A month later, Fanny Hill concerts get ‘two thumbs up’

Don Chaney looks back on a decade and a half of summers spent performing bands and late-night signing at the free Thursday night concerts on Fanny Hill in Snowmass Village.

The Roaring Fork Valley local has spent even more time attending these kinds of events, accumulating years of experience as a radio host and producer of live events. (He is now the manager at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park downvalley, in addition to the Snowmass concert.)

So you could say that Chaney has a pretty good idea of ​​the year-over-year vibe on Fanny Hill. After last year’s pandemic hiatus, the first month and the four performances back went really well, he said in an interview near the stage before the bonus concert on July 4.

“It’s different this time around,” he said, with an enthusiastic audience and a “kinder” energy among artists who don’t take this year for granted. (Not to say that the stage wasn’t a lovable place before, he said, just that this year seems particularly so.)

“It’s awesome and obviously the audience thinks so too – the crowds have been huge,” he said.

When it comes to audience size, the crowds are about as large as Chaney has ever seen, and he has documented around five dozen performances of Fanny Hill with photos from the stage that he can compare to this. year.

Snowmass Tourism director Rose Abello said that although the department does not keep official concert accounts, attendance has been solid, with the first concert of the year showing particularly strong attendance and subsequent shows drawing numbers. in what she considers a normal interval. (There was one exception with more than a handful of spectators on June 24, when Hazel Miller’s performance was eventually called off due to lightning and inclement weather.)

Abello’s review of how things are going so far?

“I’ll give two thumbs up,” she said.

“We’ve always known that’s one of the things that we do, say, a community favorite,” said Abello.

Emails, phone calls and comments from attendees proved it, she said; Snowmass Tourism felt the enthusiastic response from spectators who missed the live music series last year when COVID-19 put the kibosh on large-scale events.

“They are just delighted that the concerts are back,” said Abello.

When it comes to public health protocols, some COVID-focused changes could persist for the long term as they appear to be popular so far, such as designated walkways and walkways that make it easier for people to navigate the site, said Abello.

Other pandemic precautions announced in May have already been dropped, such as the “no dance floor” rule that was removed as restrictions quickly eased this spring. (There may not be a floor per se, but there has been a lot of happy dancing near the stage during each of the four concerts so far.)

On the parking lot front – a long-lasting logistics component of the concerts – the numbered lots were “pretty darn close to capacity or considered full,” according to Snowmass Village Transportation Director David Peckler.

The base village has also filled up quite a bit, which is why it reiterated the message that the best bet is to park in Town Park and take the bus to the concerts, he said. .

This will be particularly relevant now; the parking teams have started to reserve lots 3 and 12 for the accommodation of guests who arrive in town on Thursday evening or return from a party and find that the parking lots are already full.

“There is a little more pressure on the numbered lots and a little less access for the public,” said Peckler.

That said, Peckler crews will not coerce or tow cars left overnight in numbered lots or in the city park until the vehicles are abandoned there. For those onlookers who have had a little too much fun quantifiable in volume (er, more alcohol to drink than safe to drive), the bus is always an option and city staff want to make sure that everyone returns home safely.

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