By Rosemary Fetter
Summertime in the city means a trip to the mountains, and there’s no better way to enjoy a Colorado summer than a drive to Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek. Once you arrive, there’s plenty to do – great restaurants and gaming, and lots of activities and events. The following are scheduled for June. Check in advance in case of change.
For a more “Things to Do in Central City,” check out the Visitor Center, 103 Eureka St. at the Northern End of Main Street in the old Wells Fargo Building. Open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. For information, call the Visitors Center at 303-582-3345.
BLACK HAWK
High Tea at the Stroehle House
June 13, 2 p.m., 231 Chase St. This quaint summer home for a pioneer family was willed to the County Historical Society along with several family antiques and an 1859 Grand piano. Admission is $25 per person, reservations required. Call 303-582-5283.
CENTRAL CITY
Visitor Center Art Gallery
Through July 5, Peak Season Colorado Landscapes, 103 Eureka St. Features work by Gayle MacDougall, Becky Silver, Gale Gatto and Hazel Henley.
Gilpin County History Museum
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 228 E. High St., Central City. New historical exhibit: What Nice Licenses! The History of Colorado License Plates. Victorian era parlors, kitchens, schoolrooms and even a backyard display with long-johns (long underwear of the era) hanging on the clothesline Visit www.gilpinhistory.org for further information.
Tours of the Thomas House, Teller House, and Opera House are available year round through the Tour Office at Washington Hall, Tuesday-Sunday. Labor Day: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The cost of all tours is $6 per person, per building (includes the Gilpin History Museum). If more than building is visited, the cost drops to $5 per person, per building. Children 12 and younger are always free.
Museums include:
Washington Hall, 217 Eureka St. Includes a jail (museum) and outdoor fountain garden, and unique gallery with five rustic rooms displaying 3,800 sq. ft. of art from more than 100 artists throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
The Thomas House, 228 E. First High St. Greek revival style frame house built in 1874 around the entrance to a mine. House is furnished and decorated circa 1917.
Teller House, Opera House, 123 Eureka St. Once billed as the most elegant hotel between Chicago and Mississippi, the Teller House is famous for The Face on the Barroom Floor (painting of a woman’s face) and elegant murals. Now used mostly for events. The Central City Opera House opened to rave reviews in 1932 and still holds an opera festival each summer.
Coeur d’Alene Mine Shaft House, Saturday and Sunday. The mine operated from 1885 until it stopped production in 1940.
Madame Lou Bunch Day
June 20, noon – 4 p.m., Main Street. Traditional Central City event honoring Lou Bunch, the city’s last Madame, who ran Central’s most successful bordello. Includes brass bed races, historic costumes and costume contest, and awards. Bed races at 3 p.m. Visit www.LouBunchDay.org.
Central City Opera Festival 2015
The 2015 Festival offers two productions at the Central City Opera House and two one-of-a-kind one-acts performed in historic venues in Central City and creative spaces from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs.
Events listed here are held at the Central City Opera House, 124 Eureka St., except as noted.
June 25, 4 p.m. The Empowerment of Women in the Arts roundtable discussion.
June 27, Yellow Rose Ball and Flower Girl Presentation, Teller House, 120 Eureka St.
June 30, Opera Inside Out, Williams Stable Theater (across the street from the Opera House)
July 11 – Aug. 8, La Traviata
July 18 – Aug. 9, Man of La Mancha
July 28, Aug. 1 and 6, Don Quixote and the Duchess, Central City and Ft. Collins
July 29-30, Aug. 5, The Prodigal Son, Central City and Colorado Springs. Collins. For more information, tickets and times, visit www.centralcityopera.org
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