Patrice LeBlanc, Central City. The 45th annual Lou Bunch Day festival kicked off Saturday, June 15, 2019, on Main Street in Central City with record attendance. 

The festival began at noon with the arrival of Madams, Dandy Dans and Victorian Highbrows. Men in western wear, top hats and miner’s apparel filled the streets while there were plenty of women parading around in corsets and saloon costumes. The Wild Bunch shootout performances took place at 1 p.m., and every hour throughout the day. 

A new addition to the festival was the Infamous Back Room Cabaret Chorus girls, under the direction of LA Dysart, performing their debut with two performances. The show consisted of a comical routine, a sultry dance to the song Fever, a rendition of the song Cabaret, sung by Patrice LeBlanc, and Camille Brightsmith sang I Can Say No, while playing ukulele, (a modern update on I Can’t Say No from Oklahoma). The bluegrass band, Scott Slay and the Rail, entertained the crowd throughout the day. 

The traditional, and always fun, bed races took place at 3 p.m., with teams from casinos and organizations competing. The final results from the bed race:

1st place team: Bonanza Casino.

2nd place team: Johnny Z’s Casino. 

3rd place team: Grand Z Casino.

Main Street Central City team was disqualified. 

Other awards went to:

Old Farts: Lucky Lynches.

Maiden Voyage: Central City Opera.

Worst in Bed: Saratoga Casino.

Best Costumes: Bonanza Casino.

The Madams and Miners ball took place at 5 p.m., and the festival wrapped up at 7 p.m., with a competition for Madam and Dandy Dan of the Year including cash prizes, ribbons and of course, bragging rights. The weather cooperated for most of the day with the exception of a shower, which cut short the dance. 

Lou Bunch Day celebrates the life of the famous Madam who ran a brothel in Central City in the early 1900s.  She became a prominent figure in town when she turned her brothel into a makeshift hospital to care for the sick miners. She supported many of the local organizations and businesses. The festival began in 1974 and Westword newspaper named it The Most Unique Mountain festival in Colorado. 

(Originally published in the June 20, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)