Antlers at Vail Hotel Sponsors “Living at Your Peak” Summit This Fall

 

Left, the Antlers at Vail hotel; right, Living at Your Peak keynote speaker Martina Navratilova

May 15, 2012—Vail, Colo.—Living at Your Peak, a new event organized by the Vail Symposium, September 13-15, 2012, will offer first-hand access to accomplished world champions, internationally recognized trainers, coaches, researchers, doctors, nutritionists and top chefs from world-class restaurants. Jenna Wolfe, co-anchor of NBC News’ Sunday TODAY show, emcees the event and Martina Navratilova is the keynote speaker.

Registration is $1,000 until June 30 and $1,200 beginning July 1, and includes priority access to event sessions, coordination with a personal concierge, exclusive access to VIP events and gourmet meals prepared by Vail’s internationally renowned chefs. Spouse passes are $300 and individual session fees start at $50 per session.

The Antlers at Vail hotel is proud to be a sponsor and official hotel for the event, and Living at Your Peak participants who book their rooms before June 30, 2012 will save 35% off lodging. Early booking rates for studio suites are $156 per night; a one-bedroom suite is $182 per night and a two-bedroom suite is $273 per night, subject to availability.

“Imagine the opportunity to run with an Olympic running coach, or chat over dinner with a renowned expert on brain health,” says Antlers General Manager Rob LeVine. “We’re excited to be a part of the inaugural Living at Your Peak summit, and hope many of our past guests and friends will join us for what we think could be a life-changing experience.”

Living at Your Peak is organized by the Vail Symposium, a grassroots, non-profit organization providing thought-provoking, diverse and affordable educational programs to the Vail Valley community. For more information about Living at Your Peak or to register, please visit www.livingatyourpeak.org.

The Antlers at Vail offers condominiums ranging from studio suites up to four bedrooms, and each room includes a fully-equipped kitchen, fireplace, free Internet access and free parking in a heated indoor garage. The Antlers Vail is conveniently located with easy access to the Living at Your Peak sessions, and the free Vail town shuttle stops just footsteps away. For more information, call 1-800-843-8245 or visit the Antlers at www.antlersvail.com.

Media Contacts: Rob LeVine, General Manager, Antlers at Vail, RLeVine@antlersvail.com, 970.476.2471; or Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335

Colorado Mountain Biking at the Antlers at Vail Hotel This Summer

Reserve rooms by June 1, 2012 and save 20% to 30% off regular rates

 

Left, Antlers at Vail hotel; right, photo by Chauncey Davis

April 13, 2012—Vail, CO—“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,” said Ernest Hemingway, “since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.” With 343 miles of bike trails, a bicycle is the perfect vehicle for exploring the Vail Valley’s diverse contours. And for those who prefer to skip the “sweat up the hills” part, the Vail Gondola offers transport for people and bikes to the top of Vail Mountain for an exciting coast down.

The Antlers at Vail hotel is a conveniently located home base—rated #1 in Vail Specialty Lodging by TripAdvisor readers—with comfortable condominiums just footsteps from the popular Gore Creek trail and darned close to the Vail Gondola.

Need more reasons to bring your bike to the Antlers this summer? Here are seven:

1. Guests who reserve rooms by June 1, 2012 can save 20% to 35% off regular prices, with rates for a studio suite starting as low as $156 per night.
2. Both Vail and Beaver Creek offer maps for navigating the area’s 340+ miles of biking trails, and the Antlers’ knowledgeable staff will happily provide suggestions and directions.
3. Vail Mountain Bike Camps offers summer day camps for kids 7 to 13 years old, and private and group mountain biking skill lessons for people of all ages.
4. The 2012 Vail Recreation District Mountain Bike Races series runs from May 23 – August 15, 2012, offering  mountain bikers of all ages and experience levels fun and the opportunity to win cash prizes.
5. Riders looking for a summertime challenge can join the Antlers team for the 11^th Annual Comcast Colorado Eagle River Ride on Saturday, July 28. The tour begins in Beaver Creek and brings riders along the scenic banks of the Colorado and Eagle rivers, and riders can choose from the 42-, 68- or 100-mile routes. Riders of all levels are welcome, and new team members receive a customized Antlers team jersey.
6. Want to see how the pros do it? The USA Pro Cycling Challenge features elite professional teams and athletes from around the world, with a stage finish in Beaver Creek on August 23, 2012.
7. No bike? No problem. Nearby shops like Charter Sports, Vail Bike Tech and Bike Valet offer bicycle and helmet rentals for adults and kids.

