Switch on the Holidays Pictures are Here

The Daily Camera has some fantastic photos from Switch on the Holidays last Friday, November 24th. Check them out here: http://www.dailycamera.com/photos/galleries/2006/nov/24/switch-holidays/

Got some of your own? Share them with us at info@dbi.org, and we'll post the good ones!

Munchkin Masquerade Pictures are Here

As we mentioned in our Event Recap for Munchkin Masquerade, there were some amazing costumes downtown. Our photographer, Sherri O'Hara, came through with some amazing pictures of those amazing costumes, and we've now got them posted on our website! So go on, visit boulderdowntown.com/events/MunchkinMasq2006, and see if you can spot yourself or someone you know!

Event Spotlight: Halloween Downtown

Despite temperatures in the 30s, there was a great turn-out for the Munchkin Masquerade on Pearl Street Mall last night! Stores up and down the mall, and even as far up as the St. Julien Hotel, were in the spirit with Treat Stops, and they weren't disappointed. Super-heroes from Spiderman to Batman to Superman were out in full force, as were the many Harry Potters, Elmos, pirates and fairies.

My personal three-way tie for the most original kid costumes I saw were Ralphie the CU Buffalo, an iPod, and a rollercoaster ride. Sadly, I was too busy fielding basketballs at the Downtown Boulder Treat Stop to snap pictures of them. But you know who you are -- if you've got pictures, send them in!

I saw quite a few parent-child costume teams as well, which made me smile. I always wish for a good excuse to dress-up on Halloween, but wasn't quite ready to brave the cold this time. Kudos to those who did; I think my favorite adult-child costume team was Yoda and Princess Leia.

Our Deputy Director, when pressed, estimates a turn-out of about 4,000 to 5,000 people last night during the Masquerade, which ran from 3pm to 5pm. As we were packing up our Treat Stop it only got busier, so I can only imagine the fun later on last night!

Here's hoping you all had a great time, got lots of candy, stayed warm, and had a Happy Halloween!

Fall Fest: More than Beer

Here's an inspiring take on Fall Festival from the People's Clinic, an organization dedicated to raising health awareness and providing health care services to those in need:

http://peoplesclinic.blogspot.com/2006/10/boulder-fall-festival.html

Event Spotlight - Fall Festival

The only things that said Fall downtown this weekend were the leaves on the trees, the polka band on Saturday afternoon, and the signs proclaiming Fall Fest. The weather, on the otherhand, would have been nice to have for ArtFair back in July! It must be some kind of record to have gorgeous, sunny, 80+ degree weather for both ArtFair and Fall Fest in a single year. I expect the Guiness Book of World Records to call any day now...

In any case, it was an amazing weekend. Another record setter was the giant pumpkin buffalo, courtesy of master pumpkin carver Scott Cummins -- possibly the most camera phone pictures taken in the history of camera phones!

A personal best, I managed to pour four cups of Oktoberfest Marzen, courtesy of Walnut Brewery, without spilling a single drop OR generating more than a quarter inch of foam. An aspiring bartender I am not, but it's always good to learn a new skill! The Beer Tent was packed all weekend, with local brews from Walnut Brewery, RedFish Brewhouse, Boulder Beer, and of course, Coors. Volunteers came through, and a great time was had by pourers and drinkers alike.

Families were out in full force. Who could resist the jumping castle, or the amazing food, or all of the free samples?

My favorite story to come out of this past weekend comes from our Event Coordinator. She was manning the information booth on Friday night, and the first band was up. Someone standing nearby said, "Hey, isn't that an old Firefall song?". She had the pleasure of turning around and saying, "That IS Firefall!"

Have a good Fall Fest story of your own? Leave it as a comment, and we'll post the good ones!

Event Spotlight- AVP

So the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour rolled into Boulder last weekend. It was a really cool weekend which kicked off Thursday with a sand court set up right in front of the courthouse. The court was awesome beacuse it was a regulation size and a few AVP players came down to play an exhibition match. I had to dodge a few mis-hits which rolled down Pearl Street, but it was a sight. Later in the evening, Sinjin Smith was there holding a clinic for kids and adults. It was neat to see such a famous player just hanging out and showing some skills.

I headed up to the reservoir on Saturday to see some of the tournament. I first tried to find my friend Amber who played college volleyball with me and who is part of the tour. Unfortunately, she lost so I completely missed her match! I caught the tail end of the quarter final match between Boulder favs Elaine Youngs and former Buff Rachel Wacholder. These two used to be teammates. The crowd was really into this match which made it really fun. Wacholder and her partner won the game just before the rain came. I also saw US National team member and Olympian Reid Priddy play. I love watching indoor players who transition to play outdoors. Envy of their incredible verticals I guess.

Though I missed Sunday due to my husband (I am blaming it on him), I heard it was great and the weather was really nice ( no rain like Saturday). US Olympic darlings Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh won the Women's event while the team of Metzger/ Lambert won the Men's.

So all in all , Boulder hosted another successful AVP tour stop. I cannot wait to see how they top the sand court on the mall next year.