Each July, the inhabitants of Cheyenne Wyoming and neighboring towns gather together to celebrate their Frontier roots and traditions. Many towns in Wyoming (and the West in general) have a version of Frontier Days, but none do it up as extravagantly as Cheyenne!

The 2012 lineup for Cheyenne Frontier Days will blow your mind. From July 20th through the 29th, there is an ENORMOUS schedule of events with everything you could possibly think of to entertain yourself and your family: concerts, rodeos, demonstrations, exhibitions, museums, rides, carnival games, and lots and LOTS of food. The FREE pancake breakfast comes highly recommended by the vast network of my husband’s cousins that live in Cheyenne and Laramie. They tell me it is the town of Cheyenne’s chance to practice their emergency response and disaster recovery skills, by feeding a vast amount of people in record time.

The concert lineup includes the Zac Brown Band, Journey, Hank Williams Jr., Blake Shelton, and Brad Paisley. Make sure you buy your tickets early!

If you’re coming in from out of town, I recommend the Little America Cheyenne or the Hampton Inn – they’re elegant yet reasonably priced. And if the whole frontier/western/cowboy thing isn’t for you… well, first visit during some other time – they’re ALL FRONTIER ALL THE TIME during this stretch of July. Second, check out the Historic Governor’s Mansion, the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, or the Wyoming State Museum.

Photo by Tiffany Joyce.

New Year’s Eve festivities always bring lots of  fun and celebrating.  They’re also prone to bring lots of headaches and overall fuzziness the next day. A vicious hangover is no way to usher in the new year so I recommend a few tried and true Chi-town brunches to clear the head.  Not only do these hearty meals help soak up the alcoholic excess, but these particular spots offers there own specific hangover remedies. Read More »

It’s New Year’s Eve, which means you will most likely be celebrating in style. For my family “style” means a night at the Disneyland Resort. Since we’re staying at the Disneyland Hotel (my own dime) we can have a few drinks and not have to worry about driving. Plus, there’s plenty to do for the kids, because, hello, it’s Disneyland.

How do you spend New Year’s Eve with the family?

Whatever your plans are for ringing in the new year, please have fun and be safe! See you next year (that never gets old)!

Sincerely,

Your friends at UpTake (that’s us)

Photo: Lobby of the Disneyland Hotel by W.Honea

Don’t let the lack of gifts fool you. The holiday season is still in full swing (for about 48 more hours, giver or take).

This display in Austin, Texas reminds us that we should keep Christmas and/or the holiday of your choice in our hearts, always. Or at least until the credit card bills arrive. Then you can pack it until next year.

How long do you keep your holiday decorations up?

This post is part of UpTake’s Family Friday Series. This month the emphasis is on holiday lighting. If you see a display worth mentioning send us a photo via the contact link in the sidebar.

Photo: el_eduardo via Flickr