Snowmass, CO opened its summer music series last weekend with the fifth annual Chili Pepper & Brew Fest. On Saturday, the event surpassed the one-day records set by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at Snowmass, COs Independence Day celebration in 2004 and Jonny Langs Chili Pepper & Brew Fest. in 2006. In total, over 7,000 fans attended the multi-day event, 400 of which voted in the locals chili and homebrew competitions. Twenty four breweries and 34 International Chili Society cooks participated in this weekends competitions, while seven local home brewers and 14 local cooks faced off on Sunday. Event director Josh Behrman estimates that the festival went through at least 200-300 kegs and 200 gallons of chili.

In addition, the festival featured performances by Ziggy Marley, David Grisman, Del McCoury Band, Papa Mali and Sweet Sunny South. One particularly memorable moment occurred during Grisman and McCourys joint encore. The bluegrass legends collaborated on a rare version of Grismans Fanny Hill, without even realizing that the ski slope they were playing on is actually called Fanny Hill.
Snowmasss free music series kicks off on June 23 with ukulele-wiz Jake Shimabukuro The citys weekly Snowmass Summer of Free Music Series kicks off June 28 with a performance by War. Other free upcoming shows including Tony Furtado (July 5), Bettye Lavette (July 26), Sierre Leone’s Refugee All Stars (August 9) and Salvador Santana (August 23).