Since 1972, the Antlers has offered a unique Vail lodging experience in a relaxed mountain setting. Named the Vail Valley ‘Green Business of the Year’ in 2009, the Antlers is also proud to be named a Platinum Service Award Winner by the Vail Valley Partnership. With condominiums ranging from studio suites up to four bedrooms and plenty of space to spread out, each room at the Antlers offers all the comforts of home including fully-equipped kitchens, fireplaces, outdoor balconies, free Internet access and free parking in a heated indoor garage. The Antlers Vail is conveniently located in the Lionshead area of Vail with numerous restaurants, galleries and shops within walking distance, and the free Vail town shuttle stops just footsteps away. For more information, call 1-800-843-8245 or visit the Antlers web site at www.antlersvail.com.

Media Contacts: Rob LeVine, General Manager, Antlers at Vail, RLeVine@antlersvail.com, 970.476.2471; or Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335

WordenGroup Opens Denver Public Relations Office

A view of the Denver skyline VISIT DENVER

Denver, Colorado – April 2, 2012 – WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, a boutique PR firm specializing in travel public relations, has opened a Denver public relations office in addition to its longtime Jackson Hole, Wyo., address, announced WordenGroup Principal Darla Worden.

“We have long had clients in Colorado as well as Wyoming,” says Worden.  “Our new Denver public relations office allows us to better serve our Denver–area and mountain clients while capitalizing on our Colorado expertise and contacts to expand our business in the popular Rocky Mountain travel region.”

In business since 1996, WordenGroup has worked with a number of hotels as part of its travel PR niche, including the Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa – named Number One Hotel in the U.S. and Canada by Travel + Leisure readers (2005) – and the Lodge at Sun Ranch in Montana, which appeared on multiple “best” lists, including in Travel + Leisure and Outside magazines while the lodge was a WordenGroup client.  The Lodge at Sun Ranch PR campaign also earned WordenGroup a national award for travel public relations. The Jackson Hole and Denver public relations firm also represents Antlers at Vail, a popular Colorado condominium hotel.

WordenGroup’s PR associates have experience as magazine publishers, columnists, editors, travel journalists and food writers

• Darla Worden  started in the public relations department of the Denver Post, later worked as group publisher for Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles
• Anne McGregor Parsons has 20 years of publishing experience including stints at Boston Magazine and as editor-in-chief of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles
• Eliza Cross is former publisher of Mountain Living magazine and author of five books on travel
• Dina Mishev is a travel writer for publications including Sunset and VIA, and hosts a Wyoming TV talk show

With offices in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Denver, Colo., WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations is poised to serve the public relations needs of travel companies in the Rocky Mountain West.  For additional WordenGroup information, visit www.wordenpr.com.

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 303.777.0635

Ward + Blake Architects to serve as AIA Masters of Ceremony

Jackson Hole firm’s principals chosen for 2012 AIA Wyoming Winter Conference

Mitch Blake and Tom Ward, Ward + Blake principals

 Jackson, Wyoming – February 15, 2012 – Tom Ward and Mitch Blake, principals of Jackson-based Ward + Blake Architects, will serve as masters of ceremony at the 2012 AIA Wyoming Winter Conference, February 16-18 in Cheyenne. The architects will make a brief presentation at the conference, talk about their experiences as Wyoming AIA Firm of the Year, and introduce the conference’s guest speakers.

“It’s an honor to be Wyoming’s AIA Firm of the Year,” says Blake. “And it’s always stimulating to interact with architects in our community.”

Ward + Blake Architects was named 2011Firm of the Year in September by AIA Wyoming. About its selection of Ward + Blake for the honor, the AIA stated: “For nearly 20 years Ward + Blake has contributed to the ongoing design discourse of New West architecture in Wyoming by creating contextually designed public spaces and homes that possess an accountability to the site, client, and historical continuum in which they were conceived.”

The 2012 Winter Conference, “Form, Architecture, Technology,” will explore some of the areas in which technology influences both the practice of architecture and its forms. Additional information about the conference can be found at http://aia-wyoming.org/.

Ward + Blake Architects was built on a distinctive vision: be provocative in thought, flexible in nature and disciplined in execution. Since 1996, the firm has gained recognition for architecture that is sensitive to its environment and successfully integrated with its surroundings.  Ward + Blake creates buildings that are tactile, modern, bio-climatically responsible, honestly expressed, technologically sound and artfully crafted.  For additional information, visit Ward + Blake online at www.wardblakearchitects.com or call 307.733.6867.

