A festival dedicated to mac & cheese? In the lovely setting of Copper Mountain? What more do you need to know?
This is the weekend we've been training for, folks. Copper Mountain's third annual Mac & Cheese Fest is just around the corner, July 29-30. Area restaurants will compete for the coveted title of "Best Mac and Cheese in Summit County," and mac & cheese enthusiasts (like you and I) will get to sample their creative concoctions and vote on the ultimate winner. WHEN: Sat., July 29 -- 12 p.m.–9 p.m. | Sun., July 30 -- 10 a.m.–5 p.m. WHERE: Copper Mountain, 209 Ten Mile Circle, Copper Mountain, CO 80443 Admission to the festival is absolutely free, but you'll want to purchase food tickets in advance. "Mini Macs" are $1 tickets (sold in packs of 20 online) used as currency during the event; most restaurants' samples will cost between $3 and $5 in Mini Macs (read: you can just hop from booth to booth testing out each restaurant's mac & cheese offerings for less than $5 each!). [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="19254,19255"]
But in addition to all the delicious cheesy sampling, the festival also features live music, drinks and cocktails available for purchase, free activities for kids, fireworks on Saturday night, and free eating contests for both children and adults! There are only 12 spots available for each contest, and they're going fast. Reservations for eating contests can be made in the same place where Mini Mac tickets can be purchased, online. Contest winners will be rewarded for their efforts with a free activities day pass, a commemorative medal, and -- of course -- bragging rights.
Here's a schedule of events. The fun actually begins on Friday, though the contest itself doesn't begin until Saturday.
Copper Mountain also offers a plethora of fun things to do, all available with the $49 activities day pass: unlimited access to mini golf, a scenic chairlift ride and bike haul, bumper boats, hydro bikes, the climbing wall, bungee jumping, go kart ride, and a zip line.
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The title of "Best Mac and Cheese in Summit County" and the $1,000 cash prize will be given out at an awards ceremony at 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 30.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
