Please join Quiksilver and Arriesgado on February 11th at Samana for the Rock the Pink Fashion Show. Call Quiksilver at 970-477-5743 for more details.  

Patagonia is pleased to host “Signatures”, a Sweetgrass Productions movie in the store on February 17th @8:15pm. Admission is FREE.  For more information, please call Patagonia at 970-476-1877 or follow them on Facebook  and Twitter. 

Calling all local concierges! Join us for Concierge on the Creek, where you can mix, mingle and sample an array of culinary tastings, compliments of Atwater on Gore Creek.   

Where:      Fireside Bar at Vail Cascade, 1300 Westhaven Drive, Vail, CO 81657

When:      2nd Tuesday of every month, February 9, 2010, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  

What:      Complimentary wine, giveaways and prizes, along with samples from Atwater on Gore Creek   

RSVP for this exclusive event by calling 970-479-7014

Complimentary valet available.

MEZZALUNA VAIL

Ski in Ski out for $8.95 daily lunch specials at Mezzaluna Vail in the Lion Square Lodge in Lionshead.

Just a short walk from the gondola with inside or outside seating overlooking Gore Creek with fantastic views of Vail Mountain.

Great après ski with live music Friday through Sunday. Stay for a 3-course dinner special for $ 33.00 – any soup, salad or appetizer, thin-crust oven fired pizzas or pasta and dessert! Experience exceptional Modern Italian cuisine in a relaxed setting with free parking available.

Mezzaluna Vail. Reservations for dinner recommended. 970.477.4410. Visit mezzalunavail.com

Since then, FFO and Strive & Thrive have been hard at work and Strive & Thrive wanted to give businesses a chance to follow along and participate in the process.  The first step in the makeover process has been to write a business plan, which John and Amy Packer of FFO just completed.  “The process of writing a business plan was extremely valuable.  It encouraged us to have a conversation about the current state of the business and set some goals for moving forward.  It also helped us to get clear on our priorities.  We also really appreciated the template that Strive & Thrive provided to us; it was just the right amount of guidance without overwhelming us and also provided good links to additional resources,” said John Packer, owner of FFO.

“The hardest part of writing a plan is knowing where to start.  With the internet, finding good resources and templates has never been easier, but they can be overwhelming too.  Strive & Thrive has put together a business plan template that should help you get on your way,” says Dave Dempsey, founder of Strive & Thrive and President of Managed Data.

Whether you already have a business plan or need to update yours, the template is free to help guide any sized business.  To get the business plan template along with future resources during this makeover, sign up for the Strive & Thrive newsletter at www.striveandthrive.org <http://www.striveandthrive.org/> .

About Strive & Thrive:
Strive & Thrive is a collaborative of business professionals whose goal is to help business succeed by ensuring all disciplines are working together.  The Collaborative is founded by:  Jill Anderson, Anderson Marketing Communications and Events; Hollis Dempsey and Becky Sobek, Human Resources Plus; Kevin Armitage, Colorado Business Bank; Mike Richards, One Resolution; Dave Dempsey, Managed Data and Jason Anderson, Dalby Wendland and Company.  Strive & Thrive offers resources and guidance to small and medium sized businesses in Colorado and beyond.  They can be reached at info@striveandthrive.org.  To become a sponsor, please contact sponsorship@striveandthrive.org.  They can also be followed on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.

 At the Sprint tent at Vail's Arrabelle at Vail Square, fans have the opportunity to record good luck video messages to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard teams as they head to Vancouver next weekend.  Fans can retrieve their videos online and be entered for a chance to see the teams in Vancouver as well. 

Check it out soon!

