Press Release
Music will ring out across the Wet Mountain Valley at the 20th annual High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival. Come enjoy stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the youth music program, the camaraderie of on-site camping and pickin’ in addition to a full roster of exciting bluegrass performers. Festival dates are Thursday, July 6th through Sunday, July 9th.

The lineup features our festival host band, the always entertaining Dry Branch Fire Squad. Other scheduled acts are Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys, the Baker Family, Uncle Shuffelo and His Haint Hollow Hootenanny, Dayton, The Southwest Bluegrass Stars, Long Road Home, Higher Ground Bluegrass, Blue Canyon Boys, Hillbilly Fever, The Red Mountain Boys, plus Heidi Clare and Ron Thomason. Many performers will also conduct workshops throughout the weekend, affording festival-goers the opportunity to experience those performers in a more intimate setting. Dance to the music of Eagle Peak Dance Band Friday and Saturday nights! And don’t forget High Mountain Hayseeds—bring the kids and their instruments.
High Mountain Hay Fever is also the best deal in bluegrass: 4-Day Passes are only $85; single day tickets are $15 for Thursday evening; $40 for Friday; $45 for Saturday; and $25 for Sunday. Tickets are on sale at www.highmountainhayfever.org and at
the gate.
Please note that camping is sold out. Gate opens 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 6th for ticket sales and wristband pickup only; music starts 6 p.m. And a reminder:
South Adams Blvd. will be closed between Main St. and Rosita Ave. during the festival.
High Mountain Hay Fever is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization whose mission is to bring a quality, destination event that will benefit the entire community. It has raised $800,000 for the benefit of several Wet Mountain Valley charitable concerns, with a strong focus on children’s health. A great group of volunteers work year round to make it happen, avoiding the sprawl and congestion of large festivals while still offering nationally recognized blue-grass talent and staying true to its motto: Small Scale, Big Time!
For information contact us at www.highmountainhayfever.org

by Becky Olson
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Town of Westcliffe was held on June 20, 2023, and convened as scheduled at 5:30 p.m. in Patterson Hall. All Trustees were present and proceedings commenced after recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and unanimous adoption of the consent agenda. Continue reading June Westcliffe Meeting: Restaurant Outdoor Seating Fees, Dark Skies Doesn’t Like Proposed New Rodeo Lights →

by Fred Hernandez
“My only obligation is to the people in this county.” With that statement Lucas Epp eliminated all doubts about his intention to run for the office of County Commissioner. His opportunity came with the successful campaign to have a recall election for the current commissioner of District 3, Tom Flower. The election on August 8th has two parts: first, the question whether voters want the incumbent out of office. And second: if they do, they must indicate their choice for his replacement. In this case, there is only one candidate on the ballot, as of this report: Lucas Epp.
It was in 1976, on a soybean and corn farm in Nebraska where
Lucas was born and raised, the eldest son of four siblings. He lived and worked on the farm through his high school education after which he went to Iowa for one year of college. He then signed up as an apprentice electrician for four years and today holds a Master license in the following states: Colorado,
Wyoming, Utah, Missouri, Washington, New Mexico and Idaho. Two more licenses are pending approval in the states of Nevada and Texas. After marrying his wife Jolie in Nebraska, they moved to Colorado and Wyoming and finally decided to settle in Custer County where Mrs. Epp had family. Blending quickly into the community they started their
businesses in the town of Westcliffe; Sugarlump and Lollipop both on Main Street.
In a recent interview with Lucas, he stated his simple three point platform: Communication, Transparency and Ethics. In this issue we will present his views on Communication and the other two points will be presented in following articles.
Lucas firmly believes that ninety nine percent of most problems are caused by either the lack of communication or due to miscommunication. Moreover, ninety percent of effective communication is listening attentively and talking less. As a public official it is imperative that one communicates with the public clearly and honestly about issues which affect their lives, their work, their families. It is the duty of the public official to maintain a consistent dialogue with the community in order to build
trust and confidence that the issues that affect them are being addressed by those who they elected into office.
Candidly explaining this core belief, Lucas, in recognizing that people in the community are busy with their obligations and interests, do not have the time to dwell into the details of the issues t hand. It therefore becomes the responsibility of the elected official to condense the issues at hand into “bite sized”, readily understandable and clearly explained pieces of information regarding the issues that the community is interested in. Because people are fully occupied with their own obligations, they cannot attend lengthy meetings at which time the issues are discussed and decided upon. It is therefore the duty of the people’s representative to make it known what took place at these meetings. Communication is one of the most important elements of a good relationship between the elected official and his constituents. Lucas is committed to be the most consistent at communicating to the Custer community all the relevant issues affecting the county.
(Editor/GG: There will be two more articles in the coming weeks on
Mr. Epps’ background and his other two platform planks: transparency and ethics.)

The Liberty Rocks Report:
Speaker Col. Shawn Smith ( Ret.)

by Fred Hernandez
There was a sell out crowd in the main dining area of 4 Kings on Thursday evening, June 15th as the Liberty Rocks Chairperson, Ann Barthrop, called the meeting to order a little past six o’clock. After the customary Pledge of Allegiance and everyone heartily singing “America The Beautiful”, Dr. Ann Willson read from the “Book of Presidents”, this time quoting President Dwight Eisenhower, affectionately known as Ike, when he said “ man is worthwhile because he is born in the Image of God”. Continue reading The Liberty Rocks Report: Speaker Col. Shawn Smith ( Ret.) →

Sergeant First Class (Retired) Travis Cain will forever be remembered for his love, devotion, and brutal honesty. A native of Cañon City, Colorado, Travis traveled the country and world through military service, eventually returning and living the remainder of his life in his hometown. A truly unique man who had relationships all over the world, while simultaneously maintaining friendships with his elementary school classmates.

