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Colorado - Thu. 06/04/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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DAY OF THE AMERICAN WEST TO BE CELEBRATED AT CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS
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Last August, the Secretary of the Interior issued a proclamation identifying July 23, 2026, as the “Day of the American West” as part of the nationwide America 250 commemoration. The Day of the American West “will honor the people, cultures and traditions of the American West, whose values of independence, self-reliance, entrepreneurial spirit and stewardship of the land have helped shape the character and destiny of the United States.”
The formal order identified the Cheyenne Frontier Days as the recognized event for celebrating the Day of the American West, as from its beginning in 1897, it not only featured rodeo events of the American cowboy, but “it also included Native peoples, such as the Lakota, Cheyenne, Arapaho and Shoshone, who brought their songs, dances and stories to the celebration. Their presence connected visitors with a deeper heritage of the Plains—a culture rooted in the land long before the frontiersmen of the West.” The dates for this 130th Cheyenne Frontier Days are July 17-26.
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IF YOU LIVE IN DENVER, GET $1,000 IN GIFT CARDS FOR NOT DRIVING 2 DAYS A WEEK
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The Denver Dept. of Transportation and Infrastructure is handing out $1,000 in gift cards each month to people who live or work in Denver and choose to commute or run errands without a car twice per week. To enter in the “Shift 2 City Wide” program, participants must log two non-car trips each week that would otherwise be solo driving trips. That could mean walking, biking, scooting, carpooling or taking public transit instead. Each month, people who log at least two trips shifted out of cars each week will receive discounts at local businesses and restaurants. Their names will also be entered in a raffle for gift cards for those local spots, with multiple winners each month. To get complete information on the Shift2 CityWide, access the site through the link below.
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GRAND VALLEY WATER RIGHTS HOLDERS KEEPING WATER IN THE RIVER FOR NOW
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Colorado River District General Manager Andy Mueller calls it “a pretty amazing cooperative, collaborative effort.” He is referring to the decision by several large irrigation districts in the Grand Valley that have water rights on the Colorado River senior to rights held by entities in Eagle County, opting to curtail their irrigation use and allow the upstream users to take water. The Grand Junction-area users have access to a water right known as the “Cameo call,” the most senior call on the Colorado River, going back to 1898. After the extreme drought year of 1977, a 66,000-acre-foot Historic User Pool was created to cover all of the agricultural and domestic depletions that were junior to the Cameo call. But as of last week, that pool was only at 15,000-acre feet, a first since it was established, it is now clear that the 66,000-acre-foot Historic User Pool will not fill this year.
There are nearly 300 domestic and municipal water providers in Eagle, Summit and other Western Slope areas that are covered by that pool. The River District has worked with the Grand Valley users, and they were understanding of the drought needs and actually experimented with their systems and found “the lowest level where they could operate their diversion system and ditches.” In exchange, the downstream irrigators have asked people in the High Country to also conserve water, especially in those districts served by the Historic User Pool. In the coming months, the Colorado River District has agreed to use reserve water from its water enterprise fund to support the domestic and municipal water providers traditionally supported by the Historic User Pool, as well as the downstream irrigation districts.
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VAIL WILL CELEBRATE THE STATE’S SESQUICENTENNIAL WITH DRONES
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On Saturday, June 6, the GoPro Mountain Games will partner with Discover Vail in presenting a show with some 500 drones from Colorado-based BrightFlight Drones illuminating the night sky with formations to celebrate Colorado’s 150th anniversary. The show is not just a celebration of Colorado’s statehood, but also the nation’s 250th anniversary as well as Vail’s 60th. Among the images that will be set against Vail Mountain in about a 20-minute show: dinosaurs, a train, a bear, a skier, snowcapped mountains and Colorado’s 150th logo. The show is set to begin at 9:45 p.m., June 6 above Nature Valley Mountain Plaza. There is more information available at vvf.org or historycolorado.org/colorado-150/initiative-stories-in-the-sky.
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FIRST CHAIR LAUNCHED TO BE RESORT-ORIENTED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY
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Bob Milne, founder, president and COO of First Chair Destinations, formed the company in 2025 with a group of executives from Wyndham Vacation Rentals and Vacasa, with a focus on providing vacation rental property management with a resort orientation by being located in Steamboat Springs, and relying on local decision making and a team of local general managers and property caretakers. First Chair Destinations acquired a portfolio of vacation rental properties in just nine ski and coastal locales from Casago, the company that acquired Vacasa in May 2025. Destinations where First Chair Destinations offers properties include Killington, Okemo, Stowe and Stratton in Vermont; Sun Valley and Schweitzer in Idaho; Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine; Bretton Woods, New Hampshire; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Mammoth, California.
In Colorado, First Chair offers properties in Steamboat Springs, Vail, Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Purgatory, Wolf Creek, Breckenridge, Aspen, Telluride, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Winter Park. First Chair will also manage resort properties in Maine and on the New England coast.
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HOLY CROSS HITS 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION MARK IN MARCH
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Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs reached a renewable power landmark in March when it delivered 100 percent clean energy to its 45,000-plus members. Last year, Holy Cross achieved 96 percent solar and wind power delivery in May. The company noted that the March achievement was due in part to relatively mild temperatures that reduced the power draw some, but it was that mild sunny weather that also powered the Holy Cross solar farms. The power cooperative says it is on track for its “100×30” goal of producing 100 percent of its power needs with clean sources by 2030. Holy Cross Energy said it has averaged 92 percent clean power delivered to members so far in 2026.