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335

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Left Bank Writers Retreat in Paris announces 2012 dates

Popular hands-on literary workshop slated for June 17-22, 2012

Photo Credit Mr. Mystery

November 9, 2011 — Denver, Colorado — The Left Bank Writers Retreat, a small-group writing workshop, is slated for June 17-22 in Paris, France. Hosted by writer Darla Worden, the workshop will focus on writing in a salon setting during mornings and touring Paris in the afternoons.

“Writers at every level enjoy this retreat,” Worden says.  “We explore Paris’s deep literary roots while also experiencing Paris’s sights, restaurants and museums.”

The cost of the six-day Left Bank Writers Retreat is $1999 and includes morning writing sessions, coaching and one-on-one time with the instructor for a maximum of 8 writers, as well as lunch each day, admission to museums and area sights, an excursion to Montmartre, a picnic on the banks of the Seine and a literary tour visiting many of the sites featured in Woody Allen’s recent movie Midnight in Paris.

Now in its third year, the retreat takes place on the historic Île Saint-Louis in the heart of Paris. Writers arrange their own lodging and transportation to Paris, and can reserve a spot in the retreat with a $500 deposit.

Worden has written more than 100 magazine articles about art, architecture and travel over the past 20 years.  Author of the novel Road Shoes and co-author of The Rusty Parrot Cookbook (Gibbs Smith, 2009), she also writes the popular blog Frenchophile

For additional information, visit www.leftbankwriters.com or Facebook or email at darla@wordenpr.com.

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Conservation Photographer John Weller Introduces Exhibition at Jackson Hole’s National Museum of Wildlife Art

Conservation photographer John Weller introduced an exhibition of his work, “The Last Ocean: Antarctica’s Ross Sea Photographs by John Weller,” at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Distinguished guests attended the lecture and viewed the exhibition, on display through January 29, 2012.

Hunting Adelies, The Ross Sea, Antarctica. © John B. Weller

Jackson Hole, Wyoming – October 12, 2011 – Award-winning conservation photographer John Weller gave an impassioned presentation in Jackson, Wyo., at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, stressing the importance of protecting the pristine ecosystem of Antarctica’s Ross Sea.  “Conservation is a necessity, not a luxury,” said Weller in his talk before an audience that included acclaimed Antarctic scientist David Ainley and Claire Christian of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition and the Antarctic Ocean Alliance in Washington, D.C.  Weller’s presentation was in honor of the opening of an exhibition of his work, “The Last Ocean: Antarctica’s Ross Sea Photographs by John Weller,” on display at the museum through January 29, 2012.

“Weller has the unusual ability both to make great art and to speak intelligently about larger issues affecting our world,” said Adam Harris, National Museum of Wildlife Art curator of art.  “The message behind his work really speaks to our overall goals as an institution interested in humanity’s relationship with nature.”

Through his remarkable photographs, John Weller celebrates the Ross Sea as one of the last healthy marine environments, offering a glimpse into the lives of wildlife from Emperor penguins to silverfish that inhabit the remote region both above and below the ocean’s surface.  A SeaWeb fellow and photographer/writer based in Boulder, Colo., he received a 2009 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to support his work to promote protection of the Ross Sea.  For more information on those efforts, visit The Last Ocean Charitable Trust website.

Two additional fall exhibitions at the National Museum of Wildlife Art offer thought-provoking connections between animals, habitat and humans as presented through the fine arts: In “George McLean: The Living Landscape” (November 19, 2011 – April 22, 2012), the artist uses meticulous fieldwork to create what has been described as “wilderness live- action painting.” And the avian artwork show “In the Spotlight: Mark Eberhard’s On the Edge” (October 22, 2011 – April 15, 2012) uses a painting of bird species on the brink of extinction as its centerpiece.

A member of the Museums West consortium and accredited by the American Association of Museums, the National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States provides an exciting calendar of exhibitions from its permanent collection and changing exhibitions from around the globe.  A complete is available online at www.wildlifeart.org.  The museum is also active on Facebook and on Twitter at @wildlifeartjh.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, 307.734.5335, darla@wordenpr.com; Ponteir Sackrey, National Museum of Wildlife Art, 307.732.5444, psackrey@wildlifeart.org.

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Ward + Blake Architects Named AIA Wyoming Firm of the Year

Jackson Hole firm wins for almost 20 years of architectural contributions

The EHA Family Trust Residence, winner of the AIA Award of Citation.

 Jackson, Wyoming – October 3, 2011 – Ward + Blake Architects has been named 2011 Firm of the Year by AIA Wyoming at its recent Honor Awards ceremony.   In addition, the Jackson, Wyo. firm won an Award of Citation for its EHA Family Residence.  About its selection of Ward + Blake for Firm of the Year, the AIA states: “For nearly 20 years Ward + Blake has contributed to the ongoing design discourse of New West architecture in Wyoming by creating contextually designed public spaces and homes that possess an accountability to the site, client, and historical continuum in which they were conceived.”

