Topic: Holidays

Ask anyone in the world to name the most important and beautiful person they’ve ever known and if the answer isn’t “my mother,” well, there’s something wrong.

Mother’s Day is Sunday and you’d best hustle if you haven’t found something extremely rare, unique and touching to give your mom.

If you haven’t been spending weeks putting together a personal scrap book of keepsakes or painting your mother’s portrait, we’ve got some ideas.

For the mountain-loving mother, we suggest a pair of hiking poles (Ptarmigan Sports in Edwards), a new outdoor bag (The Bag & Pack in Vail and Avon), or an ornate and highly distinctive bear trinket from the Golden Bear at Vail or Beaver Creek.

If mom likes pampering (and seriously, who doesn’t?), one of the best deals we’ve found in Vail is at the Sonnenalp. For $190, mom gets to stay in one of the Sonnenalp’s luxury suites, receives a bouquet of fresh flowers, a massage and gourmet Sunday brunch for two at Ludwig’s. You might want to jump on that one right here.

Also, the Mirador restaurant at Cordillera is offering a $40 four-course brunch including strawberries and cream, sorbet, main dish of choice and chocolate molten cake. The Mirador is also offering $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Yum.

If brunch is her thing, also consider Balata at the Sonnenalp Golf course in Edwards. For $37 per adult, the brunch includes a build-your-own eggs Benedict, beef and salmon en croute, grits, French toast and salads.

If mom prefers to keep the celebration to the evening, Vail’s famed La Tour restaurant is offering a $45 three-course special menu Sunday, featuring salad, filet mignon and lobster tail with accompaniments and choice of dessert.

Things may be slow around these parts, but Vail still knows how to do Cinco de Mayo right. Several Valley restaurants, which have remained open for the off-season, are offering appropriately themed drink and dining specials.

Two of the Valley’s favorite (and similarly named) Mexican restaurants will be celebrating Cinco in style. Fiesta Jalisco, with locations in Avon, Edwards and Eagle, will be offering Cinco de Mayo dining specials all day long until 11 p.m. Fiesta’s New Mexican Café & Cantina, located in Edwards, will be offering $4 Absolut Bloody Mary’s, dining specials, giveaways and tequila sampling throughout the day.

Vail’s rowdiest institution, Sandbar Sports Grill, will be offering beer and margarita specials starting at 11 a.m. all day long into Open Mic Night. So if you’re a little timid about getting on stage, why not head to Sandbar, celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and imbibe some nicely priced liquid courage before performing?

Avon’s Agave restaurant is going all out for Cinco de Mayo with some fantastic dining and drink specials, and live music. Enjoy $1 tacos, $2 beers, $3 margaritas and $4 rattlesnake tequila shots (sounds dangerous!) on their outdoor deck from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Local favorites The M.T.H.D.S. will rock out for the assembled Cinco celebrators starting at 5 p.m.

If you’re taking more of a DIY approach to Cinco de Mayo and plan to picnic or barbeque at one of the Valley’s many beautiful parks, we should see highs in the mid-fifties with partly cloudy weather.

Celebrate the spring and have a safe and happy Cinco de Mayo!

Colorado Prudential Gore Range Properties and the Town of Avon teamed up to present the largest Easter Egg Hunt in the Vail Valley.

The Easter Bunny has a lot of ground to cover in Vail and surrounding areas this weekend. Easter eggs are so much easier to find in the snow, and egg hunters are in luck, because there’s lots of snow AND eggs to be discovered around these parts.

On your marks, get set, GO! The hunt is on. The bunny hits Lionshead, Beaver Creek and Avon on Saturday, with a series of treat-filled eggs, then heads to Copper on Sunday for an Easter extravaganza open to big kids too!

• Saturday, March 22

The Avon Egg Hunt welcomes children ages 9 and younger from 10 a.m. to noon. Not only are there 10,000 eggs to be found at Nottingham Park, but opportunities to paint ceramic eggs, a monster mural, make picture frames, plant flower seeds, meet animals in the petting zoo and get crazy in the bouncy castle.

Meanwhile, the Lionshead Egg Hunt sees the Easter Bunny himself on Lionshead Plaza at 9:45 a.m. The egg hunt for children ages 2-10 begins at 10 a.m. with complimentary bags for gathering.

Hold onto your ears, wabbit, we’ve got something for everyone! The Beaver Creek Egg Hunt at 10:30 a.m. doesn’t discriminate against larger egg hunters and is open to guests of all ages. We are so there!

• Sunday, March 23

Oh kids … oh kids. Don’t throw in the basket just yet. The Copper Mountain Easter celebration brings us the largest egg hunt in all of Colorado. Yes, that’s what they’re telling us. With a total of 50,000 eggs, Copper is dividing its hunts among age groups. The 13 and older hunt runs from 8:30 to 4 p.m. Not only do you simply get to hunt for eggs, but you get to ski and snowboard while you’re at it. The eggs are hidden on the runs. Another hunt for children ages 6-12 unravels at the tent in Copper Village at 11 a.m., followed by a hunt for little tykes 5 and younger at 12 p.m. at the climbing wall in the village. Also, the Easter Bunny will be making the rounds throughout the ski area, stopping at the village at 11 a.m., hitting the East Village at 1:30 p.m. and finishing off at Jack’s Deck at 3:30 p.m.

