Boulder County

 

Solstice Start without a Festival?  Who better to celebrate than the Vikings!

Thousand years before organized Faith, Nordic tribes feasted both long-day long-night calendar events.  Summer solstice: Baldur God of Light.  Winter Yule: Goddess Freya.

Luckily today’s Scandinavian Midsummer Festival did not include human/wild boar sacrifice – though our Fjellborg Viking warriors did provide sword & axe combat 😊

 

Cold, foggy drive to Estes Park.

Arrived early Saturday for Opening Ceremony & raising of the Midsummer Pole.

Flag presentation followed, Swedish folk dance (Folkdanslag & Ring dances) – and of course, festival FOOD.  Schnitzel, salmon, lefse & strudel.

Belly FULL, broke early & Colorado-celebrated ‘long day’ with a Nat’l Park hike.

High in the Rockies – gotta/hafta/must do – it’s SUMMER! 🌞

 

 

Midsummer is celebrated near the Summer Solstice.  Historically, bonfires were common for this time, and people would both dance around them and sometimes through them, though it was usually the cattle which were driven through the fires as a purification measure.  The word Blót basically means ‘worship’ or ‘sacrifice’ and it was a sacrifice to the gods and the spirits of the land.  This high day is associated with love and fertility.

 

Festival MAYPOLE

 

Nordic FLAG presentation

 

 

 

Happy Solstice! 

Bring on the SUN (please).  Summer concerts.  BBQ.  Potato salad.  Chips, pickles.

ICE CREAM!  We ALL scream for ice cream🍦🌞

Cold rainy season start in Colorado – NOT curbing my enthusiasm.

Thursday nite LOVE in Community Park.  Hazel Miller Band.  FREE summer tunes & FOOD TRUCK barbecue.  Kicked back on a blanket, ate BIG & counted clouds – on a ‘school’ nite.  Sum-sum-summertime.

Friday, Louisville Street Faire.  Downtown LOVE.

Every Friday nite, June thru August (Memorial Day to Labor Day).  Live music, FOOD, local vendors.  More BBQ, two summer scoops of Sweet Cow and Austin band Wild Child.  Dig my Colorado hometown ❤️

Midsummer Festival tomorrow in Estes.  Scandinavian maypole, strudel & schnitzel.

I declare SUMMER.  Let the games begin!

 

 

 

Friends, Family, Community and the Magic of Live Music

For three or four hours, eight summertime Friday evenings, life is just like it should be. Babies don’t cry, dogs don’t bark, and wise elders feel nineteen again. The Muse visits the musicians pretty much every night and dances when the spirit moves her. We don’t know why this all happens here, we’re just glad it does.

 

JUNE 21 Wild Child

Austin-based, seven-piece pop mini-orchestra, has carried its infectious blend of indie-pop and catchy melodies across the international music scene, charting viral hits and wrapping their arms around a diverse and dedicated fan base.

 

Hazel Miller Band, Community Park

 

Wild Child, Louisville Street Faire

 

 

Memorial Day 2019

  • Today we REMEMBER.  Honoring those who Serve & Protect.
  • Today we CELEBRATE our democracy/our freedom.  USA – Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.

 

After last year’s FUN RUN experience, vowed I’d never miss another Bolder Boulder.  Memorial Day Monday, a Colorado tradition.  Unfortunately, no convincing my neighbor to run 2019’s 10k – HA! – but me, alarm set, run shorts ready, RTD Bus to the Start.

Ran my first Bolder Boulder 2001 (almost 20 years ago) – long before I Colorado rooted.  I knew, this place, somehow, someday.

7:13am.  With so much marathoning in my life schedule, didn’t bother uploading a qualifying wave time.  It’s a 10k, a FUN RUN – with 41,000 of my Colorado besties.  HUGE!  Super organized.  Amazed how seamless this event kicks.  Well done, Boulder 🇺🇸

Tight first mile.  Legs stiff after yesterday’s near 7 hour, 50K elevation climb in Vedauwoo.  But miles 2, 3, 4, 5 – Front Range Flatirons surrounded – the JOY was there.  sub-8:30/min pace.  Picked off ‘EA’ & ‘E’ wave runners, worked my way thru the double D’s.

Won’t have to worry ‘bout qualifying next year.  Yep, already registered: May 25, 2020.  Mark your calendar.  Better yet – come to Boulder & run America’s BIGGEST BEST 10k, the Bolder Boulder.  LOVE this place, this race!  Gotta/hafta/MUST RUN ❤️

 

BOLDERBoulder

May 27, 2019 in Boulder, CO

 

EB100      KEENAN HAGA        8:18      8:25    8:33       8:31        8:23        9:11        53:40

 

Number of finishers:  41,197

Number of females:  21,676

Number of males:  19,521

Average time:  1:21:52

 

 

Memorial Day 2019

 

Bolder Boulder 2019

 

2019  EB100  KEENAN HAGA  53:40

2018  FB501  KEENAN HAGA  1:14:29.24

2014  DA255  K R HAGA  48:26

2013  DA218  K R HAGA  51:24

2009  H721  Keenan Haga  53:51

2007  JC370  Keenan Haga  57:34

2002  CA217  Keenan Haga  51:28

2001  CC373  K R HAGA  49:38