Holy Cross has adopted a program of moving away from large scale renewable energy projects and instead utilizing small, flexible projects that can be directly connected to its distribution system, particularly solar paired with battery storage. President and CEO Bryan Hannegan says, “Holy Cross is also leaning heavily into programs and incentives that encourage our members to shift their electricity demands to times when renewable energy is abundant, helping us use more of the renewable energy our contracted projects are generating instead of selling it to the market.”
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“50-YEAR VISION” OF THE POUDRE RIVER TRAIL CONNECTING GREELEY & FORT COLLINS
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Officials from Weld and Larimer counties will hold a trail-opening celebration on June 13 at Timnath Community Park for the completion of the Poudre River Trail. The celebration release notes, “Trail users can now travel the entire 45-mile route from Bellvue to Greeley without ever leaving the trail.” The trail roughly follows the Poudre River and skirts most urban areas and goes from Watson Lake northwest of Fort Collins to Greeley’s Island Grove Regional Park. The trail is more than 50 years old, with groundbreaking on National Trail Days, June 2, 1994.
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WORLD CUP TICKET SALES MAY BE SLOW, BUT BARS WILL BE OPEN
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What we call soccer is known as football (fútbol) in the rest of the world and the World Cup is the most-watched sporting event in the world. State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve fan experiences, particularly for those who may have been priced out of tickets. Others see the move as a last-ditch effort to boost sales as expectations for a World Cup economic boon have dampened.
So far, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington, which are all states either hosting World Cup matches or adjacent to the activity, have all approved various measures to extend hours for alcohol sales during the tournament. Similar proposals are being considered in New York and Massachusetts. The changes mean that closing time won’t come until 4 a.m. in Philadelphia during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations. In Kansas City, some bars can stay open as late as 5 a.m.
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STEPH CURRY SIGNS WITH CHINESE FIRM FOR SHOES, SPORTS GEAR
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In November 2025, Stephen Curry and Under Armour mutually agreed to end their 13-year partnership and the termination allowed Curry to retain sole ownership of his Curry Brand. This week, Curry signed a 10-year agreement with Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning which elevates the little-known Chinese shoe and apparel company into the global picture ruled by brands like Nike and Adidas. Li-Ning was created in 1990 by the Chinese gymnast Li Ning, who won six medals, including three golds, at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. He retired in 1988 and soon after founded his sportswear brand. The company is one of China’s most successful sportswear brands and reported $4.3 billion in revenue last year, though nearly all of its earnings come from domestic sales, according to the company’s publicly available financial reports.
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THE DOG WARS: ARE CARAMELOS THE DOG OF MEXICO OR BRAZIL?
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It is a caramel-tan colored, small dog that genetic study indicates emerged from a blending of nearly 300 breeds from Europe, Asia and the Americas. It can be seen on the streets of Brazil and Mexico and now has become the source of a struggle between those countries who seek to declare it a national symbol or even a national breed. Known simply as “caramelos” for their tan coats, the street dogs are celebrated in Brazilian memes, emblazoned on T-shirts, cited in viral songs and honored with Carnival parade floats. They even starred in a Netflix film last year and nearly made it onto Brazil’s currency. However, now authorities in Mexico, who also have a large caramelo population have named it a Mexican treasure, declaring it a native breed much like a Chihuahua. There are more than 20 million stray dogs in Brazil, according to a global study conducted by a coalition of animal welfare groups, with an estimated 90 percent of those caramelos.
In 2023, Brazilian lawmakers introduced a bill that would grant national heritage status to caramel street dogs, but the legislation stalled. Some states, including São Paulo, have since approved their own laws declaring them a cultural treasure. In April 2026, the Federal Attorney's Office for Environmental Protection for the state of Mexico (Procuraduría de Protección al Ambiente del Estado de México PROPAEM) officially declared the "perro caramelo" a Mexican breed, much like the Chihuahua. The solution to the dog dilemma might have been provided by Claudia Edwards, the Mexican program director of the nonprofit Humane World of Animals. She said the Brazilian people should be proud of being the first to recognize it and put it on the map, but caramelos don't have to belong to one nation, "It's Latin American!"
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NTTO: 2025 RESULTS OF SURVEY OF INTERNATIONAL AIR TRAVELERS
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The International Trade Administration’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) released the results of the inbound Survey of International Air Travelers (SIAT) covering the calendar year 2025.
A sampling of results:
- In 2025, 46.4 million international inbound air travelers from Canada, Mexico and overseas visited the United States
Of the 34.3 million arriving from overseas:
- The average overseas visitor stayed 16.9 nights and spent $1,829 while in the U.S.
- The average overseas visitor had a combined annual household income of USD$90,880
- The main purpose of the trip: vacation/holiday, 57.1 percent; Visit Friends/Relatives, 22.2 percent; Business, 16.4 percent
- On average 1.4 states were visited;14.9 visited two states; 9.7 percent three states or more
Top state visited:
- Florida: 9.3 million
- New York: 9.1 million
- California: 6.6 million
- Nevada: 2.3 million
- Texas: 1.9 million
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MARKET UPDATE - 06/03/2026 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 05/28/2026)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
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