Wildflowers and baked beans – an unlikely pairing.
Yet each year the communities of Gunnison and Crested Butte erase the 30 miles between them and join hands for summer celebrations that seem to fit like a glove.
The 103rd annual Cattlemen’s Days PRCA Rodeo and Horse Race Meet in Gunnison from Friday through July 20 coincides with the fourth annual Wildflower Festival Monday through July 13 in Crested Butte.
Thanks to last season’s welcome snows and spring rains, this summer’s wildflowers may be Mother Nature’s finest works of art. Meadows and hillsides surrounding Crested Butte are blanketed in rampant color. The festival is timely because the display is fleeting – wildflowers’ finest hours are during the first half of July.
Festival organizers conduct walks and hikes into fields of sensory overload. You also can hop aboard a four-wheel-drive vehicle to tour elusive patches of color beyond hiking range.
You can learn how to use wildflowers and herbs in your favorite recipes and which plants are edible or harmful. Cooking with flowers classes are offered Monday, Thursday and Saturday; learn how to put delicious herbs on your table Tuesday and Friday.
A most unusual ice cream party takes place on Saturday. The ice cream is homemade and contains flavorings from the nearby wildflower fields. Expect lemon balm ice cream and chocolate mint made from a chocolate mint plant grown specifically for this day’s party. Add some Jimmies (chocolate sprinkles), and you’re in seventh heaven.
During the week, Cat-tail Bob will outline the medicinal properties of certain wild plants. Participants also can learn how to plant a butterfly garden that will attract these winged beauties and learn ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.
Crested Butte’s Wildflower Festival also will feature slide shows and lectures. John Fielder, one of Colorado’s most prominent photographers, will share his secrets in workshops on Thursday and Friday that culminate with a gourmet dinner served in a field of wildflowers. Tuition for each day is $695; reservations are required.
The town of Crested Butte sets aside its independent, eclectic image and “dresses” for the festival. Hanging flower baskets are everywhere. Restaurants welcome every palate and budget. Quaint B&Bs, lodges and hotels provide respite in the high country.
Meanwhile, down valley in Gunnison, visitors gear up for eight days of non-stop action on the rodeo grounds, at the dance and in the concert pavilions.
The past 102 years, Gunnison has shared the history of the valley during Cattlemen’s Days. This year, more than 200 professional rodeo cowboys and cowgirls will compete on and with the top animals from the Broken Arrow Rodeo Co. In addition to the professional rodeo, expect a race meet, horse show, county fair, parade, carnival, dog show and even Cow Pie Bingo.
On Saturday, about a dozen authentic chuckwagons from the mid- to late 1800s will be trucked to Gunnison from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado for a day-long chuckwagon cookoff. Wagon owners will be given 30 pounds of top round steak, 20 pounds of potatoes, 10 pounds of flour, 10 pounds of beans, 5 pounds of sugar, and fruit.
Each owner/cook must create a meal of meat, potatoes, beans, bread and a fruit dessert, competing for numerous prizes. Visitors pay $20 for the chuckwagon dinner and a concert presented by the Western Riders’ Association.
Cattlemen’s Days is the West as it was. No frills. Nothing fancy. Just 4-H kids exhibiting their goats, hogs and sheep, cowboys/girls riding their hearts out, and visitors getting a glimpse of life in the slow lane.
Lillian Ross writes from her home in Howard.
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If you go
Gunnison is 196 miles southwest of Denver via U.S. 285 to Poncha Springs and west on U.S. 50. Crested Butte is 30 miles north of Gunnison via Colorado 135.
For more information on the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, or to make reservations for any of the classes or workshops, call 970-349-2571.
For lodging reservations in Crested Butte, call the chamber of commerce at 800-545-4505.
For more information about Cattlemen’s Days, or to make lodging reservations in Gunnison, call the chamber of commerce at 970-641-1501.