“We are deeply honored by the Firm of the Year recognition from AIA Wyoming,” says Ward + Blake Principal Mitch Blake.  “It is especially meaningful to receive an award that stresses collaboration and long-term contributions to the community, both of which have always been an important part of our overall mission.”

“It’s terrific to have our staff and body of work recognized in this way,” adds Ward + Blake Principal Tom Ward.  “We continually strive to learn and grow, pushing the boundaries with our passion for sustainable, contextual design, honestly expressed.  It’s gratifying to be acknowledged for how that looks over the past 20 years even as we continue to evolve and refine our mutual vision.”

The AIA Wyoming Firm of the Year Award recognizes the continuing collaboration among individuals in a firm that has produced distinguished architecture over a period of at least 10 years, has made significant contributions to the institute, the profession, and the community, and has transcended local boundaries.  As a whole, the AIA Wyoming Design Awards program recognizes excellence in design, planning, and construction of projects located anywhere in the world that are designed by AIA architects registered and licensed in Wyoming.  The 2011 awards banquet was held at Spring Creek Ranch in Jackson on September 23.

Ward + Blake’s EHA Residence, Winner of the Award of Citation, is a 7,334-square-foot home built in a grove of Aspens between the Teton Range and the Snake River in Jackson Hole.  One of the home’s unique features is traditional dovetailed logs finished with cast glass “chinking” to allow diffused light into the interior space by day and to provide a lantern effect by night.

Ward + Blake Architects was built on a distinctive vision: be provocative in thought, flexible in nature and disciplined in execution. Since 1996, the firm has gained recognition for architecture that is sensitive to its environment and successfully integrated with its surroundings.  Ward + Blake creates buildings that are tactile, modern, bio-climatically responsible, honestly expressed, technologically sound and artfully crafted.  For additional information visit Ward + Blake online at www.wardblakearchitects.com or call 307.733.6867.

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, 307.734.5335

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Western Design Conference Sees Increase in Attendance

2011 numbers for popular annual Jackson Hole design event up from 2010

Jackson, Wyoming – September 29, 2011 – Attendance at this year’s 20^th Annual Western Design Conference Exhibit + Sale showed a substantial increase over 2010 numbers, announced Conference Director Nancy McCullough-McCoy.  The Western Design Conference (WDC), which includes a fashion and jewelry show gala and lectures, as well as a gallery-style exhibition and sale of one-of-a-kind Western design by artisans, is held annually in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

“We’re very pleased with the attendance of this year’s event,” says McCullough-McCoy. “Plus, artists in the event reported an increase in sales this year. Most of the artists left very happy.”

Some 1,200 people, purchased tickets to attend the show held at Snow King Pavilion during the three-day event, September 8-11. In addition, the Western Design Conference Gala Fashion Show at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts hosted a sold-out crowd.

The nation’s finest Western-influenced designers and artists from across the country applied to be part of more than 100 exhibitions on display for this year’s exhibition and sale, with cash prizes totaling more than $22,000 awarded to handcrafted works in leather, metal, accents, woodworking, jewelry and fashion.  This year’s award winners included $5,000 for Best of Show to Many Tears (Supaya Gray Wolfe) of Camp Verde, Ariz.; $1,000 for The Wort Hotel Historical Craftsmanship award to Gauteraux Boot Co. of Redmond, Oreg.; $1,000 for the Sonny Tuttle Spirit Award to Timothy Jennings of Jackson, Wyo.; and a $4,000 Peoples’ Choice Award, chosen via votes by visitors to the show and sale, to Sue and Jim Berkenfield of Tetonia, Idaho.  A full listing of this year’s awards is available online at http://www.westerndesignconference.com/awards/.

The Western Design Conference is the foremost exhibition and celebration of what is happening in the world of Western furniture, fashion, and home accessories.  The 19th Annual Exhibit + Sale is a multi-million-dollar event featuring one-of-a-kind works of museum quality functional art on display and for purchase.  Additional information on the conference, including schedules and tickets, is available at www.westerndesignconference.com, and on Facebook and Twitter (@WesternDesign).

