Bluegrass for Bert brings out the community

The Niwot community turned out to honor the life and memory of Bert Steele Saturday, Aug. 26, in Cottonwood Square shopping center.

What was originally planned to be a "thank you" to the Niwot community for supporting local retail businesses, and helping the merchants survive the pandemic shutdown, morphed into a tribute to the late Bert Steele, who brought The Niwot Market to life over 20 years ago.

Stacy Szydiek, co-owner of The Niwot Tavern, spearheaded the effort to put the afternoon and evening concert together, with help from her business partner, Tara Shaheen, and many others in the Niwot community. After months of planning, ordering and organizing, the set-up began Friday night, with light rain falling that didn't seem to matter to anyone present.

The turnout of people to help with the event was a testament to how Steele operated in the Niwot community, touching lives from all walks of life with his community-minded and common sense approach to business and life.

Vicki Maurer, who worked with Steele to arrange for delivery of the Courier's print editions at the Market, recalled an example of Steele's kindness. "Once there was a truck parked behind the Market which was blocking his loading zone. Bert had the truck towed so that deliveries could be made, but instead of having it towed away and impounded, he simply had the tow company move it out of the way so his delivery trucks could get in."

Steele's kindness was evident in the variety of people who came to help. Michael Tomich of the House Blend Band and The Old Oak Coffeehouse helped with the set-up of the portable stage that is used for downtown street dances once a month. Michael Overfield, who recently opened a roofing company in Niwot, helped transport the stage in his truck from the old fire station to the shopping center.

Marc Ryle, who helps with most Niwot events, was on hand to assist with the stage setup, even crawling underneath in the rain to make sure the parts fit together. Ryle also came back Saturday to help provide security for the event. Lulu Davis, a regular volunteer at Rock & Rails, was on hand to lend a hand, as was Stacy Howie.

Mary Coonce of Porchfront Homes was also there to make sure things went smoothly, and helped with security. Tania Wolanski, who plays trumpet in the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, was also on hand to help set up the event. Several other community members, most of whom knew Bert Steele from the Niwot Market, were on hand to help Friday and Saturday.

David Limbach of the Niwot Community Association made sure that Dick Piland and the rest of the NCA's road crew were on hand to set up signs and barriers in the shopping center on Saturday morning. And Mary Jo Wysocki of Winot Coffee set up a lemonade and baked goods stand on Saturday to serve drinks and treats to those attending the concert.

The event began shortly after 2 p.m. with performances by two bands composed of young musicians from The Niwot Gig, with their mentor, Martin Marks, on hand to introduce the kids and play along with them. The vocalists, bass players, guitar players, drummers and keyboardists performed tunes ranging from "Sweet Child o' Mine" to "Rolling in the Deep" to an early crowd of over 150.

Afterwards, Seth Steele, son of Bert Steele, read a long list of "Things I Will Miss About My Dad," which he also read at the Celebration of Life a week earlier. The list resonated with many in the audience, who have fond memories of the Niwot Market owner.

Among the remembrances were how Bert Steele thought his son Seth was a great baseball player, and Bert Steele's explanation of why there aren't more left-handed catchers (although he was one). Also included on the list were memories of how his dad let Seth rollerblade through the market after it had closed, and how Bert pronounced "enchiladas."

After the memories, Martin Marks took the stage again to perform with an "adult" band of musicians from The Niwot Gig, including a recent country single released by Marks, and available online.

As the afternoon crowd swelled, more bands performed, including Al's Highway 50, and Wrenn Van & Friends. Each of the bands performed a bluegrass tune, to honor Bert Steele's favorite genre of music. The night concluded with a performance by the John Loland Quartet.

Audience members included several generations of Bert Steele's family, with the younger set enjoying the puddles left by the overnight rain. Fans of Steele came from near and far to be part of the event, sharing stories of how he had touched their lives.

Niwot musicians Pete and Joan Wernick and their son Will Wernick came for the last hour of the event after just getting off a plane from Boston. Pete Wernick, a bluegrass legend himself, enjoyed the performance by the last band, even though it was more rock than bluegrass. Joan Wernick captured the sentiment of the audience as the evening ended, saying, "I just loved Bert. I'm going to miss him."