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Fiddles, Vittles & Vino at Rock Ledge July 25

       In its fifth year, Fiddles, Vittles & Vino is poised to live up to its name again Saturday, July 25, featuring bluegrass bands plus a range of food and liquor samples at the Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site.
       The event will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Tickets covering all activities are $40 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.
       The live music will start at 3:30 and continue unabated till closing, sometimes in two locations. Food and drink will be available under large tents from 3:30 to 6 p.m., organized by Club 9 (a group of area chefs who support Rock Ledge). Food will come from 30 restaurants or food specialty businesses. And, based on past years, there should be close to 20 producer/distributor booths offering wine and other beverages.
       “It's the only event of its kind I've heard of,” said ranch manager Andy Morris, referring to such a combination of food, drink and bluegrass.
       Four bands - three of them first-timers at Fiddles - are slated to perform. New this year will be:
      
  • The High 48s, a Midwestern band that won the 2008 RockyGrass Band competition. According to fiddlesvittlesandvino.com (the event website), the band's style is “Hardgrass,” based on a blend of traditional bluegrass “with the harder-edged sound of alternative country and roots rock.”
          
  • Anne and Pete Sibley, from Jackson, Wyo., winners of the talent contest on the “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show in April. The music features Pete's clawhammer banjo and Anne's vocals and songwriting.
          
  • The Acme Bluegrass Band, which, according to the Fiddles website, plays “in the spirit of true hillbillies.” The Colorado Springs-based band consists of local musician John Ramsey on banjo, transplanted native Les Irvin on mandolin, and New Mexico transplants Sebie and Tracy Denson on bass and guitar.
           The fourth band, returning for a third time (having also played in 2006 and 2007), is a local band, Palmer Divide. Led by nationally recognized songwriter Jody Adams, the band has played at the White House, the Grand Ole Opry, and on the Nashville Network, the Fiddles website states.
           Other activites scheduled at the event are demonstrations by area chefs and living-history displays by Rock Ledge volunteers.
           A fundraiser for the ranch, Fiddles typically attracts close to 1,000 attendees.
           For more information call Rock Ledge Ranch at 578-6777. Tickets are available at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site or through the website.

    Westside Pioneer/press release