Media Contacts: Allison Merritt, allison@westerndesignconference.com, 307.690.9719; Nancy McCullough-McCoy, nancy@powdermountainpress.com, 307.690.0238

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Ward + Blake Architects Receive Four Dream Home Awards

Jackson Hole architects’ winning conceptual home designs published in Habitation

Jackson, Wyoming—September 21, 2011—Ward + Blake Architects received four Dream Home Awards, presented annually to companies and individuals who “set new standards of excellence in the nation’s building industry,” according to the Dream Home Awards organization.  The Jackson Hole architecture firm Ward + Blake received a Gold Award and two Silver Awards in the category of Best Conceptual Home Design plus a Silver Award in the category Best Whole House Remodel.  Its Gold-winning design concept for the Freedom, Wyo., Sharp Residence is published in the annual Dream Home Awards issue of hab-i-ta-tion Design Magazine.

Dream Home Awards are presented to those companies and individuals who assist in creating America’s Dream Homes; the awards honor trend-setting products and technology from the previous year.  The competition is open to interior designers, architects, building and remodeling firms, communities and trade contractors from across the country who compete in categories related to custom home products, interior design, commercial and mixed-use projects. The program describes itself as “the only comprehensive competition open to the nation’s design-build industry.”

For its Gold Award-winning concept for the Sharp Residence, Ward + Blake integrated the residence with the environment, nestling it into the site’s grassy slope – a distinct revision from the owner’s original expectation of a two-story house.  Three small ponds, created using excavated fill from the daylight basement, enhance the property’s existing stream.  In addition, the firm received Silver Awards for its designs of the Rominger residence in Jackson, Wyo., the Yanke residence in Thomasville, Georgia, and for the remodel of the Villa di Famiglia Vita in Alta, Wyoming.

Ward + Blake’s use of a ‘New West’ architectural vocabulary epitomizes the growing Western Modernism movement. The Jackson Hole residential and commercial architects capture the authentic, independent spirit of the West while taking regional design in a fresh and modern direction. The Jackson, Wyo., residential and commercial architecture firm is known for its award-winning eco-friendly innovations and received the Wyoming AIA Award of Excellence.  To view photographs of the awarded projects and learn more about the winners, see hab-i-ta-tion Design Magazine at http://www.dreamhomeawards.com. For additional information, contact Ward + Blake Architects at 307.733.6867.

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Western Design Conference Gala Adds New Winners Circle Art Auction

Popular Jackson Hole event promises jewelry, champagne, fashion, and more

A model walks the runway during the WDC Fashion + Jewelry Show Gala.

Jackson, Wyoming — August 29, 2011— The Western Design Conference Gala, Sept. 8, 2011, at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts, expands this year with the addition of a special showing of celebrity costume designer Manuel’s State Jacket Collection and the Winners Circle Art Auction, announced Western Design Conference (WDC) Event Manager Allison Merritt.

“We are extremely excited about the addition of both these events to our lineup,” says Merritt.  “The auction will add another interactive element to the fashion show, and we are honored to have Manuel and his historically significant State Jacket Collection at this year’s event.”

For the Winners Circle Art Auction, past WDC Design Excellence Award winners donate new works to be auctioned off, with proceeds to benefit the annual WDC artist awards fund.

Manuel’s State Jacket Collection will be displayed during the Exhibit + Sale and on the runway during the fashion show in the Center Theater. Known as the “Rhinestone Rembrandt,” Manuel will display his series of jackets stitched and sequined in tribute to the 50 states.  Manuel’s star-studded client list includes Johnny Cash, Elvis, Patsy Cline, the Beatles, Gram Parsons, and the Rolling Stones. The exhibit is sponsored by Jackson Hole architecture firm Ward + Blake Architects.

The WDC Fashion + Jewelry Show Gala reception takes place following the fashion show. Reserved-seating ticket prices range from balcony seats at $35 to premium seating at $125.  Tickets for the Fashion + Jewelry Show Gala are available at Center for the Arts, 240 South Glenwood, or by calling the Ticket Office, (307) 733-4900 or (877) 733-4901.

The Western Design Conference is the foremost exhibition and celebration of what is happening in the world of Western furniture, fashion, and home accessories. The 19th Annual Exhibit + Sale is a three-day, multi-million-dollar event featuring one-of-a-kind works of museum quality functional art on display and for purchase at the Pavilion at Snow King Resort, Sept. 9-11 from 10am to 5pm.  Tickets are available at the door for $15, or present your WDC Gala ticket stub for free admission. Additional information on the conference, including a full schedule of events and ticket details, is available at www.westerndesignconference.com, and on Facebook and Twitter (@WesternDesign).

Media Contacts: Allison Merritt, allison@westerndesignconference.com, 307.690.9719; Nancy McCullough-McCoy, nancy@powdermountainpress.com

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