Rock & Rails plans memorable end to summer

With only five Thursdays left in the season, Rock & Rails is enlisting a noteworthy lineup to end the summer with a bang. Headliners such as Chris Daniels and the Kings with Freddi, The Hazel Miller Band, and Face are expected to attract plenty of fans to Niwot’s popular summer concert series.

Since its inception in 2006, Rock & Rails has grown to be one of Niwot’s most well-known summer events, with locals and visitors alike filling Whistle Stop Park every Thursday evening.

Attendance has been up compared to past years, in part due to the summer’s relative lack of evening thunderstorms. As Rock & Rails has expanded, it has made changes to maximize its physical capacity.

“All of the concerts have been well-attended, so we’ve moved the food tents back so that people have more standing room,” Vicki Maurer, one of Rock & Rails’ three managers, said.

Upcoming bands, such as The Hazel Miller Band and Face, are expected to bring in even more visitors than previous concerts, due to their strong followings.

“What really increases our attendance is the following of the bands,” Maurer said. “When the bands are big, we have a lot of out-of-town people attend.”

Hazel Miller, a well-respected singer in Colorado who has grown in popularity over the last three decades, has toured with the likes of Big Head Todd and the Monsters and sung alongside The Lumineers.

Face, an internationally recognized vocal rock group based out of Boulder, exploded in popularity after competing on the premiere season of “The Sing-Off” in 2009.

This season of Rock & Rails will also conclude with well-known bands such as Chris Daniels and The Kings with Freddi, the Police tribute band Message In a Bottle, and the Eagles tribute band The Long Run.

Opening acts have included Gunbarrel resident Dean Himes who opened for Something Underground, Nathan Folsom who opened for his step-mother and Niwot resident Rebecca Folsom, and the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, which opened for Hermonious.

Niwot High grad Nalani Clissett, a Niwot High grad, opened for Regi Wooton, and later joined him on stage. She will also open for Hazel Miller August 4 and often performs with her. Legitimate by Friday will open for Chris Daniels on July 28, with Niwot High grads Mike Anderson and Michael Warren. Longmont's Tim Ostdiek, who is about to release his first album, will open for Face August 18.

On August 4, in addition to The Hazel Miller Band performing, Niwot Real Estate will be sponsoring a College Alumni Night.

Visitors are invited to wear their college gear, such as hats and shirts, to represent their college and earn prizes. Alumni from the most represented out-of-state school and the first eight alumni to sign in from the most represented in-state school will win a free beer, courtesy of Niwot Real Estate.

To be eligible, alumni must be wearing a piece of college clothing and sign in to the Niwot Real Estate tent upon entering Whistle Stop Park.

Pat Murphy, owner of Niwot Real Estate, hopes that the sponsored College Alumni Night will help to form new connections within the Niwot community.

“You may meet people in Niwot that you didn’t know you went to school with,” Murphy said.

Though admission to Rock & Rails is free, each week visitors have the chance to donate to a different Niwot non-profit organization.

The Niwot Community Association (NCA), Niwot Youth Sports (NYS), Niwot Historical Society, Mwebaza Foundation, Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, Women’s International Niwot Club (WINC),Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms and the Niwot High School Football Team have all benefited this summer from generous donations, with each organization receiving around $750 from a single night’s contributions. Upcoming tip jars will benefit the Niwot Cultural Arts Association for the Niwot Children's Park and Whistle Stop Park, as well as the Niwot High School Volleyball Team and Niwot High School Cheerleaders.

As Rock & Rails is a primarily volunteer-run event series, Maurer mentioned that the event is in a constant need of demand for volunteers. In particular, the front gate greeters and the alcohol tent have at times been short-staffed, which gives volunteers little time for breaks.

Over the past eight weeks, Rock & Rails has endured relatively few hiccups, with a 15-minute lightning break warranting the majority of concern.

Sponsorships by local businesses and revenue from alcohol sales provide the funding for the concerts, with a boost from the Niwot Local Improvement District. Outside alcohol is not allowed to be brought in, and all alcohol sold must be consumed at the park.

Though incidents regarding alcohol are seldom, the stakes are high if regulations aren’t followed. Co-manager Biff Warren noted that permanent fencing on the east side of the park has made it easier to keep concert-goers from wandering into the street with alcohol.

“We’ve only had one or two incidents in the last seven years of someone that was trying to bend the rules with alcohol, but we’re expecting [visitors] to respect our rules so that we don’t lose our liquor license,” Maurer explained. “Some people don’t understand that we’ll actually lose the ability to serve alcohol if we don’t enforce those rules.”

One thing that visitors find difficult to complain about are the drink prices.

“Since the concerts started 10 years ago, we’ve kept the prices the same,” Maurer said. “It’s a community event—all of the money goes back to the town. We’ve been fortunate to make enough to be able to keep the prices down for our visitors.”

Local business Bootstrap Brewing provides the beer, which sells for $5 a cup ($4 until the main attractions begins at 6:30 p.m.), with margaritas ($5) and wine ($5 to $7) also available for purchase.