More snow for Vail, Beaver Creek as valley gears up for MLK Day

Well that was exciting. A steady week of snowfall culminated with daytime blizzard-like conditions in the Vail Valley on Monday, shutting down the highway in numerous places and generally wreaking havoc with the work, school and ski schedule.

That’s a good problem to have, generally, unless you were stuck in the parking lot that was Interstate 70 in Dowd Junction.

We get a break in the snow Tuesday and Wednesday but then should see another significant storm roll through on Thursday and Friday – just in time for the ever-popular Martin Luther King Jr. Day three-day weekend.

“Monday brought snow through the day with generally 2-4 inches, a few areas around 6 inches, and a deep surprise in the southern mountains,” Opensnow.com meteorologist Joel Gratz wrote Tuesday morning. “Tuesday will be dry with a chance for light snow in the far northern mountains on Tuesday night.

“Then after dry weather on Wednesday, a strong storm will bring snow to all mountains on Thursday through Friday with 2+ feet possible for some southern mountains and 5-10+ inches for most other mountains,” Gratz added.

There will be plenty going on in both Vail and Beaver Creek for the holiday weekend, including a new American Express pop-up event in Vail.

And after skiing all the fresh pow, also be sure to check out Beaver Creek’s Vilar Performing Arts Center for this family-friendly show (press release courtesy VPAC):

Cirque Mechanics brings marvels to VPAC

See the troupe’s latest thrilling show at the Vilar Performing Arts Center in Beaver Creek Jan. 18

Experience the thrill of the historic one-ring circus with Cirque Mechanics latest show, 42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels. Prepare to be amazed as the Vilar Performing Arts Center is transformed into a modern circus, complete with strongmen, amazing acrobats and aerialists on Jan. 18.

Cirque Mechanics: 42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels lands at the Vilar Performing Arts Center (VPAC) on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $68 for adults and $48 for children. The show is part of the PAY YOUR AGE ticket program (18-30 years old) and also included in the ticket package Pick 3 Shows for $90/ Pick 5 Shows for $175 or Pick 8 Shows for $240. Tickets are available now at the VPAC box office (970-845-8497; www.vilarpac.org). The VPAC is located under the ice rink in Beaver Creek Village (68 Avondale Lane, Beaver Creek, Colorado).

At the center of every circus rests a 42-foot ring full of thrills, laughs and excitement. With 42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels, the creative minds at Cirque Mechanics dares the audience to leap into the circus ring and experience the timelessness of this evolving art form. The shows’ unique mechanical interpretation of the traditional, set alongside a story full of the lore of the historic one-ring circus, creates an experience that leaves audience goers awestruck. The show features a galloping mechanical metal horse and a rotating tent frame for the various acts. Cirque Mechanics signature style is wrapped in acrobatics, mechanical marvels, and a bit of clowning around.

Boston native and German Wheel artist Chris Lashua created the company in 2004. Lashua collaborated with the Circus Center of San Francisco on the show Birdhouse Factory and after its success, created Cirque Mechanics. With its unique approach to performance, inspiring storytelling and innovative mechanical staging, the company quickly found a following in its next extraordinary productions, including Boomtown and Pedal Punk. Spectacle Magazine hailed it as “the greatest contribution to the American circus since Cirque du Soleil”.

Although inspired by modern circus, Cirque Mechanics finds its roots in the mechanical and its heart in the stories of American ingenuity. The shows, rooted in realism, display a raw quality rarely found in modern circus that makes their message timeless and relevant.

See the company The New York Times calls “intelligently conceived and expertly executed” when Cirque Mechanics: 42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels takes the stage at the VPAC on Jan. 18.