It’s the luckiest time of the year. I’m not talking about our recent forecast, which (finally) predicts a prolonged period of snow. No, we’re all lucky because one of the happiest holiday weekends of the year, St. Patrick’s Day, rapidly approaches. St. Patrick’s Day in the Valley is much like St. Patrick’s Day throughout the rest of the world, but at higher altitude. That’s an important factor to remember. You can expect the green beer to be flowing and vaguely familiar Irish tunes to ring out throughout Vail Village. You’ll probably even run into various bevies of beauties handing out beads and promotional shots of whiskey. But there are four St. Patrick’s celebrations you should have on your radar.

• Saturday night at the Sandbar, The Atomic, “Denver’s favorite party band”, will bring their brand of radioactive rock to the Valley’s rowdiest bar. A regular party at Sandbar is a sight to behold, but a St. Paddy’s party combined with the infectious music of The Atomic? Well, it should be downright wild. Expect to be dancing, provided you have enough room to move.

• On Monday, March 17 (St. Patrick’s Day proper), Paddy’s Sports Bar & Grill in Eagle-Vail will be hosting its 24th Annual St. Paddy’s Day Celebration. This is an all-day affair (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and you know it has to be good because a) they’ve been doing it for 24 years and b) “Paddy’s” is the name of the establishment. Look for all manner of drink specials and we strongly recommend you try the delicious fish and chips.

• Also on March 17, the lovely little hamlet of Minturn will be hosting its First Annual St. Patrick’s Day Explosion. The event kicks off at 8 p.m. and will feature a full fireworks display, live music, business open houses, dinner specials and prizes. Check it out and say you were there at the beginning. Honestly, if you’ve never been to Minturn, this is a perfect opportunity to discover this historic and beautiful town and the many wonderful businesses that reside there.

• However, for a true St. Patrick’s Day celebration, you need to head to the Valley’s true Irish establishment, Finnegan’s Wake Irish Pub in Avon. Finnegan’s will be throwing a four-day St. Patrick’s Day Weekend Bash, starting Friday, March 14 and continuing straight through Monday, March 17. Enjoy Irish favorites played by Big Paddy and Finnegan’s regular Jonny Mogambo as well as the music of Bluffett, the premiere Jimmy Buffet cover band. The Reed School of Irish Dance will be on hand to perform authentic Irish jigs alongside a traditional Irish bagpiper. Guinness, Bushmills and Bailey’s Girls will mingle with the crowd and give away authentic hockey jerseys, prizes and drink specials. If you really want to do St. Patrick’s Day right, you really can’t beat Finnegan’s four-day celebration of everything Irish.

Drink is a factor of any St. Patrick’s Day celebration, and it is important to take some precautions. Moderation in all things and remember you are at altitude, which means you will become dehydrated faster ergo it will be much easier to become tipsy. Regardless, there are always those who imbibe too heavily (I’m looking in your direction Spring Breakers) but luckily, Vail has a wonderful and free bus system. Use it to get around this weekend. Schedules are available at www.vailgov.com. If you miss the bus, give High Mountain Taxi a call at 970-524-5555. High Mountain operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Colorado State Police, along with 60 other law enforcement agencies, will be stepping up DUI patrols and checkpoints for the holiday weekend from Friday, March 14 through Tuesday, March 18. If you can’t drive, please don’t risk ruining a wonderful weekend. Plum wants you to have a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Local poet Janina Greene stopped by Fresh Tracks and graced us with some touching poety on Valentine's Day 2008.

Only Plum Vail's own Kevin Heinz could be this creative with words on Valentine's Day. The Mad-libbing got fun, crazy and romantic (in a quirky way). Feel free to sing along!

Let’s start by saying we respect those of you who make gagging noises when expressing your feelings about Valentine’s Day. We must add, however, at Plum, we believe in the importance of sharing loving moments with those special individuals in your life.

We personally feel you should do this every day. But in case you’ve had a shortage recently, or just have some catching up to do, here are some ideas in and around Vail for romance, readily available gestures of caring, or simple, overdue indulgences. We’re glad Vail’s got love on its mind.

Valentine’s Day Ideas:

• Up the Creek in Vail is offering a four-course chef’s tasting and half bottles of Taittinger champagne for $75 per person. 970-476-8141

• Billy’s Island Grill in Lionshead is handing out authentic Hawaiin leis (made, we assume, with real flowers) to the first 100 ladies with reservations. 970-476-8811

• Da Vinci restaurant in the Vail Plaza Hotel offers a complimentary glass of champagne and a rose for female guests. 970-476-8050

• The Mirador at Cordillera promises a special, pre-fixed Valentine’s menu that will “make your heart beat a little faster.” Pianist Britt Herrington provides the ambiance. 970-926-2200.

• Also at Cordillera, the Lodge & Spa is offering a 50-minute couples massage finished off with chocolate-covered strawberries and a glass of wine for $210. 970-569-6359

• Balata at the Sonnenalp Golf Club in Singletreee, Edwards is offering half-price bottles of wine and saxophone tunes by Brent Gordon. 970-477-5353.

Plum's coverage of Vail's 2008 Mardi Gras celebration.

Plum catches up with Santa as he skates with children at Dobson Ice Arena during the 2007 holiday season.