Late 1959 – 1963

The original place was known as the Ski & Spur and it was a sleepy little watering hole with more of a history than a future, or that was what most of the locals considered it to be.  It had its fair share of disputes, knuckle fests and tragedies but it also had a reputation for some of the best music and comedy acts anywhere in the country.  All of that was about to change in 1958 or 59 when Glen Yarbrough and his band, The Limelighters came to town.

Glen was a successful Folk singer with numerous hits spanning back to the early 1950’s.  By the time he came to town he and his band were a household name.  The first night they played to a packed house at the Ski & Sur and within a few months he acquired the place and renamed it the Limelight Lodge.  It only had three rooms and the bar, and on most nights the band used up all the rooms along with a few invited guests of the opposite sex.

At the same time, Glen purchased some land on highway 82 near Basalt where he and his father set up a nursery and floral business.  As it turned out, Glen may have helped pay for the business but he was rarely there.  With his late night activities up at the Limelight, he was rarely out of bed before noon only to head back to the bar for the next evening activities.

Before long Glen’s dad got to calling him “Lazy” Glen and the name stuck.  The business, Glen’s nursery, soon became known as The Lazy Glen.  Even after the business was closed and a trailer park erected in its place, it was called the “Lazy Glen Trailer Park” as it is still known to this day.

Back at the Limelight Glen started reaching out to some of his friends in the entertainment industry and many were eager to pay a visit.  Burl Ives became a regular visitor, as did John Denver, the Smothers Brothers and many local acts like Bert Dahlander & Ralph Sutton.  For a time the Smother’s Brothers supplemented their income working as busboys at the Limelight.

Sometime around 1963 Glen sold the Limelight to a local family.  Although no longer an owner he continued to make trips back to Aspen and perform at the Limelight.  Nina Paas and her family and the generations of Woolery/Pass to follow continued to own and operate the Limelight until it was sold in 2010 to the Crown Family, owners of the Aspen Ski Company.

John Denver played at the Limelight many times over the years as did the Smothers Brothers.  Sometime in the mid-sixties the Smothers Brothers were caught “red handed” with a stolen car.  The judge offered then two options leave town or go to jail.  They left the next morning.

Years later they moved back to town, part time, and even made as few appearances at the old Limelight.  The Limelight has such a colorful history it really deserves a book of its own and it could only be told by a member of the Paas family to do it any justice.