Where Music, Community, and Place Come Together

In the heart of Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley, summer is more than a season. It's an opportunity to gather, connect, and celebrate the remarkable places we call home.

The 2024 Basalt Summer Concert Series brought live music to Basalt River Park from June 19 through August 28, continuing a growing tradition of free outdoor performances that welcomed residents and visitors alike.

For Z Group Architecture & Interior Design, whose roots in the Aspen area date back to 1952, events like these reflect something deeply meaningful: the connection between people, place, and the experiences that shape our communities.

A Celebration of Basalt's Creative Spirit

The 2024 concert series featured an eclectic mix of musical talent, including Sunny War, Magic Beans, Futurebirds, and Dragondeer.

Building on the success of the park's inaugural concert season in 2023, the Town of Basalt expanded its summer programming to include additional live music experiences in the Willits neighborhood.

The Importance of Places That Bring Us Together

Great community spaces do more than accommodate activities. They create opportunities for shared experiences, strengthen connections, and contribute to a lasting sense of belonging.

Basalt River Park illustrates the importance of welcoming public spaces where music, landscape, and community life intersect.

At Z Group, we believe thoughtful design begins with understanding the character of a place and the people who experience it. Whether designing a private residence, hospitality destination, or civic environment, our philosophy remains rooted in creating meaningful connections between architecture, nature, and everyday life.

Rooted in the Roaring Fork Valley

From Aspen and Snowmass to Basalt, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs, the communities of the Roaring Fork Valley share a distinctive relationship with their natural surroundings.

Since 1952, Z Group has embraced this connection through architecture and interior design that honor the landscape, celebrate individual stories, and contribute to the region's evolving legacy.

Events like Basalt's Summer Concert Series remind us that the places we value most are often those where memories are made together.

Your Journey. Your Story. Your Legacy.

Explore Z Group Architecture & Interior Design's approach to creating meaningful spaces throughout Aspen, Basalt, and the Western Slope.

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The Sopris Sun: Local Government

Basalt Report: Summer concert series lineup announced

Will Buzzerd | May 15, 2024

A free summer concert series will return to the Basalt River Park every Wednesday night from June 19 to Aug. 28.

In 2023, the Town of Basalt cut the ribbon at Basalt River Park and kicked off a wildly successful first season of free concerts. “We saw crowds of more than 500 people show up to some of the shows and we witnessed a wide range of participants, from infants to esteemed octogenarians, locals to visitors from afar,” said planning director Michelle Thibeault.

This year, music lovers can look forward to a strong lineup as well as enhanced lighting and on-stage sound. The concerts begin at 5:30pm and each performance will feature a Colorado-based supporting act followed by a 30-minute break before the headliner.

June 19 – Queen Bees, Sunny War

June 26 – Feeding Giants, Annabelle’s Curse

July 10 – Dan Sheridan, Magic Beans

July 17 – The Know Bodies Band, Dangermuffin

July 24 – Highway 82, Peach St. Revival

July 31 – Sittin’ on Strings, Futurebirds

Aug. 7 – The Low End, Rootbeer Richie & the Reveille

Aug. 14 – Aggie Flores, Karina Rykman

Aug. 21 – Jon Rubio, Los Mocochetes

Aug. 28 – Elk Range, Dragondeer

New this year is another music series called Local Vocals, a smaller affair every other Friday at Triangle Park in Willits. This series begins May 31 and continues through Sept. 6 at 5:30pm.

May 31 – Emotional Rescue

June 14 – Tommy the Animal

June 28 – Valle Musico

July 12 – Grupo Ascenso

July 26 – Whiskey Stomp

Aug. 2 – Chris Banc

Aug. 23 – Sweet Jessup

Sept. 6 – Wooden Rock

Council actions

The star event of the May 14 meeting was the declaration of June as Pollinator Month. Lisa McKenzie of Basalt Elementary School presented the proclamation, accompanied by many youth from the school’s Pollinator Club.

Beginning last January, the Pollinator Club met every other week to appreciate and learn more about the pollinator species which perform a crucial role for ecosystems and agriculture.

One of the club’s major projects was to bring the Pollinator Month proclamation to Town Council so Basalt can formally recognize the importance of protecting and supporting these critical species. Each council member took turns reading a paragraph before signing the proclamation and handing it off to the club’s dutiful ecosystem defenders.

Next, the council reviewed Basalt’s Water Utility Master Plan (WUMP). In 2022, Town staff and a consultant team began working diligently to prepare a planning document for annual water system improvements, budgeting and discussion with developers. In addition, the WUMP assesses and analyzes current water infrastructure and utility rates and makes recommendations on how to change water rates to help fund the system as a whole.

In their assessment, the team noted that while the system as a whole has the capacity to meet current and future needs, there are elements in need of repair as soon as possible. Those range from repairs and improvements to the roofs of the hydro plant and water treatment plant to repairing damaged storage tanks. All of these projects are outlined in a capital improvement section of the WUMP, which also outlines potential funding avenues for these projects.

While the WUMP is simply a guiding document and its adoption does not necessitate any further action, Town Engineer Catherine Christoff noted that its approval by Town Council will aid in acquiring grants for any future developments in the water system.

The next item approved was a contract with Z Group Architecture and Interior Design for the design and entitlement services on a new affordable housing project. Z Group, which has most recently completed the modern-looking line of apartments next to Basalt River Park, has provided the Town with an approximately $306,000 bid for design, public outreach and entitlement for an affordable housing development on the empty lot beside the rugby field on East Valley Road. Z Group included Habitat for Humanity as a consultant on their team to help cater this project to the needs of the affordable housing market.

Currently, Z Group estimates that the planning and entitlement project will take between 12 and 18 months, so ground is unlikely to be broken on the lot until well into 2025.

The Town is excited about this project due to the competency and experience of the team, the housing being located beside open space and simply because it will make a dent in Basalt’s continuing need for affordable housing.