annual Parade of Lights, tree-lighting, caroling, holiday window displays, and a visit from Santa Claus (free).

Saturday, Dec. 6
10 a.m.                       
Registration at the Historic Silver Dollar Saloon (Register for all of the events and save $10 per person.)

11 .m. – 4 p.m.           
Christmas Victorian Home Tour: including stops at the newly restored Synagogue, the basement and historic printing presses at the Herald Democrat, plus three locations new to the annual tour. Homemade refreshments at each location. ($25 per person)

5:30 p.m.                    
Catered Victorian-style Dinner at the Elks Lodge ($30 per person, cocktails available at an extra charge; advance registration required)

9 p.m. - Midnight      
Casino Night: Guests receive a bucket of “fun money” to spend playing roulette, craps or poker, with a fun money auction at the end of the evening. ($10 per person)

Sunday, Dec. 7
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.         
Prospectors’ Lunch and Discover Leadville Presentation: enjoy delightful tales of Leadville history along with homemade soups, chili, breads and desserts. ($15 per person, advance registration required)

Victorian Days Weekend is being sponsored by The Leadville Chronicle. Call the Leadville Lake County Area Chamber of Commerce at 888-532-3845 or 719-486-3900 for reservations, details about the events, or lodging information.

Leadville features a charming selection of specialty shops, restaurants, galleries, and coffee shops. Lodging options range from an elegant Victorian hotel, inns and B&Bs, to lodges, cabins, and vacation rentals. Many offer special packages for this weekend, as well as throughout the winter months.

Leadville and nearby Twin Lakes are affordable, authentic mountain-town destinations, with incredible winter recreation activities, including downhill, cross-country and back-country skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice fishing and dog sledding. At an elevation of 10,152 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America, located in the geographic center of Colorado, 103 miles west of Denver and 129 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. All of the highways in Lake County have been designated as the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway, making it one of the most scenic journeys in the state.

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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 VisitLeadvilleColorado.info for more information.