Take advantage of CarniVail and other upcoming Vail and Beaver Creek special events - best of all, book within 21 days of arrival and save on Vail hotels and Beaver Creek lodging with VailonSale.com

Sample Vail lodging deals:

Lionshead Inn, from $129/night

Holiday Inn Apex Vail, from $200/night

Sitzmark Lodge, from $199/night

Simba Run, from $199/night

Vail Racquet Club, from $179/night

Sample Avon/Beaver Creek special offers:

The Osprey at Beaver Creek, from $169/night

Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa, from $189/night

Christie Lodge, from $99/night

The Pines Lodge, a RockResort, from $149/night

Comfort Inn Vail/Beaver Creek, from $109/night

Sample additional Vail Valley discounted offers:

Inn & Suites at Riverwalk (Edwards), from $111/night

Green Bridge Inn (Red Cliff), from $89/night

These are just the offers at $200 or less!  Dozens of more offers are available in Vail Village, Lionshead, Beaver Creek, Arrowhead and throughout the Vail Valley!  Subject to availability, minimum night stays may apply. 

The people from Vail Cascade are truly kind and warm and the Aria Spa and Resort's staff members are indeed the clearest manifestation of it.

I was so happy to find such a strong yoga community at the Aria Spa facilities. This shows not just the high quality of its yoga teachers but their heart-centered consciousness from where they instruct the tradition of the yoga science and its benefits to their student-members.

The hotel really holds the "blissful spirit" of the pure white snow covered mountains. A perfect place to dissipate the mind, rest the body and recharge the spirit as one contemplates the undoubtedly presence of the Supreme manifested in such a divine environment.

Looking forward to enjoy such an experience again,
With deep gratitude,
Andrei Ram
www.innerparadise.org <http://www.innerparadise.org>

On Feb. 5 an estimated twenty local children in great need of dental care will receive free services ranging from cleanings and exams to fillings and extraction of infected teeth as part of the ADA’s annual Give Kids A Smile® program. These children were selected through referrals from school nurses. Vail Valley Dental Care will host the event with support from Beaver Creek Endodontics in Edwards and Castle Peak Dentistry in Eagle.

Last year, more than 44,650 dental team members nationwide participated in the Give Kids A Smile®. There is also generous corporate support for the program. Companies, such as Colgate, provided more than $2.8 million in products for the 2009 event.

“It’s heartbreaking to see a child’s smile destroyed by severe tooth decay,” said Dr. David Maloley, owner of Vail Valley Dental Care. “Many children are unable to pay attention in school, eat, or sleep because they have multiple toothaches. It also can have a dramatic negative effect on self-esteem”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tooth decay affects more than one-fourth of U.S. children aged 2–5 and half of those aged 12–15. About two-thirds of children aged 12–19 from low income families have had decay. While poor diet and oral hygiene certainly pay a role, cavities are actually caused by an infectious disease called caries, which is five times more common than asthma.

Public health programs such as Medicaid are supposed to help underserved children, but utilization rates are low. In Eagle County, Medicaid-eligible children who utilize their dental benefits are less than 25 percent.

Avon-based Vail Valley Dental Care offers complete dental care for the whole family. Their mission is “to create trusting friendships with our patients and inspire a lifetime of healthy, beautiful smiles.” With leading-edge dental technology and a beautiful, newly renovated office, they provide patients of all ages with the exceptional dental care they deserve. For more information, please visit www.vailvalleydentalcare.com or call (970) 949-3331.

Editors note: Due to the need for signed parental permission and other documentation, we can only see children who are registered in advance. Please do not indicate to the public that the event is open to unregistered children.

With some many Holidays in the month of February be sure to take advantage of these specials I am offer through Feb 28th.  Don't forget that the kids will have a few extra days off of school this month and I am booking sessions for those days.  Also keep in mind that a great Valentine gift would be to book a session with your sweetheart!!!

Promise yourself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Promise yourself these things.

- Christian D. Larson (1912)

Friday night at the 7^th Annual Vail Valley Success Awards Gala, I will have the distinct honor and privilege of recognizing six area businesses that represent the best our valley has to offer. Of course, it is not really the businesses we honor, but the people who lead them, run them and take them to their hearts 24/7/365. In trying to find a commonality among these leaders and workers I submit the thoughts above, expressed so concisely and clearly by Christian Larsen (Note: Optimist International adopted this creed in 1922.), an influential philosopher and teacher who wrote near the turn of the 20^th century and who believed that “people have tremendous latent powers, which could be harnessed for success with the proper attitude.”

