When you live in the mountains there seems to be no end to the summer festivals. These wide open spaces are idyllic and ideal for gathering the masses. Telluride has their Bluegrass Fest, Aspen has their Jazz Fest; the Snowmass Mammoth Fest, Big Sky’s Music in the Mountains, Bend’s Peak Music Festival, and the list rolls on. Now, Jackson Hole, Wyo., is getting a jump on the summer music season with the inaugural Contour Music Festival, June 11-14.

The cowboy town will roll out four nights and three days of nationally touring bands and artists for an innovative experience of music, culture, and arts in the Tetons. Unlike other fests, the more than 40 hand-selected and artists like Thievery Corporation, The Polish Ambassador,  and Sweater Beats will also play at venues around town.

The main stage will be at the base of Snow King Mountain in the ballpark but after the encores, “late night” acts will perform at classic local venues like the Pink Garter Theatre, Center for the Arts, the newly renovated Silver Dollar Bar, and the Town Square Tavern.

The Detes:

FRIDAY, JUNE 12
Main Stage:
The music starts at noon with Paranome followed by local electronic duo Head to Head. After this, you will not want to miss The Cave Singers. This high-energy indie rock band out of Seattle put on an amazing show to a small crowd at the Pink Garter Theatre in the summer of 2012. They are sure to get the party started outside at Snow King.

After the Cave Singers is a back-to-back tour de force of electronic music, including Emancipator and The Polish Ambassador, that carries the Festival into the evening.

Late Night Concerts:
Town Square Tavern –live DJ music from Tiger Fresh, Sweater Beats and Sango.
Pink Garter Theatre –more full-band electronic experience featuring Cure for the Common, Late Night Radio and Papadosio.

Center for the Arts –Quixote – “Composer Anthony Magliano, along with an award-winning band…create music with instrumental foundations and diversity that is meant to inspire movement within the group’s other half; dancers, multimedia designers, and aerialists.
Silver Dollar Bar – If you are looking to change things up and experience a local Honky Tonk dance floor, head on over to the Wort Hotel for the down home sounds of Country Hammer followed by One Ton Pig – the resident country/bluegrass band of the Silver Dollar Bar.

SATURDAY, JUNE 13
Main Stage:
The action heats up with local funk outfit Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons followed by Cure for the Common. DO NOT MISS The Congress. This group out of Denver will blow you away with their take on American rock and roll – great songwriting and amazing vocals from lead singer Jonathan Meadows paired with the incredible guitar talent that is Scott Lane. Up next, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Sage Francis, Autograf, and closing out the main stage for the second night of the festival is an amazing indie-progressive rock band out of Nashville you will want to see through until the end – Moon Taxi.

Late Night:
Town Square Tavern – get your Yacht rock on with “Home at Last: The Nth Power perform Steely Dan” followed by Orgone.
Pink Garter Theatre – DJ sets from PRSN, G Jones and Djemba Djemba
Silver Dollar Bar –Country Hammer followed by Spirit Family Reunion (also performing main stage on Sunday).

SUNDAY, JUNE 13
Main Stage:
Sunday does not slow in pace at all with two of the most anticipated acts (Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires and Thievery Corporation) closing out the night.
The day opens with a funky set from Fort Knox 5 followed by the acoustic foot-stomping sounds of Spirit Family Reunion.

Religious or not, everyone will be testifying to Robert Collier’s Gospel Brunch Set with the sweet and soulful sounds of the pedal steel. Reva Devito Band and The Nth Power warm up the stage for two acts that may be the highlight of the festival weekend.

From the Daptone Records/Brooklyn scene, the breathtaking Charles Bradley and his backing band bringing uptown funk and soul to the Tetons.

To close out the festival weekend on the mainstage is the internationally-acclaimed electronic duo Thievery Corporation. Their reputation and their records speak for themselves. Save some energy for this set.

Late Night:
Town Square Tavern – Head to TST for funk with McTuff and The New Mastersounds.
Pink Garter Theatre – Dance it up at the Pink Garter for an electronic throw down featuring Shaprece, Deltron 3030 and Mike Thunder.
Center for the Arts – DJ sets by El Papa Chango, Barisone and The Librarian.

Pack your car, book your flight, find a place to stay, whatever you have to do to get to Jackson next week. Be sure to get your tickets in advance and upgrade to the “All Night Long Pass” so you don’t miss a beat. Or you can enter here for a chance to win two Main Stage Weekend Tickets and Two Grand Adventure passes to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

For tickets, full schedule, area and lodging information visit: www.contourmusicfestival.com

FYI- There is no tent camping in town in Jackson. Contact Jackson Hole Reservation to find a place to stay or try couchsurfing.net. The closest campgrounds are 20 minutes away.

The Park City Food and Wine Classic is back. It’s hard to imagine that this humble festival is now in its eleventh straight year and attracts thousands of oenophiles and foodies.

This July, more than two dozen food and wine tastings, seminars, bike rides, hike excursions and dining events will be led by world-renowned experts in Park City’s famous Wasatch Mountains.

“This event blends the absolute best of Park City: outstanding food and drinks, and world-class outdoors,” said Jason Ornstein, owner of Team Player Productions, which organizes the Food & Wine Classic. “There are experiences for every sense — taste, smell, sight, touch. I can’t think of a better way to spend a long summer weekend.”

The weekend runs from July 9 to July 12, opening with classic-favorite bike rides, stand-up paddle-boarding and wine tastings — plus newcomers featuring yoga and a trip to the shooting range. It features the famed “Hair of the Dog” bike ride, plus sumptuous “Brunch Brunch Baby” and “It’s a Mary Morning” brunches.

In between, learn wine-tasting secrets from Master Sommeliers, taste whiskeys from Park City’s award-winning High West distillery, dig into a “Bacon & Barrels” meat-and-red-wine luncheon, and take dashes through the woods, rides on horseback, mountain-biking trips on Park City’s famous single-track trails, and much more.

“We’ve got all the makings of a truly memorable weekend,” Ornstein said. “Whether you love active get-up-and-go vacations or complete and total relaxation — or even a bit of both — our seminars and their leaders will make sure you have the experience of a lifetime.”

Just make sure you pack and plan for weather. You never know when it’s going to rain, snow or whip up wind when you’re in the mountains. You’ll still enjoy every minute of your meal and event but it might cause long delays like it did when I tried the Gallop and Grill lunch at the Waldorf last year so try not to plan back to back events.

Ticket prices range from $50 for the “Blues & Brunch” — combining live local music with a mouthwatering southern-style brunch buffet — to $225 for “Guns N Roses,” a backcountry Ranger tour of clay shooting, followed by a delicious outdoor lunch at Victory Ranch. The locals favorite is the Stroll of Park City. Bring your sneakers and call Uber. You won’t be driving anywhere after this ‘classic’ event.

Proceeds from Park City Food and Wine Classic ticket sales benefit the People’s Health Clinic, a nonprofit that provides healthcare for uninsured individuals and families in Utah’s Summit and Wasatch counties. Last year, the Classic raised more than $30,000 for the clinic. In all, Team Player Productions has raised more than $1.4 million for local charities.