Rebecca Folsom headlines Rock & Rails

Colorado's unusually wet summer weather caught up with Rock & Rails July 20, cutting short the performance by Rebecca Folsom and her band. The dark clouds and threat of rain held off until just after 7 p.m., when lightning strikes within two miles of the venue, accompanied by a downpour, interrupted the performance.

Folsom and the band tried to wait out the storm as concert-goers huddled around the depot building and crowded under umbrellas, but when high winds came up and the rain did not abate, the concert ended.

The July 20th edition of Rock & Rails started with a happy hour with Mark Oblinger, a five-time Emmy winning and Grammy nominated composer/producer/singer-songwriter. Oblinger, who opened last year for Chris Daniels & the Kings, plays an eclectic blend of soulful folk/pop and entertained the crowd with Robert Johnson, who has performed with nationally known acts.

Oblinger is a veteran of Colorado and national stages, having performed with artists including Pure Prairie League, Firefall, Garth Brooks, and Amy Grant. His music has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and Oblinger was a producer, composer and performer on the 2013 Grammy nominated children's jazz symphony, "JumpinJazz Kids – A Swinging Jungle Tale."

One of the rare Colorado natives, Rebecca Folsom was the evening's main act. Her new album, "Sanctuary," released in February, hit #1 on the Folk Album Chart. Folsom, with an amazing four-octave range, is known for folk and gospel songs that she hopes tell universal human stories.

A seasoned 20-year practitioner of Zen Buddhism, Folsom uses her platform to serve the underprivileged, to inspire collective change, and to create an international movement. Her philanthropy includes serving with Blue Sky Bridge (a child advocacy organization), The Women's Foundation of Colorado, Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, Onetreeplanted, and International Rescue Committee.

Folsom has played on BBC television/radio for an audience of 1.5 million, Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, The Bluebird and Opryland in Nashville, and at numerous festivals nationwide. The song "Sanctuary" was a semi-finalist in the 2021 International Songwriting Competition. Folsom got the crowd to their feet Thursday with her high energy performance before the rains came. Folsom can next be seen at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons.

The tip jar brought in over $900 for Cake4Kids, a national organization with a local presence, headed up by Amy Klein, who volunteered at Rock & Rails with her daughter, who helped staff the NHS volleyball's bike valet service. Alison Bakewell, California-based Executive Director of the national organization, was also on hand to greet concert patrons and collect tips.

Cake4Kids aims to ensure that every child has a birthday cake. The group delivers free custom homemade birthday cakes to at-risk and underserved youth who may not otherwise get one. The kids they serve may be in foster care, living in group homes, living in low-income housing or may even be homeless.

Cake4Kids is driven by volunteers who donate all the ingredients and bake the cakes at home. Cakes are delivered to partner agencies who ensure the child gets the custom-made and decorated masterpiece. There's no minimum commitment and volunteers can bake as often as they like. The Northern Colorado chapter of Cake4Kids launched in October 2022 and had 16 bakers sign up for their first orientation. To learn more about volunteering, visit https://www.cake4kids.org/volunteer.

Next up July 27th: Strangebyrds and the always popular The Long Run Eagles cover band. For a full schedule and more information visit https://niwot.com/rock-rails/.