Event organizers at The Keystone Neighbourhood Co. announced this January that Winter Bluegrass Weekend will now be called the High Country Hootenanny.

Marketing and events director Maja Russer said people at The Keystone Neighbourhood Co. hashed through all the events the organization hosts and decided to revamp a few key ones.

She said they decided the Winter Bluegrass Weekend needed a “breath of fresh air.”

Previously the structure of this event had been two nights of bluegrass concerts, with three bands performing each night. With the rebrand, live music will largely take place on Saturday while Friday will be centered about food and beverage. 

Russer explained they are partnering with a local brewery and catering business for “Friday’s Farm-to-Tap Takeover.” This farm-to-table dinner is presented by Vail-based Graze & Torrey’s Catering with locally curated beer pairings from Keystone’s Steep Brewing Co., which created a specialty beer exclusively for the event.

Head brewer Levi Brewer explained his staff created a ginger and turmeric saison for the event. The creation is meant to supplement a turmeric and ginger salad that is slated for Graze & Torrey’s menu. The brewery decided to take a different approach with this beer than they originally intended. 

“Rather than using that as a pairing option, we are going to serve this specialty beer in between courses as a palate cleanser,” Brewer said. 

Brewer said while this beer was created specifically for the event, staff enjoyed it so much they plan to add it to Steep Brewing’s menu once the party dies down.

The Keystone Neighbourhood Co. hoping each dish will showcase the seasonal produce sourced from Colorado farms. Culinary expert Alyssa Block will be on site to engage with guests about the cuisine.

Local bluegrass band Moonstone Quill will play live music during the event. 

Doors open Friday at 6 p.m. for a meet and greet. The beer pairing dinner will be from 6:30-9 p.m. with live music starting at 7 p.m.

Saturday night’s music lineup kicks off at 7 p.m. with the band Brandywine and the Mighty Fines, who describe their style as a cross between bluegrass, country and Americana. The Fretliners, who have won the Telluride Bluegrass and Rockygrass festivals, will take the stage at 8:15 p.m. Pixie and the Partygrass Boys will end the night and will perform at 9:45 p.m. This group of self-described ski bums turned themselves into a nationally touring band and say they “bring the energy of closing weekend at your favorite ski resort.”

The event is at Warren Station at Keystone in River Run Village. Advanced tickets for Friday night’s Farm-to-Tap dinner are $80 per person or $140 for two people. At Saturday night’s bluegrass concert, tickets purchased in advance will cost $30 per person. Tickets for events on both nights cost $100 per person. Kids who are 5 and under will have free access on Saturday.

For tickets and more information, visit WarrenStation.com/upcoming-events/.