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Steamboat Magazine

Campout for the Cause 2015 - Rancho Del Rio

06/14/2015 11:38PM ● By Julie Mc Nally

The sunshine is finally here and the summer concerts of Colorado are underway! After a month of daily rain, music lovers and outdoor enthusiasts were finally able to celebrate the beginning of summer for a great cause. Campout for the Cause is held along the Colorado River at Rancho Del Rio in Bond, CO---about an hour drive from Steamboat.  This past memorial weekend, the banks of the Colorado River were bustling with live music and workshops including Stand Up Paddleboarding, yoga, permaculture, hand drumming, belly dancing, and healing foods.   Just inland from the beach that housed these activities, the camping areas were filled with vibrantly colored tent rain flies.  The lineup included Colorado based bands Elephant Revival, Brothers Keeper, Old Town Pickers (Steamboat locals), and many more.

 

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales of this event support causes---such as All Hands Volunteers and Eagle Valley Land Trust--- that benefit the Colorado River.  Event coordinators have worked toward making Campout for the Cause a sustainable, family friendly event – including a family camping area and sustainable event practices.  With the purchase of a three-day ticket, patrons received a Campout for the Cause stainless steel mug and a $1 discount on drinks in order to reduce the waste of single use cups from the bar.

 Concert-goers enjoyed their time at Campout despite the typical Colorado weather - a rain, hail, thunder and lightning combination in between the sunshine.  Sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate, but Coloradans usually arrive for these types of events prepared for anything from 40 degrees and snowy to 80 degrees and sunny.  Attending guests at Rancho Del Rio didn't seem to mind the mud.  Many of them were sporting pants tucked into their knee-high rain boots for most of the weekend.

 The Colorado bands of the festival seemed to enjoy playing in their home state just as much as the fans appreciated their return home after touring across the nation.  “We always look forward to returning home after tour. It’s nice to get back into the thinner air!” notes Scott Rednor, guitarist of Brothers Keeper, a band based out of Vail.

 Steamboat hometown favorites, The Old Town Pickers, held it down at the Bonfire Bar Deck Stage.  As usual with their shows, there was a front row crew of Steamboaters dancing up a storm in support of our hometown band; truly representing the spirit of the ‘Boat. Jay Roemer of the Old Town Pickers reflects on his experience at Campout: “Playing out of town is always exciting because of the fresh faces.  Having your friends in the crowd at a different and gorgeous venue is also quite exciting.  This was my first year at Campout for the Cause.  I ran into Steamboat folks in the campground, enjoying the music, working as employees or volunteering at the festival, and of course the great people at Phenomenal Falafel.”

 

Don’t forget to check out our interview with Elephant Revival from Campout for the Cause2015!