Media Contact:  Gaylene Ore Ore Communications (970) 887-2536 e-mail:  gaylene@orecommunications.com   GRAND COUNTY SUMMER FACTS, COLORADO   A 20-mile stretch of the Colorado River between Granby and Kremmling has been designated as “Gold Medal Waters” by the Colorado Wildlife Commission, and offers some of the best fly-fishing in the state.   The five lakes of the Arapaho National Recreation Area – Lake Granby, Monarch Lake, Shadow Mountain Reservoir, Meadow Creek Reservoir, and Willow Creek Reservoir – and the neighboring Grand Lake offer outstanding fishing and boating.   Open only during the summer, Trail Ridge Road (US Highway 34) runs through Rocky Mountain National Park between Grand Lake and Estes Park and is the highest road in the US that is paved for its entire length.  Trail Ridge Road is also the northern end of the Colorado Headwaters Scenic and Historic Byway.   Grand County is home to four unique mountain golf courses:  Pole Creek Golf Club, Headwaters Golf Resort (formerly SolVista Golf and Ski Ranch), Grand Elk Ranch and Club, and the Grand Lake Golf Course.   The traditional cowboy skills of roping, barrel racing, and bull riding come alive at Fraser’s High Country Stampede Rodeo held at the John Work Arena and Granby’s Flying Heels Arena every Saturday night during July and August. The rodeo at the Middle Park Fair in Kremmling, complete with rodeo queen and tractor pulls, closes out the season in early September.   Each July, the grassy slopes of Winter Park Resort become an amphitheater for three major music festival weekends:  the JVC Jazz Festival, the KBCO World Class Rockfest and the 103.5 Fox Annual Hawgfest.   The Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater offers professional musical theater nightly from June through September at the Grand Lake Theater.   Summer is the time to catch one of our many arts and crafts festivals, including Grand Lake’s popular Antique & Collectibles Auction. the Fine Arts and Crafts Fair and the Grand Craft Fair, as well as Winter Park’s Alpine Art Affair and the Colorado Craft Fair.   Home to six world-class dude and guest ranches, Grand County has earned its spurs as the “Dude Ranch Capital of the USA.”   From down-and-dirty cattle drives to square dance dinners, and rustic cabins to elegant lodges, each establishment takes its own unique approach to the authentic Western experience.  In addition to riding lessons and pack trips, guests can participate in the more modern Western activities like whitewater rafting, fly fishing, golf, or jeep tours.     Another way to get into the cowboy life is to participate in a real cattle drive at the Rusty Spur Ranch near Kremmling.  Even novice riders are encouraged to join in the drive but, if you’re feeling less adventurous, the ranch also offers 2- and 3-hour trail rides.   More than 600 miles of trails makes for some hard choices for hikers.  The choices range from a leisurely ramble through forest and town along the Fraser River, to a hike along the Continental Divide near Berthoud Pass, or even an overnight trek into the Indian Peaks Wilderness.   Independence Day is a time for old-fashioned festivities throughout the county, including pancake breakfasts, small-town rodeo action, fishing derbies, fireman’s barbecue, Granby’s Fourth of July Parade and, of course, fireworks.   Colorado is known as the “Centennial State” because it joined the union in 1876, and one of Grand County’s towns will be celebrating its own centennial in 2005.  Granby’s official birthday is December 11th, but the fun starts during the summer, with special events and displays throughout the town.     Information on these and other summer activities in Grand County is available from the Grand County Colorado Tourism Board, online at www.grand-county.com or by calling 1-800-729-5821.