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Crested Butte to Colorado: Don't Come Looking For Whatever

Jeffrey Beall
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Flickr-Creative Commons
The mountain town of Crested Butte is no stranger to festivals, but has concerns about being overrun during Bud Light's "Whatever, USA" party.

Only a select few are welcome in Whatever.

That's the message from the mountain town of Crested Butte, the site of a Bud Light-sponsored party Sept. 5-7. The party is open only to invitees, residents of Gunnison County, and a few select others -- so if you're not on that list, don't bother schlepping over the hill for the fun, Chief Marshal Tom Martin said.

"As much as we want to have you visit the Crested Butte area, you will not be able to get in to the Bud Light-sponsored events this weekend," said Martin.

The town marshal is concerned about visitors flocking over from other Colorado towns, only to be disappointed when they can't enter the fun. So he and others are trying to spread the word about who can and cannot enter the party.

First, you have to be over 21, and be able to prove it. Second, party-goers must either have invitations from Bud Light, or be Gunnison County residents or second homeowners in Crested Butte. Students at Western State College can also attend if they are of legal age; the college is sending up a list of those students, said Martin.

The Anheuser-Busch gimmick, which started in Superbowl XLVII, has invited Bud Light fans to apply for a chance to come party in a town they are calling Whatever, USA.

In this case, Whatever is Crested Butte, and the company initially offered the town $250,000 for the opportunity to use its historic Elk Avenue as the site of their event, which includes painting parts of the street Bud Light blue.

The decision to allow the party has been controversial, with some residents upset about the closed-door nature of the process and others annoyed by the inconvenience it will cause. That prompted the company to double its donation to $500,000.

Stephanie Paige Ogburn has been reporting from Colorado for more than five years, primarily from the Western Slope.
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