Over the first four days of August, the Town of Nederland celebrated its sesquicentennial with community-focused events and historical demonstrations. The long weekend provided locals with opportunities to learn about Nederland’s rich history and to dance in the streets.
For more than six months, members of Town staff, the Nederland Area Historical Society (NAHS), the Nederland Area Seniors (NAS), Nederland Lions Club (NLC), as well as all of the Town’s churches, the Peak to Peak Chamber of Commerce, Wild Bear Nature Center, and many volunteers from the community, rallied together to put on the ultimate celebration of the town they love.
Their mission was a clear success, as “old timers,” transplants, longtime residents, and new arrivals were able to show pride in the place that they call home. Nederland’s present, for once, was full of those enjoying a harmony between its past and its future.
On Thursday, August 1, 2024, the NAHS hosted a special presentation at the Nederland Mining Museum all about local legend Goldie Griffith Cameron.
Then and now: Natalie Duplessy, left, of Peace, Love, and Cake puts the finishing touches on Nederland’s birthday cake.
Nederland historian and author Kay Turnbaugh told stories about Goldie’s infamous past with a clear reverence as she emphasized some of Goldie’s rough mountain demeanor, knowing that it would get a rise from the audience, who were quickly enamored by the famous cowgirl’s “no-bull” attitude.
Tales of Goldie’s days as a performer and of her time as a restaurateur and celebrity bar matron, drawing crowds to Nederland who all hoped to just catch sight of her, entertained all who attended the special presentation.
Representatives from the Buffalo Bill Museum in Golden also attended, to honor Bill and Goldie’s special relationship as pioneer cowboy entertainers. The Buffalo Bill Museum brought photos and other items that once belonged to Goldie and displayed them on the original late-1800s bar from Goldie’s Corral.
This inaugural event helped to kick off the entire Nederland 150th weekend, and truly set the precedent for the vibe of the sesquicentennial. A powerful figure in Nederland’s history helped to define the attitude of the entire Town, which still resonates today and put smiles on the faces of the young and old.
On Friday, the Nederland Community Presbyterian Church hosted a Community Potluck Dinner, organized by Margie DeFord Yansura with the assistance of many busy volunteers.
Tray after tray of baked ziti was brought from the church’s kitchen as the hungry crowd continued to grow throughout the night. Many attendees traveled from across the country to return to their hometown for Reunion of the class of 1974, with the community potluck being the first thing to catch their eye as they passed through town.
Natalie Duplessy of Peace, Love and Cake was stationed under a protective tent, behind a velvet rope, putting the finishing touches on the Town’s 150th birthday cake.
The six-tier yellow sponge cake was covered in chocolate and vanilla Italian meringue buttercream icing, with sprinkles in Nederland’s colors, and printed pictures of the Town’s decorative past, curated from the community and aligned all over the cake like one big, edible scrapbook.
Nederland royalty Jeanette Smith cut the cake after Parks Manager and longtime resident Nicki Dunn gave an impromptu speech, joking that she had just finished as interim Town Administrator, and was now having to fill in as Mayor. Dunn’s love for the Town of Nederland is evident in everything she does, including how she steps up to the plate when Nederland needs her.
Then, right there on North Jefferson Street, the Peak to Peak Chamber of Commerce presented the Barn Dance, with a makeshift stage supplied by Jesse Seavers and High Performance Earthworks for the Sesquicentennial String Band to lead the crowd with their infectious music.
Joshua Davis of the Nederland Streets Department also helped to make the dirt road of North Jefferson Street as even a dance floor as possible. His work was definitely not in vain, as a huge crowd gathered on Friday night to clasp their hands and stomp their feet.
Luckily, those who traveled far to return to their hometown didn’t wear themselves out Friday night, because they came out in force on Saturday morning, along with many other members of the community, for the Pancake Breakfast.
Organized by Ann Marie Morgan and the NLC and NAS, the Pancake Breakfast brought a community together to sit and talk with a generation returning to the place that bore some of their most cherished memories.
To those, they weren’t just sitting in the Nederland Community Center (NCC), enjoying some fluffy pancakes and scrambled eggs – they were returning to their old school grounds, to their childhood. Some even became giddy as they bustled about the building, recreating old memories with friends they haven’t seen in ages.
The entire NCC was bustling with life, having served over 250 attendees with nearly 700 total pancakes. Some rifled through old photographs, yearbooks, and other memorabilia, thoughtfully collected and displayed by Lee Tillotson and other volunteers and keepers of history.
