Concert in the Pines

by: Teresa Hill

A 10,000 square-foot venue is coming to Grand Lake, but it is still in need of repairs. The Grand Arts Council is kicking off the second annual Concert in the Pines on Saturday, January 23 to assist in the cost of these renovations. "It is exciting to be a part of bringing the arts to the spotlight in Grand County," says Cathy-Walton Smith, President of Grand Arts Council. "To have the space to bring nationally touring entertainment to Fraser Valley, and to offer local artists the chance to share the stage with them is the reason that I am on this Board," explains Teresa Hill.

The first concert in the series will feature contemporary classical band Acoustic Eidolon, who captivate audiences all over the world with their signature blend of Celtic, folk and acoustic sounds. Featuring Joe Scott on a 14-string double-neck guitjo and Hannah Alkire on cello, the duo intrigues listeners with “an evening of brilliant instrumentality,” according to Swallow Hill Music Association.

Their original sound is created by the mixing of their diverse musical backgrounds and unusual instrumentation, including the one-of-a-kind double neck guitjo, an instrument of Joe's own design praised by USA Today as a "beautiful harp-like sounding instrument." Joe has developed his own style and technique, playing both necks simultaneously. Classically- trained cellist Hannah Alkire studied with G. Magyar of the Hungarian String Quartet and is recognized internationally for her stunning tone and emotional delivery. Acoustic Eidolon couples intricate and passionate music with genuine and engaging stories, and is called by some critics as “a sumptuous musical feast.”

Upcoming concerts include Hunker Down on Saturday, February 20, which will include an open house tour of the unfinished auditorium, as well as a chance for the local community to learn about the Grand Arts Council membership program. The Council is currently looking for musicians, artists, and lovers of art to join the Board of Directors.

Tickets are available for the concert online through PayPal at www.GrandArtsCouncil.com, or by calling 970-531-3055.

Audio samples of the music are available at www.ThisSideofBerthoud.com


Upcoming Concerts in The Pines:

Jan. 23, 2010: ACOUSTIC EIDOLON

Feb. 20, 2010: HUNKER DOWN

Mar. 20, 2010: JUBILANT BRIDGE

The Tragic Ghost of Grand County

by: Teresa Hill
October 21, 2009
Travelers passing through Fraser, Colorado recently noticed a new coat of paint being plied to the Crooked Creek Saloon. Their honks and waves were politely returned by several local musicians, brushes in hand, hired by the new owners of the historic edifice, Toni and Scott Hallgren.

The curiosity of these passersby would have deepened further if they knew that beneath the decades of cracking paint lie the distant embers of a fire, the howls of the Great Blizzard of 1909, and a real ghost story of Grand County.

In the 1900s, the town of Fraser was “complete with a single dusty street, community saloon, gaunt clapboard general store, sheriff, grizzled characters in sweaty Stetsons and a cluster of unpainted board shacks which, in the winter, must surely let the howling blizzard in” wrote Russell Baker of the New York Times in 1955.

As both an oasis to pioneers seeking fortune in the lumber-milling boom and a railroad stop for homesteaders settling the Wild West, Fraser quickly became a destination for weary travelers. One of the most famous and most beautiful denizens of those years was known simply as Rosie. Her stunning portrait as a reclining lady in red still hangs above the entrance to Crooked Creek for all to admire.

After losing her parents in the flu epidemic of 1898, Rosie turned to practicing the world's oldest profession. It wasn’t long before the illustrious madam opened her own saloon and dance hall and found a steady flow of customers among the railroad workers and loggers.
Calamity struck, however, during the Great Blizzard of 1909. Trapped inside her saloon by the mounting drifts, Rosie and several stranded customers and employees inadvertently caught the building on fire while stoking the wood burning stove in an attempt to stave off the merciless cold. In the chaos and confusion of that horrific night, the tavern burned entirely to the ground. To this day, the exact identities of those who perished with Rosie are still clouded in mystery. According to local legend, some of the victims never left.

A quarter of a century later, the Crooked Creek Saloon was rebuilt on the very site of Rosie's former brothel. From the opening of the new saloon's doors, patrons and staff have claimed to see ghostly apparitions, particularly when the wind blows and the temperature drops. Most of the spectral sightings have occurred near the stove in the back dining room, where the fatal blaze started.

On one of these cold nights, Toni Hallgren remembers a family taking portraits near the stove in the back room. Breathless, the mother showed Toni the picture of her daughter next to an eerie phantom ablaze in yellow and orange light. “Oh, that’s just Rosie,” she told the family. “She must like you!”

Keeping in time to its century-old reputation as the heartbeat of Fraser, patrons of the Creek are once again returning for good times with friends, comforting food, and live entertainment.
On Halloween Night, there will be live music by the reggae band Toad King from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. This celebration is free for those ages 21 and over. Don’t be too surprised in you catch a glimpse of Rosie while you’re there.