Dearest Apogaeans,

We know you have been waiting with bated breath, on the edge of your seats, drooling for some big announcements that you can really sink your teeth into. And since we love you *ALL* and this amazing community so much, we have been working overtime during this already-busy holiday season to make big progress. And finally, it’s 2016, the year of Apogaea’s rebirth! Here’s some BIG news as a Happy New Year present to us all <drumroll please>…

We have a land decision!!!

That’s right, after carefully considering many different options, we have selected the land on which we intend to hold Apogaea 2016!! It is an amazing parcel in Valdez, Colorado near Trinidad, just over 3 hours from Denver. Here’s what we can tell you about it right off the bat:

• First and foremost, it is the best choice for Emergency Services. Safety third is funny and all, but this is a major advantage. Being close to a hospital, having ingress and egress roads, and having a helipad means that if, god forbid, something happens and there is a major injury, the chance for quick treatment is *much* higher. We like this.
• The land is beautiful – it is located in a picturesque combination of meadows, rolling hills, and trees. It’s got that Apogaea flavor.
• It is located at approximately 6,500 feet, much lower than previous locations, so the weather should be amazing this time of year! (*read on for that wink wink*) It should be more temperate, with warmer nights at least and maybe cooler days!
• Valdez is a tiny town with a population of 37, they seem like they will be happy to have our traffic for last-minute ice stops, and we will likely be patronizing local businesses in other ways. Win-win-win! (the third win is you!)

Now, we want you to know that it is *SO* important to us to not have a repeat of last year. We are doing everything we can to get this land locked in, permitted, and contracted as soon as possible. More on that later. But we also want you to know we are simultaneously taking steps to secure two more possible venues, plans “B” and “C” if you will. In time, we will be saying more about these other options as well. But please do be aware that we are not putting all our eggs in one basket, and we are fully dedicated to giving you the very best Apogaea 2016 possible!!

Now that we have selected the land near Trinidad, a lot of things can really get rolling, for instance, budgets, ticket pricing, population cap, etc. And more importantly, our kickass volunteer departments can start getting to work building your fantastic event! On that note, we still have open Ignition lead and other volunteer roles, click on “Get Involved” on our website to find out more about that. 🙂

And before you go, we do have *one more thing* that we are stoked to announce:

The dates for Apogaea 2016 have been chosen!

This year, as historically, it will be on the second weekend of June. Gates will open at noon on Thursday, June 9th, and the event will end at noon on Sunday, June 12. This is one day shorter than last year, to ease the heavy burden on many of our departments and volunteers. There will be a work weekend as usual, as well as an early entry day for Ignition volunteers, granted artists, and registered theme camps. There will also be an extra exodus day for the major infrastructure items to be packed out and the land to be combed over. It’s important that we LEAVE NO TRACE!! More info will be released in the coming weeks and months, but hooray! You can finally pencil it into your calendar and start making plans!

Well, that’s about all I can think of at the moment. We hope this gives you fantastic humans (and unicorns, narwhals, etc…) something to cheer about in this new year! It’s a new Apogaea, too! 2016, BABY!

Won’t you help us make it the best yet?

Much love,
Michael “Luki” Blank, on behalf of your Apogaea Board of Directors