2012 Group Annual Dinner Time of Year!

With fall and winter approaching, the Four F's come to mind: Family, Friends, Festivities and perhaps my favorite-Food!

This month and next, the Boulder, Denver, Fort Collins, El Pueblo, and Pikes Peak Groups have exciting guest speakers, diverse topics, and delicious food at this year's annual dinners. And the public is welcome to join all CMC members, so bring a friend to join the CMC family for food and festivities! Here's a sampling of what each dinner will offer. Visit www.cmc.org for more information.

Aspen Group

Aspen's Annual Winter Banquet. We will gather on the top floor of the Mountain Chalet at 5:30p.m. for drinks and appetizers followed by adelicious buffet dinner.  

Date and time:  Saturday, December 15, 2012 at 5:30 pm.

Where: Mountain Chalet-top floor, 333 East Durant Avenue, Aspen, Colorado 81611

Cost: $37-includes a drink, appetizers, delicious buffet dinner as well as dessert.  Price includes gratuity. Additional beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets:  Please (1) call Carol Kurt at 925-6648 or email Carol at aspencomtclub@gmail.com to reserve a place and (2) then send your check made out to CMC-Aspen to Greg Rydell, POB 446, Woody Creek, Co. 81656.  Limit 80. 

Deadline: Must receive check by December 11, 2012. 

Additional info:  If there is space available at the door, the price will be $40.  We will have our famous CMC hats with solar powered lights available.  These make great presents and help us fund our activities.

Boulder Group

Boulder native and iconic rock climber Roger Briggs will talk about his evolution as a climber and conservationist using a selection of photos and DVD clips accumulated over the years. Roger was a central figure in the “free and clean” climbing movement in Boulder with an impressive list of first free ascents of famous routes. Having first climbed the Diamond in 1967 at age 16, he went on to pioneer numerous alpine 5.12 routes on Longs Peak. As founder and Chair of the Boulder Climbing Community, Roger has recently turned his attentions to issues of sustainability of our local climbing areas.

Date and time:  Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 6 pm

Where: Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Road, Boulder

Cost: $10 for both members and nonmembers

Tickets:  www.cmc.org/boulder

Deadline: November 2nd

Additional info:  Please send us your photos to share during the Annual Dinner slideshow which will run during the social and dinner hours. Send photos to dinnerpics@cmcboulder.org. For more information, see the flyer.

Denver Group

This year’s speaker at the 100th Denver Group Annual Dinner is none other then acclaimed adventurer, speaker and author Jeff Evans.  Jeff will tell us how he started his adventures as a “dirtbag” climber only to achieve acclaim by pulling off what most thought was impossible in the mountaineering world: leading blind climber Erik Weihenmayer to the summit of Mount Everest and beyond.  Jeff and Erik then went on to climb other peaks with other disabled climbers as well as taking an amazing 2nd place in ABC’s Expedition Impossible.

Date and time:  Sunday, November 11, 2012  at 5 pm

Where: The Historic Mile High Station @ 2027 West Colfax

Cost:  $35 (September 1-October 8)
$40 (October 9-October 31)
$45 (November 1-November 9)

Tickets:  Members purchase tickets HERE
Nonmembers purchase tickets HERE 

Deadline: Save $$ by Making Reservations before October 9th. No reservations taken after November 7th.
Additional info: Choose your entree from one of the following:

• Parmesan Crusted Chicken served with a spicy tomato nage
• Choke Cherry Gastrique Beef Medallions
• Carmelized Onion & Heirloom Tomato Tart with a wild arugula salad and saba

Fort Collins Group

Laura Pritchett will discuss her book Great Colorado Bear Stories. Her talk will include a slideshow that covers bears in Colorado -- such as grizzlies, the last grizzly, the most famous grizzly, Enos Mills’ work to protect grizzly, current black bear research and stories, and a small call-to-action to get
people to camp and live responsibly. She will have books to sign before and after her presentation. be signing and selling her book, Great Colorado Bear Stories. After our dinner, before the talk, we will take time to vote for the Fort Collins Group Council members for the coming year. At this time we also will recognize Fort Collins CMC members who have made special efforts on behalf of our Group.