Larsen was an optimist, as I believe are our award winners this year. These folks, as is obviated by their success in their chosen endeavors, find a way to channel positive energy and enthusiasm into problem solving, leadership, forward vision, encouragement and just plain hard work. The result is nothing short of victory. They inspire me. They reinforce in me the idea that persistence, tenacity, courage and fair play will triumph. I admire them.

If you can’t attend this wonderful event which by the way, will acknowledge the Vail Valley Salvation Army as the “Non-Profit of the Year” earning them a portion of the evening’s proceeds, I encourage you to read this newspaper on Saturday and discover the other winners. Among all our 700 members from Denver to Glenwood Springs, who strive for excellence and to make livelihoods for thousands of people here, these are this year, the best of the best.

Congratulations to all these fine individuals and enterprises. May we suggest to all of you who live, work and play in this wonderful place, that it’s these very Vail Valley Partnership members who do their best every day to make it so. When you visit an area business, look for the VVP Member sticker in the window. It’s a good sign.

VVP Event Update:

Fri., Feb 5, 6-11:00 p.m., The Lodge at Vail, Vail Village, Seventh Annual Gala and Success Awards – tickets contact: Michelle Kobelan, VVP Events Coordinator, 477.4001 or mkobelan@visitvailvalley.com .

Tues., Feb 9, 5:30-7 p.m., The Antlers Lodge, Ask the Experts: Internet Marketing, VVP members only.

Wed., Feb 17, 7:30-8:30 a.m., The Dusty Boot, Eagle, Return of the Breakfast Scrambler, Networking/Lead Exchange to follow until 9:30, VVP Members only.

Wed., Mar 17, 5-7 p.m., Business After Hours Mixer, Euro Bath & Tile, Traer Creek Plaza, Avon, VVP members only

The band’s concert at Spring Back to Vail will be their first public performance in Colorado to date and their first concert to follow the release of their new album, Rise and Shine, on March 23. Born in the midst of a contentious, decade-long Civil War, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have found a place of refuge through music, a sense of purpose and a source of power. The band has seen the worst that this world can offer; yet, through their unflinching spirit and joyful sound they are now sharing their message and uplifting music throughout the world.


“We are thrilled to bring such a cosmopolitan, world-class act as Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars to Vail for the end-of-season bash,” said James Deighan of Highline Sports & Entertainment, the event marketing company who produces Spring Back to Vail and books the concert line-up in conjunction with Vail Mountain. “The festival is recognized as the country’s best spring mountain party and with the resources and unrelenting support from Vail Mountain, we have brought this event to a level no one in the industry can match. Year after year, Spring Back to Vail offers an outstanding concert lineup and wide variety of on-mountain and in-town events!”


Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars debut album, Living Like A Refugee (Anti Records-2006), is one of the most acclaimed world music releases of the past few years. The band has recently performed on five different continents for hundreds of thousands of people including Hollywood Bowl, NYC Central Park Summerstage, Bonnaroo, Fuji Rock in Japan, East Coast Blues & Roots Festival in Australia to name a few.


Performing at an outdoor concert venue in Vail, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars will kick-off Spring Back to Vail’s three-night concert series. The other two headliner acts have yet to be announced but will soon be released to the public.  

Spring Back to Vail 2010 is rockin’ your way thanks to Vail Mountain, Bud Light, Town of Vail, Captain Morgan, SoBe Lifewater, Skiing Magazine and is brought to you in part by Néve Designs, Smith Optics, Vail Daily, KZYR The Zephyr and TV8 The Official TV Station of Vail and Beaver Creek Resorts.

GIFT CERTIFICATES

Ooh La La Pampering Parties now has gift certificates available for purchase online!!

Give the gift of relaxation to your Sweetheart this Valentine's Day & let them choose what treatment they would like to enjoy!! Visit www.oohlalapamperingparties.com