Same Time    Last weekend in June  

  Same Place    Calhan 

     Same Price     FREE !!!

 

located at the
El Paso County Fairgounds
in Calhan, Colorado, 30 miles east of Colorado Springs on Highway 24
Directions:
If you are driving to Calhan from the north on I25, exit Founder's Pkwy at Castle Rock and go east to Hwy 86. Stay on it through Elizabeth and go 5 more miles. Before you get to Kiowa, turn right on Elbert Rd. There is a sign for the Peaceful Valley Boy Scout Ranch. This is a beautiful drive all the way to highway 24. Go east to Calhan. The fairgrounds are south of the highway on 10th Street. (read parking directions below) Coming on I25 from the south, take the Hwy 24 exit east.

Day Parking

Day Parking - The north lot - near Swink Hall -  has handicapped spaces.

Camping and Lodging

    Bring shade for tents if you rough camp. Personally I think that under the grandstands is a great place for a tent! Fees payable to fairgrounds. Call Janice to reserve your spot. 719.520.7880.

2011 Fees

Water/Electric - $20 per night - 34 spaces in the 'Midway" and near Swink and Whittemore

Electric Only - $10 per night - 17 spaces, south of the arena

$5 rough camping. Showers are in Whittemore

Dump Station - $10 - open on Sunday afternoon

as of Mon. June 6 there were 12 left in the Midway. If there are at least 6 who want them, we can get water to the south spaces. Those have 30 amps so you don't have to worry about tripping the breakers and can run your air conditioners easier. In the Midway you have to be very careful and use your power wisely - not too many appliances at once - or you trip the breaker.

The only hotel in town has 27 rooms. The EconoLodge, 719-347-9589, 10% discount available. New hotel. Very nice and clean. Queen beds. Internet, free breakfast, microwave and fridge. It sells out, so reserve early.

Well Behaved dogs are welcome on leashes except in Swink Hall. No dogs in Swink!

Happenings at the Festival

Human Foosball - everybody can join in - adults and kids



Ultimate Frisbee - open to all ages
Coordinator: Michael Rudolph

Food

The GospelGrass Cafe will serve grilled burgers, brats & hot dogs at these times: Frid - noon - 1, 5 - 6 pm, Sat. noon - 1 - near Whittemore

Sat. night there will be a donation based spaghetti dinner at 6:15 pm in Swink.

Free Pancake Breakfast Sun. 9:30 am in Swink

Drinks & snacks will be available at other times as well in Whittemore

There are other restaurants in town - or bring a picnic

 Fundraisers for GospelGrass Gas

These fundraisers and all donations over the weekend will go to the GospelGrass Gas Fund to help the bands

1. Silent Auction
Bring good new or used items. Auction will close at 5 pm on Saturday. Items will be displayed in Swink Hall.

Merchants: If you donate an item worth $50 or more we will put your name here and also in the program.

A Gift Basket of Jerky has been donated by My Jerky Shop, 1826 E Platte Ave, Suite 224, Colorado Springs, CO
In the Springs Center Building - plenty of Parking in Rear. Near Union next to Dutch Bros Coffee

Ellen Stewart has donated a full size warmer, a plug-in and 3 Scentsy bars from her candle business in Colorado Springs, a $55 value. 719.314.6368

Michael Couillard, artist, has donated a framed digital oil painting

Cadillac Jack’s
Antique Store  * Self Storage * RV Park Open April to Oct
1001 5th St, Calhan
719.347.2000

A family from Kansas had donated a fiddle made in the 1800's, valued at $300+. It has new string, bridge, pegs and more.

The Northern Colorado Bluegrass Festival has donated 2 tickets valued at $40.

2. Music Contest
$5 entry fee. Every participant gets their name in a drawing for a McSpadden mountain dulcimer that comes with a nice gig bag.

The contest will be held Frid. at 5 pm. Contestants have 1 minute - 60 sec. - to show us your stuff. Play a tune on any instrument or sing a song or recite a poem. Just one minute. Open to all ages.