Date and time:  Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 6 pm

Where: Northside Aztlan Community Center 112 East Willow, Fort Collins, CO

Cost:  Early Bird Deadline ($30 per person) - Postmark by October 27th
Final Deadline ($35 per person) - Postmark by November 5th

Tickets: Please view the flyer and send the last page in with your payment

Deadline: Postmarked by November 5th
Additional info:  Buffet Meal Menu: Appetizer (Spanish cheeses, cured meats, olives, and roasted red peppers), salad (mixed greens with a light balsamic dressing, tricolor peppers, feta, olives, and focaccia croutons), entrée (traditional paella – saffron flavored rice combined with garlic, onions, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, and optionally chicken), dessert (apple crisp). Beverages included: coffee, tea, iced tea, ice water. Remember: Price includes tax and gratuity.

El Pueblo Group 

The El Pueblo Group’s Annual Potluck Dinner will be held on November 2, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall at Ascension Episcopal Church, at 18^th and Grand Ave., Pueblo, CO.  Bring your favorite dish and join us for fun and frivolity!  Bring a friend.  There is no charge and no reservations are necessary.  Prospective members are encouraged to attend.

Date and time:  Friday, November 2, 2012 at 6:30 pm

Where: Ascension Episcopal Church, at 18^th and Grand Ave., Pueblo, CO

Cost:  FREE

Tickets: Just show up!

Deadline: None
Additional Info: Bring a dish to share

Pikes Peak Group 

You’re invited to spend an evening with Steve Gladbach who will be giving a presentation on “Colorado Mountaineering - A Climber's Spiritual Journey”. Steve Gladbach is a Kansas City native who moved to Colorado 28 years ago as a young high school teacher. He credits a fortuitous encounter with Gudy Gaskill, the first female president of the CMC, with a life-changing spiritual journey that causes him to seek serenity in the rugged Colorado backcountry. Door prizes for lucky members. 

Date and time:  Saturday, November 3, 2012at 6 pm

Where: Warehouse Restaurant (I25 and Hwy 24 - 24 W. Cimarron)

Cost:  $22

Tickets:Members and Nonmembers can register HERE

Deadline: October 26, 2012
Additional Info: Please choose an entree with your ticket purchase. Please call Christie Lee with additional questions: 719-635-2336

Shining Mountains Group

YOU'RE IN FOR A RIVETING EVENING! The annual diner will be at the famous 1914 historical CRAGS serving an elegant, sumptuous buffet dinner. An International Cuisine - Chicken Marsala, Spanakorizo Elegant sweet Grain Rice savored with delicate vegetables sautéed seasonings in olive oil, Medley of Seasonal Vegetables, Tossed Garden Salad Fantasie, Fresh Baked Artisan Rustique Sourdough Bread, Triple Chocolate Delectable Cake topped with Ganach and fresh Whipped Creme, Coffee, Tea, Decaf and much more.

The intriguing and provocative program, "Why Too Much Of A Good Thing Can Be Bad For Mountains: Nitrogen Pollution and Alpine Ecosystem Responses" - "Nitrogen Pollution Already Changing Rocky Mountain National Park". The engaging, informative Guest Speaker: Dr. William Bowman, Director, Mountain Research Station, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), University of Colorado, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder.

$19.00 includes elegant dinner, tax gratuity, and all evening's events.  For details, reservations, camping, lodge accommodations, etc. contact Madeline Framson (970) 586-6623

Additional Note!  Madeline will be 90 in November.  We will be celebrating her birthday with a cake and card at the annual diner.  We will have the card available early and circulating for all to sign.  Hope to see you there!