Wild West Fest

In its nineteenth year, the SAF’s Wild West Fest (WWF) is a week-long celebration of Western arts, culture and customs that brings inner-city youth along with artists and musical performers from across the nation to Telluride, Colorado. An integral component of the Wild West Fest is the Chip Allen Mentorship Program (C.A.M.P). Created in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America, C.A.M.P. brings inner-city youth to Telluride each year for a week of enriching educational experiences. The children work with professionals in the fields of Drama, Horsemanship & Ranching, Fly Fishing, Golf and the Rock & Roll Academy. The 2010 WWF mentors are Jeb Berrier, Circle K Ranch, Joel Kirkhoff, Telluride Ski & Golf and Mark Galbo, respectively.

Approximately 50 students throughout the nation are chosen by their hometown clubs to attend the Wild West Fest each year. Youth are hand selected for their positive attitude, good behavior and responsibility to family, school and community. The WWF C.A.M.P. prioritizes each child’s personal and individual needs to ensure a positive learning experience and so that all youth return home with a greater sense of self-confidence, personal awareness and a firm grasp on some new skill. This year’s participants include groups from Atlanta, Denver, Farmington, Fort Worth and Virginia.

In addition to C.A.M.P., Wild West Fest also provides a number of cultural activities for youth to attend throughout the week. These include live performances in music, theater, ranch tours, horseback rides, cookouts, hikes and art classes.  A special guest at the 2010 WWF is Shelton Johnson, a nationally recognized Park Ranger and author focused on strengthening and shortening the bridge between inner city youth and the outdoors. Having grown up in Detroit, Shelton now works in Yosemite National Park dedicating his time to educating visitors and children about the buffalo soldier history and involvement in the National Parks system, as well as the importance of keeping the parks open and accessible to all.  Shelton will be speaking at the Sheridan Opera House on Wednesday, June 9t at 7pm about his involvement in the National Parks system as well as showing a 45 minute film, This Is America, in which he is featured.

It has been the Sheridan Arts Foundation’s goal since conception to ensure that funds are a non-determining factor in the participation or eligibility of youth in the Wild West Fest program.  The SAF, a 501 (C) 3 non-profit, has taken on the task of providing all lodging, meals and transportation as well as admittance to each event free of charge to the youth throughout our week-long festival.  Having lost our prime $ 25,000 sponsor this year, the SAF is in more need than ever to secure child sponsors.  The generous contribution of $ 1,000 will ensure one child’s involvement in the participation of WWF in its entirety.  Please consider sponsoring a child and being a supporter of this life changing event.

Join us on the last day of the Wild West Fest 2010 as the SAF once again partners with the Telluride Tourism Board and the Telluride Historical Museum for the 2nd Annual Heritage Fest! We will be closing Colorado Avenue for this special occasion featuring stagecoach rides, an art workshop, gold panning exhibition, Butch Cassidy reenactment, single jack mining demonstration, teepee building exhibition, old fashioned photo booth, quiz games, Elks Park entertainment and more! 

Celebrities who have donated their time and talent to the children involved in the Wild West Fest program include Jackson Browne, Tanya Tucker, Darryl Hannah, Christie Brinkley, Rodney Crowell, Ty Herndon, Larry Mahan and many more.

To book a lodging package for Wild West Fest, call Telluride Central Reservations at 888.605.2578.

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Wild West Fest