Congratulations to Allen Krehbiel for winning the KSKE Country Showdown held at the Eagle County Fair in Eagle, CO. Allen will now advance to the Colorado State Finals in Copper Mountain, CO on Sunday, August 31st. The headlining act that day will be Wynnona!
Allen just also happens to co-leader of the Denver chapter of Nashville Songwriters of America International. Allen won with two of his original songs, both real winners!
Other finalists advancing to the Colorado state show will be Kristi Hoopes, representing KCRT in Trinidad, Colorado, and Brad Richmond, representing KTAR in Fort Morgan, CO.
http://www.countryshowdown.com
* * * * *
ROCKYGRASS RETURNS TO LYONS’ PLANET BLUEGRASS
By Quentin Young | Longmont Times-Call
The St. Vrain River cut a new channel right in front of the main stage at Planet Bluegrass in Lyons during the flood in September. But there was no sign of the new river path on the morning of July 25th when hundreds of music fans arrived at the Planet for the 42nd Annual RockyGrass festival.
The opening of RockyGrass was the first major public event at the Planet Bluegrass ranch since the grounds were wrecked in the flood. The entire property, including residential, administrative and performance structures, was under water. Crews have worked virtually non-stop since the flood to repair damage — putting the river back in its place was one of the bigger projects — in time for the summer season. The first deadline came on July 20, when bluegrass students from around the country arrived for the annual RockyGrass Academy.
The big deadline was the opening day of RockyGrass. On Friday morning the music kicked off at roughly 11 a.m. for a sold-out crowd.
“For me it’s like this family reunion that’s an absolute joy to get to share this week,” said Steve Szymanski, co-owner of Planet Bluegrass. “The energy, it’s palpable. Everyone’s just so happy to be here every year, but it’s not taken for granted this year.”
The opening act was Boulder-based The Railsplitters, whose banjo player, Dusty Rider, lives in Lyons.
“It was pretty moving,” he said after stepping off the stage. “Kind of intense.”
Enion Pelta-Tiller and her husband, David, lost their Lyons home in the flood and have recently moved back to the town. She played with The Railsplitters on Friday morning and was scheduled to perform with a total of five acts during the three-day festival.
“I teared up during the running of the tarps,” she said, referring to the moment festival-goers are permitted to run onto the field in front of the stage to stake seating positions with tarps.
The festival as a whole appeared much like it has in previous years, but everywhere were reminders big and small of the devastation the grounds suffered. The grass was uncannily new and shiny (a crew installed sod a couple months ago). A long cedar fence that once ran along one side of the music-viewing area was gone. The entire viewing area itself was slanted a different way, because when a crew was removing truckloads of dirt earlier in the year the Planet took the opportunity to grade the area to improve sightlines. A beach area on the river is in a new location farther from the stage.
Szymanski said items, such as speakers and mic stands, still show up on the grounds in unexpected places where they were deposited by floodwaters.
The Planet plans to spend $1 million this year on repairs, and Szymanski expects full recovery to take three years.
Annie Sirotniak, whose home was in a hard-hit neighborhood during the flood, emceed RockyGrass on Friday and was scheduled to perform with The Watergirls at 11 a.m. on Sunday. She also participated in RockyGrass Academy earlier in the week.
“I was really emotional,” she said, adding that seeing RockyGrass actually come to life Friday morning put things into perspective.
“It really hit home,” she said. “It’s a testament to the love of community.”
The next big event at the Planet is its annual Folks Festival, which is scheduled for Aug. 15-17.
Lauren Stovall, who sings for The Railsplitters, introduced the song “There is a Time” by noting how one of the verses had special meaning considering the flood and how far the Lyons community had come since September.
The verse goes: “Time is like a river flowing/With no regrets as it moves on/Around each bend the shining morning/And all the friends we thought were gone.”
http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_26216605/rockygrass-returns-lyons-planet-bluegrass.html