Cabin-design contest part of OCCHS’ effort to build youths’ interest in history

       Calling all young architects...
       A Kids' Model Cabin Contest will be a featured part of this year's Founders' Day, sponsored by Old Colorado City Historical Society (OCCHS) in Bancroft Park Saturday, Aug. 13.
       The event will also include live music, arts and crafts, a bake sale, a mountain man demonstration, Old West reenactors, a “Broomstick Rodeo” and a visit from “Calamity Jane.”
       The cabin contest will be open to ages 4 to 13. The goal is to build an accurate replica of the 1859 Garvin Cabin in Bancroft Park, using available materials (such as Legos or Lincoln logs). The cabin must be built in advance and ready for judging Aug. 13. Cash prizes will be awarded in each of three age categories.
       Contest information is available at the History Center, 1 S. 24th St., and Pikes Peak National Bank, 2401 W. Colorado Ave.
       “We're hoping to increase kids' interest in the cabin and area history,” said Joanne Karlson, who is helping organize the activity. “There are signs outside the cabin, although I don't know how many kids will read them. But if they create a cabin, it will make them curious about history.”
       Another reason for the contest is that “it's getting near the end of summer,” Karlson said. “Often kids are getting bored. If they get a cash prize, it might be neat.”
       The cabin's name comes from Dr. James Garvin, who lived in the cabin and practiced medicine there during Colorado City's earliest years.
       Founders' Day, celebrating Old Town's 146th birthday, is a free event. At 8 a.m., the crafter booths will be up in the park, and a bake sale will be underway at the History Center across the street at 1 S. 24th St. The other activities are scheduled between 11 a.m. and about 3 p.m. All will be in Bancroft Park, except for Calamity Jane at 2 p.m. in the Old Colorado City Library, 2418 W. Pikes Peak Ave.
       The volunteer OCCHS will additionally sponsor its 5th annual Cemetery Crawl at Fairview Cemetery the weekend of Aug. 20- 21, from 2 to 5 p.m., at which local volunteers will portray Westside historical figures while standing in front of their tombstones in the cemetery.
       Tickets to the Crawl are $5 each in advance at the History Center, or $7 on the days of the event.
       For more information, call the History Center at 636-1225.

Westside Pioneer from a press release