Even as a young boy Travis enjoyed the outdoors, fishing and exploring in the mountains. Travis would leave school on his bicycle and head to the Arkansas River with a fishing pole, staying out until he had to return home at dark. He was always known as a “hell raiser”, causing mischief and making his Mom and family worry about him, sometimes needing to be bailed out of trouble. He joined the U.S. Army at 17 years old, ultimately taking pride in the fact that he became an elite, decorated Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant with a GED.

Travis served his first duty station in Fairbanks, Alaska, as an infantry mortarman (11C). He often shared stories of his early time in the Army, some of which were so outlandish you would question if they were entirely true. But Travis kept in contact with many of the men from his first duty stations, and they can verify those tales if you connect with them.

Eventually, Travis realized his ambition of becoming some-thing more elite, attending and  graduating from the Special Forces Qualification Course. There are dozens of stories told of those times as well. Travis continued on to become an 18D, a Special Forces Medical Sergeant, learning trauma medicine and life saving techniques that saved countless lives in combat. Travis found himself in numerous emergency situations that affected civilian lives as well, because he was the kind of man who stopped to provide aid when others would not.

SFC Cain spent the majority of his time with the 10th Special Forces Group at Fort Carson, CO, serving on Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha 0215, 0225, and the Maritime Operations Detachment. The men who served with him refer to him as a leader that always held them  accountable; a man who they followed because they trusted him and he was true to his word. A man who would run straight into a gunfight, a man who would never ask someone to do something he would not do himself, a man who will inspire soldiers through his stories for years to come.

To summarize Travis’s military career is impossible, but during his five combat deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa he received many awards and medals to include the Bronze Star for Valor, Bronze Star Medal w/ 1 OLC, Army Commendation Medal w/ Valor,  Army Commendation Medal w/ combat device, Army Commendation Medal w/ 2 OLC, Army Achievement Medal w/ Combat Device, Army Good Conduct Medal (7th Award), National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Ribbon, Non Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (3rd Award), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (3rd Award) and NATO Medal. Travis’s Badges include the Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Special Forces Tab, Parachutist Badge, Special Operations Diver Badge and Special  Forces Diver Supervisor Badge. Travis considered the epitome of his career as serving as the  Operations Sergeant for SF ODA 0225 during an Afghanistan deployment in 2016. He retired  honorably after nearly 21 years of service.

One of Travis’s favorite deployment stories was how he met his wife, Sarah. He often said “I like our love story the best” with a smile on his face, telling the story of how they met in Baghdad, Iraq. They had a fourteen-year relationship full of adventures and lessons, loving each other  unconditionally through obstacles and raising three beautiful children together. Travis was a  devoted and fiercely protective father, always taking the kids on adventures and bringing home “surprises” nearly every time he left the house. He was proud of the young adult his oldest daughter, Hailey, is becoming and the friendship they were forming.

Travis enjoyed a good party, turning a regular weekend BBQ into a 50-person gathering, cooking up some of the best steaks and ribs on the grill. As a devoted member of the motorcycle community, he had friends and ties with numerous motorcycle organizations and clubs through-out the  country. Known in the community as “Trash”, he could walk in a room and strike up a  conversation with anyone, making you feel like the most important person in the room because of his presence in the conversation. He was known for his warm hugs and sideways, beautiful smile. Travis was the man that you could always count on to answer the phone, spending hours  conversing and offering support when needed. Everyone valued his advice.

Despite his own struggles from a lifetime of sacrificing for his country and others, Travis was a mental health advocate. He had long, deep conversations with other veterans and friends to help them address their own struggles and seek treatment. There is no doubt Travis has impacted and benefited more lives than one can imagine. The loss of Travis will be felt by an enormous  community for a very long time, but the memories and lessons we learned from him will stay with us forever. By sharing those stories, we honor him and keep his spirit alive.

Travis will be lovingly remembered by his wife Sarah, daughters Hailey and Reagan, son Jason, mother Terri, father Daniel, brother Jeff, sister Sarah, aunts and uncles, cousins, numerous in-laws, nieces and nephews, and the dozens of friends he considered brothers. Travis was preceded in death by his grandparents, Bill and Rose, his Uncle David, numerous friends and teammates, including SGM Ryan Sartor and SFC Tony Thornsbury. May he be at peace, reunited with his fellow heroes and friends.

(Obituary from the Griffin Funeral Companies.)

(Editor/GG: I met Travis twice down at the Special Forces Motorcycle Club headquarters in Florence. He was a great, great guy. Travis took his own life. One of too many veterans everyday. Travis left a wife and three young children. They need financial help. Please find a way to help this young family. It is going to be a long, hard road for them. God speed, Travis.

Fundraiser:

A fundraiser has been set up at e.givesmart.com by the Special Forces Foundation. The direct link is: https://e.givesmart.com/events/xch/. Or you can type in “Travis Cain Memorial Fund” in Google or Yahoo and click on the link. Please be generous.)