Day 78: Baldpate Inn Weddings & Honeymoons, Part Two (Just could not finish this topic in one post!)

Remembering weddings at Baldpate just has to include the staff members who actually met in the kitchen (Brad & Renee, Adam & Amanda, Jen & Doug among others).  One just became suspicious when all the sudden, guys not scheduled on shift stopped by during closing to help some pretty girl with dishes! 

And you gotta recall those who celebrated their weddings at the end of the season or years later. (Josh & Lindsey, Noel, Tate & Courtney, and more!) 

Especially fun memories were the 2002 gals & guys escapes to Denver for the “stag" parties, hm, maybe best no photos here.

Would be remiss not to mention our treasured guests who have returned to Baldpate for many years to especially celebrate their anniversaries. Tony & Nancy, on June 24^th  for more than 20 years!  Whitney & Elizabeth and so many more.  Thank you! 

Written by Lois Smith

Day 77: Baldpate Inn Weddings & Honeymoons, Part One

The Baldpate Inn has been a proud charter member of the Estes Park Wedding Association since its beginning, but brides are clearly nothing new to our spectacular location.

After finding this June 1921 news clipping from the Estes Park Trail, one has to wonder just how many couples have been married or honeymooned at Baldpate Inn in the past 100 years!

Unfortunately, I have been remiss by not keeping a list of our brides and grooms for the past 30 years, but yes we do certainly have quite a few favorite wedding stories... some we can tell, some not so much.

Of course we've had lots of crazy times at weddings -- the mother of the bride dancing on the tables, the bride who forgot to eat and missed the reception because she fainted (not to worry, we served their cake at breakfast the next day), the newlywed photos in front of the main fireplace when it appeared there were antlers coming from the groom’s head. There were snowy moments, late-arriving grandparents and DJs, and the groom who was embarrassed to mention they had broken their bed somehow! We've seen our share of strangely shaped cakes –the armadillo groom's cake or the unstable and sticky mountain of donut holes that they wanted rolled in the dining room at the last minute.

Of course my  favorite two Baldpate  weddings   were those of my own kids, Jen & Pete in 2000, and Mac & Holly in 2011. 

Written by Lois Smith

Day 60: Music in the Mountains

Music at Baldpate has had many rhythms and tempos!  We don’t know as much as we would like about the earliest days, other than our Dance Hall was renowned for wonderful times. 

As mentioned before, when we shared bands with other local lodges, our night was Thursday.  Pictures of the Tall Timber Boys from our photo collection and notes from family members make us wonder even more just who all performed during those early years.  Know any stories? Please share with us!

The keys to our piano in the Dining Room  (albeit sincerely old) have been graced by many a guest.  

 
Nothing new apparently, we still love it when staff are willing to contribute their musical talents as well.

Our Photo Collection and Memorabilia tells us that at one time we even had an organ for entertainment which was eventually donated to Denver University.

Over the past 30 years, we have been most honored by the friendship of our neighbors at Rocky Ridge Music Center.  They have often treated us with performances and dinner music by stars from their students and staff.   

Baldpate’s long tradition of entertaining music will continue. So if you are thinking Music & Mountains, think of us!

Written by Lois Smith

Day 25: Theater at Baldpate: Part Three, Dance Hall to Sundeck to Key-thedral Theater

As mentioned yesterday, the Sundeck really was an evolution over a number of years.

Because of the wonderful old native stone fireplace, we first started there with the intent of just providing our guests a place to sit in the sun and enjoy nature. 

With the ever more popular theater crowd, we determined we needed more space, so phase two became not just a place in the sun, but an “event” option for weddings and our own little outdoor theater. MacKenzie and his dog worked hard to make it all come together!

The Sundeck turned out beautifully and remains a lovely spot for guests to enjoy the outdoors, but it wasn't finished yet! 

Our final phase came with the creation of our covered shell stage, now christened the “Baldpate Key-thedral Theater” by MacKenzie.

Interesting to note, building on the original footings, our current Key-thedral Theater is only about half the size of the 1921 original casino structure!

Written by Lois Smith