Best bets this Presidents Day weekend will be in Silverton for Mountain Mardi Gras, which will feature festivities and fun Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Mountain Mardi Gras events will be offered Saturday at the Grand Imperial Hotel on Greene Street and Sunday at Kendall Mountain Ski Area, located east of downtown Silverton.
A masquerade ball and casino night will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Grand Imperial, 1219 Greene St., to raise money for the Silverton Fourth of July nonprofit.
The evening will offer a Cajun mountain taco bar from 6 to 9 p.m.; blackjack, roulette and poker from 7 to 10 p.m.; and a silent auction and raffle from 8 to 9 p.m. Zydeco music, a Mardi Gras costume contest and the crowning of the Mountain Mardi Gras king and queen, with a king cake walk every hour, will also be featured.
The “Flurries and Flames” lantern festival and Cajun cook-off will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at the Kendall Mountain Community Center, 1 Kendall Place.
The evening will feature music by the Kirk James Band, a Cajun cooking contest fundraiser for the San Juan Development Association, a beer garden and a “lantern launch” at 7:30 p.m. Lanterns can be purchased in advance for $10 or at the event for $15. Advance vouchers are available at Silverton Visitor Center, Silverton Grocery, Grand Imperial Hotel and Golden Block.
Cajun food costs $5 per bowl or $15 for all you can eat. To enter a dish for the Cajun cook-off, call Melanie at 769-3486 or email sanjuancoordinator@scan.org.
People who attend Sunday’s events are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, warm clothing, a lighter and a permanent marker or Sharpie.
Proceeds from the Flurries and Flames event will go to Silverton Chamber of Commerce.
Sponsors for the weekend-long festival include Sage Hen Cafe, Venture Snowboards and the Grand Imperial Hotel.
For more information, visit www.silvertoncolorado.com.
“Live By Living” walk along the Animas River, 10 a.m., Animas River Trail.
Chili supper and pie auction, 6 p.m., $5, Lewis-Arriola Community Center, 21176 Road S, Cortez.
Pine Needle Langlauf Nordic Ski Race, 8 a.m., $15-$35, Durango Nordic Center, on U.S. Highway 550 a half mile north of Purgatory Resort.
“Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven’t and How We Can” forum, 8:30 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave., 749-5582.
Indivisible Durango Women’s Rights Committee #MeToo March and Rally, 10:30 a.m., Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, 479 Main Ave.
Veterans’ breakfast, 9 a.m., Durango Elks Lodge, 901 East Second Ave.
Free tax help, 1:30 p.m., Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Drive, Bayfield, 884-2222.