Speaking of volunteers, there were over 50 who helped to organize and manage the enormous Pancake Breakfast. From curating the memorabilia, to preparing and serving the food and beverages, the hard work of our friends and neighbors must be commemorated for creating a truly memorable experience.
Saturday afternoon was host to several events, including the aforementioned Class of 1974 Reunion. Nederland’s 100 year old Bucyrus Model 50-B steam shovel demonstrated that it can still move and whistle with the best of them. Jessie Ansari, Emmit Hoyl, and fellow volunteers from the NAHS wore late 1800s garb while selling 150th merchandise and leading tours at both the Nederland Mining Museum and the Gillaspie House.
Hoyl also hosted live blacksmithing demonstrations, and showed a curious crowd of residents and visitors alike how the pioneers and miners of Nederland’s early days used to work.
The NAHS took a short break to skedaddle over to the parade route in order to present to the Grand Marshal of the parade, 87-year-old Jeanette Smith, with a much deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. As Hoyl bent down to give Smith her award, she grabbed the microphone to say that she used to teach him when he was in kindergarten.
The infectiously positive Brian Biggs of the Nederland Parks Department emceed the parade, wearing his sparkling rainbow coat and pink sunglasses and spreading enthusiasm throughout the ceremony while DJ GODLAZER provided the perfect tunes.
The parade was even graced with the presence of Nederland’s unofficial and enigmatic mascot, the hula-hooping moose.
Everywhere you went on Saturday there was some event or demonstration related to the spirit of Nederland and its dense and interesting history.
Local artist Kathy Bremers hosted live community mural painting outside of Town Hall, while the Indian Peaks Radio Club held ham radio demonstrations outside of the Visitor’s Center. A chalk art contest took place at the Nathan Lazarus Skatepark, and right on East 1st Street, Wild Bear Nature Center (WBNC) was raising proceeds for the construction of their new facility by selling the original onion rings recipe made famous by the Branding Iron.
The Branding Iron was an infamous watering hole in Nederland; Sally Brady of WBNC became inspired to try the onion rings recipe after reading the book Bar Brat by local author Cheryl Rowe. Rowe was also present, signing copies of her book.
Later into the afternoon, part of East 1st Street became closed off to vehicle traffic, as the Nederland Downtown Development Authority’s Summer Concert Series took over the streets and gave residents a chance to boogie down.
The concert series, produced by Time Served Productions, has seemingly energized the live music scene in Nederland, bringing big acts to family-friendly outdoor venues; and the concert on the weekend of the 150th was no different.
The Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band covered 90s pop music with a ska twist, and Diggin Dirt’s funky rhythms reverberated all down East 1st Street and all around town.
Things didn’t slow down on Sunday, either. The Town’s three churches, St. Rita’s Catholic Church, Nederland Community Presbyterian Church, and Calvary Chapel, held a joint service at the pavilion in Chipeta Park. Such a worship service used to be a regular occurrence in the Town, though it hasn’t been done in several decades.
After the service, just a hop, skip, and jump away at the Caribou Village Shopping Center was the Car Show, organized by local James Navratil. The show saw up to 30 contestants enter their classic and exotic automobiles, with a 1940s Dodge 1-ton Delivery Truck being one of the most notable.
There was a tie for first place, between Mark Clift, with his 1960 Studebaker, and Gil Cole, with his 1957 Ford.
The final event for the Nederland 150th celebration was one that solidified the meaning of the entire weekend: the official sealing and burial of the 2024 time capsule.
The capsule, constructed and decorated by Biggs, contains maps, drawings, children’s letters to the future, old newspapers and event posters, tickets to the Carousel of Happiness, and even a puzzle, with each piece of the puzzle made by a young camper from the WBNC.
Years from now, the history that we are all making today will be remembered by some of us who will carry that history, as well as share it with new generations of proud Nederland residents. Some will perhaps leave and return for a destined reunion, or remain and carry on to nurture the Nederland spirit.
Let’s continue to make Nederland an amazing place, and to make a history worth remembering.
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A weekend to remember: Roy Slaughenhoupt, graduated from NHS in 1946; he was awarded Distinguished Citizen of a Century.[/caption]
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Locals and visitors celebrate: The whistle of Nederland’s Bucyrus Model 50-B steam shovel could be heard throughout town.[/caption]
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Emmit Hoyl (right) demonstrating blacksmithing techniques from Nederland’s early mining days.[/caption]