  

On Sat. there will be a free drawing for youth 18 and under at 5 pm in the Kid's Tent. Instruments will be donated by individuals and  Pickin' on Tennyson

To apply for the Richard Rutledge Memorial Scholarship Instrument (open to youth 12 - 18), email and tell us the name and age, instrument requested, why they want this instrument. This is based on need, as well. 

Workshop Descriptions 

(if you can't open this docx document, email me and I'll send you an older format)

gospelgrass   at  gmail.com

New this year - Fiddle Tune Frolics! All instruments are invited to play these Top 10 Tunes (Suzie's compilation!)

"D Tunes" - Angeline the Baker, St. Anne's Reel, Arkansas Traveler, Soldier's Joy, Whiskey Before Breakfast

"A" Tunes - Old Joe Clark, Red-Haired Boy, Bile 'Em Cabbage, Cripple Creek

"G" Tune - Blackberry Blossom

Of course there are 1000s of others but we can't get to them all. We'll play them slowly, then as fast as we can go. If we play all of these we'll go to Salt Creek - A, Cherokee Shuffle - A, Mississippi Sawyer - D

Vendors


Pickin' on Tennyson will bring some of their inventory - instruments, instructional cds and dvds, books, accessories.

Festival Overview

Thursday

Informal jamming and visiting. Music on stage at 5 pm. Free hot dog & lemonade night! Serving at 4:30 pm. 

Prayer and a devotional around the campfire (if there is no fire ban) with Paul Estep of Revival Ridge following the music on stage.

Friday

Workshops  10 am - 4 pm

Those of you who don't want to attend workshops can take a hike at the Paint Mines Park nearby. Great nature trails.

Human Foosball and Ultimate Frisbee during day.

Frid. 10 am - "Learning Frisbee Skills & Rules", 3 pm - Play a game.

4 pm - Special Presentation by the Costellos (Amber Waves) - "Little House on the Bluegrass Prairie"

5 pm - Music Contest - see rules above

6:30 - Music on stage

Prayer and a devotional around the campfire with Paul Estep of Revival Ridge following the music on stage.

Saturday

Music on 3 stages beginning at 10 am  - 2 indoors, 1 outdoors with a contingency plan in case of bad weather. You may want to bring your own chairs, as seating is on bleachers in Whittemore. Buildings are handicapped accessible.

Band Scramble sign up - 9:00 Sat. morning at Swink. The contest will be held in the evening.

Hanks Williams Songwriting Contest - participants meet in Swink at 9:30 and draw a phrase which must be used in a song that they write during the day. Songs will be performed in the evening. 1st, & 2nd places will sing their songs after the band contest.

A Barn Dance will follow in Whittemore after the band scramble & song contest winners have performed. The Grass Hat Gals will play for the dance. Other pickers are invited to join them.

Kid's Tent Activities: Cupcake Walk, Craft, Fish Pond, Popsicle Break, Pass the Pickle and more!

Sunday

Breakfast in Swink from 9:30 - 10:15. This is a free breakfast but we are asking for donations. We need milk, orange juice, coffee, sausage, cooking oil and helpers - cooks and clean-up crew. If you can help in any of these way, let us know.

Sing-Along with Paul Danley will follow breakfast at 10:30. All musicians are welcome to join in the 'heavenly band'.

11:30 - Message by Bryan Melvin titled "A Land Unknown". See Bryan's video on his website.

Jamming and visiting in the afternoon.

 

Pictures from Past Rocky Mountain Summer GospelGrass Festivals   

2000
2001 - We do not have any. If anyone out there has pics from this year,
please send them to us!
2002
Friday          2003 Saturday        Sunday 
2004     More 2004 
2005  More 2005  Workshops

2006 - 2008 coming soon

10th Annual Summer GospelGrass, Calhan, CO, 2009

Album 1      Album 2    Album 3    Album 4    Album 5    Album 6    Album 7

11th Annual Festival - pics are online

12th Annual