Founder’s Day regalia Above, left; Gilpin County residents attending the first Founder’s Day celebration dressed in period costumes. Above, right; Alina Natynski sold her woven jellyfish creations outside businesses on the Plaza. Middle, right; Employees with the Gold Dirt Distillery from Rollinsville celebrate opening their booth. Bottom, right; Several music acts entertained the crowd at the Founder’s Day events. PHOTOS BY ANNE SCARFFE[/caption]

Black Hawk’s HARD District celebrated its inaugural Founders’ Day at Gregory Plaza in Black Hawk, Colorado, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 4, 2022. This annual celebration occurring on the first Saturday in June called “Founders’ Day” features an open-air, 1800s-themed party with food, drinks, shopping, music and activities.

Admission was free, and this year they have a specialty Founders’ Brew by Cabin Creek Brewery for $1 while the supplies last. “This Founders’ Day, we are celebrating the grand opening of JKQ BBQ at Crook’s Palace, Mountain Poppy Boutique, the Woodbury Collective and basin + bend.”

The event included live music by Rapidgrass, Jimmy Lewis and Robby Wicks, wine and spirits, food vendors, a Digital Scavenger Hunt, outdoor games and activities and Period Costumes.

Admission was free with free parking from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. A free tramway shuttle service circulated throughout Black Hawk and Central City to Gregory Plaza during the event.

Folks wandered through the new plaza buildings in casual clothes or dressed in period costumes including ladies’ dresses and big hats and gunfighter outfits for the men, including pistols strapped to their belts.

At the top of plaza, the highest point on the plaza and at the far west end, the Fire Station One museum features old-time fire-fighting equipment. Firefighters Aaron Skeen, who has been with the Black Hawk Fire Department for five years, and Marc Norman with the department for three years, answered questions about the museum and handed out educational bags for children during the event.

The museum houses two hand- drawn hose carts. The City agreed to purchase two carts in 1879, and Mathias Boillert agreed to build them for $100. The museum also has a 1935 Chevrolet Fire Truck Conversion.

Tables and displays lined up the plaza to the east, many with tents. Kacee and Rob Clark want to move to Gilpin County with their business Operation 4 Paws. They would like to board animals. Rob is also with RML prospecting, so he set up a table for gold panning.

A nearby tent featured the Gold Dirt Distillery. Ruby Johnson said they have a distillery in Rollinsville. They have gin, vodka and whiskey. They have been operating since 2019.

Their business is in the Stage Stop building, which they are renovating. They also have a tasting room at 41 Main Street in Rollinsville, according to Judd Kauffmann.

The High CountryAuxiliary offered CBD sodas and tacos. A booth for the Gilpin County Historical Society was manned by President Jim Crawford, former Gilpin County Clerk and Recorder Colleen Stewart and Board Member Suzanne Mathews. They are advertising the Cemetery Crawl on August 27, 2022, at 11 a.m. at the Central City Cemetery.

Katie Burnham with Wild Bergamot Soap brought her soap products. She likes pink and purple. She can be reached at wildBergamotSoap@ gmail.com. The website is at www.ehy.com/shop/Wild BergamotSoap@ wildbergamotsoap

The Veteran’s Collective, LLC, demonstrated wood works, Frank & Bubbly had stuffed animals. The store on the plaza, the Woodbury Collection, featured paintings, jewelry and rocks.

Eureka Street Popcorn was there. The Eureka Street Popcorn Company celebrated its opening in the historic Teller Law Office building, 115 Eureka Street, in Central City during an open house at 10 a.m. on May 14, 2022.

Tents and displays were set up east as the crowd flowed down the plaza. The band playing with Jimmy Lewis said its name today was Boomtown.

Displays and tents continued east on the Plaza, and people crowded to hear the bands.

The event ended at about 7 p.m. after everyone had consumed a can of the celebration beer.

For more information about Black Hawk events go to https://site. cityofblackhawk.org/.

Donkey visits Black Hawk While he wasn’t the fun loving fictional character from Shrek, he did wander around the festival grounds to meet and entertain people. PHOTO BY HAYDEN HARDT-ZEMAN[/caption]