The Bolder Life: Burning Can Is Back

You heard me right—I said Burning Can, not Burning Man; and the action is all going down this weekend in my tiny hometown of Lyons, Colorado. Once again, Oskar Blues and the Lyons Outdoor Games are teaming up to throw a weekend bash filled with action, sports, beer, competition and live music.

Imagine this: a quaint little town, filled with some of your favorite hiking trails and restaurants in Boulder County. Now imagine that little town filled to the brim with craft beer aficionados, professional mountain bikers and kayakers, and hundreds of people, just like you, watching competitions, attending clinics, carving things with chainsaws, listening to live music, drinking really good beer from over 30 craft breweries, and let’s be honest—probably kicking themselves for not putting on sunscreen.

Oh, and did I mention there’s a 5K happening? Why wouldn’t there be a 5K race during an event where over 30 craft breweries are pouring beer samples. Makes total sense. Like peanut butter and jelly sense.

So here’s the deal—cancel your Saturday plans, because this is what your Saturday actually looks like.

Sleep in a little. You’re wise to rest up and it’s totally okay to grab a few more zzz’s.

If you’re one of those over achievers, you might want to stop by The Stone Cup and grab a light breakfast and a smoothie before you make your way over to Bohn Park for the Burning Can 5K run. Race starts at 11:30 a.m. and begins and ends right next to spot where the breweries have set up shop on. Register for the 5K race here.

If you’re not one of those people that have signed up and run every 5K within reasonable driving distance in the past four months, then you should grab some brunch, it’ll totally do the trick and set you up for success in your endeavors for the rest of the day. The Lyons Fork has quickly become everyone’s favorite spot to post up for some mid-morning grub—and since you’ll already be in Lyons, it just makes sense to give ‘em a try.

Now that you’re officially fueled—head on over to the St. Vrain River at noon and watch the Kayak Open Freestyle event. The Lyons Outdoor Games is a qualifying event for the U.S. Freestyle team, so you know the competitors are going to put on a show.

After checking out the kayaking action, head on over to Bohn Park around 1:00 p.m. and watch crazy people on BMX bikes do back-flips and defy gravity off of the dirt jumps at the Lyons Bike Park. This event is always a crowd favorite and runs until 4 p.m.

By this time, you’ve probably worked up a thirst, which means it’s time to head over to the Burning Can headquarters conveniently located in Bohn Park. Sample beers from a slew of local and out-of-state craft breweries and you’ll probably be hungry for a snack which isn’t a problem. Just grab a bite from one of the ten food trucks that will be hanging out at the event.

At this point, you’re having a blast. You’re probably dancing to some music by one of my favorite local bands, Interstate Stash Express, you still have a view of the crazy people jumping bikes over dirt hills, you just fell in love with beers from Golden Road Brewing from L.A. and Maui Brewing and you’ve visited the Upslope booth at least twice. It’s time to make a decision; either call it quits and head back to your camping spot in Meadow Park, or catch the free bus back to Boulder.

Or—keep the party going, and make your way to the Oskar Blues Party Barn (the original OB brewery), and catch some more live music, food and the Lyons Outdoor Awards ceremony.

Wow. At this point you’re pretty tired. You should probably plan ahead and cancel your Sunday plans as well.

The Lyons Outdoor Games run from Friday, June 8 to Sunday, June 10^th. Click here for a full Lyons Outdoor Games schedule. All proceeds from Burning Can will benefit the Lyons Park and Recreation Department and the Colorado Brewers Guild.