Welcome to the Information Page for the 2010 Midwest Morris Ale
- General Information
- Location
- Lodging
- Travel
- Early Arrival
- Arrival Time
- Silent Auction
- Quilt Raffle
- Emergency Contact
- Tour Buses
- Minors
- Top of the World Tour
- T-Shirts
- First Aid
- Skits and Workshops
- Altitude
- Things to Bring
General Information
[back]Colorado Morris Inc. presents the 30th Midwest Morris Ale on Memorial weekend, May 29-31, 2010, in scenic Gold Hill, Colorado. Colorado Mountain Ranch is a beautiful, rustic camp approximately 35 minutes west of Boulder. An old mountain lodge that was previously a casino, CMR is now a children's camp. This camp boasts outlying cabins, ample wooded camping space, a lovely view and wood dance floors.
For those who might be interested, and have never attended the Midwest Morris Ale, this is an inclusive Ale: there are many mixed-gender adult teams, as well as all-male, all-female and kids teams. Some teams are represented by only two or three members so picking up dancers to fill out a partial set happens frequently. Often small groups do jigs. "Mass Dances" for all who wish to join in will be published on the Midwest Morris Ale Website in advance and taught Friday evening at the start of the Ale weekend. Although Cotswold teams are the most prevalent, Longsword, Northwest Morris, Border Morris, Molly Dancing and Rapper teams are all welcome.
The Ale will open Friday evening with registration followed by teaching of mass dances, singing, eating and drinking. Saturday will start with tours dancing in Westminster (where the Butterfly Pavilion is located) followed by singing, eating and drinking. On Sunday morning there will be workshops after which we will tour throughout Boulder. This will be followed by singing, eating and drinking. Monday morning breakfast will bring the Ale to a close for 2010. The cost of the Ale, including accommodations, meals and beverages can be found under the "Prices" menu.
Location
[back]If you are trying to locate Gold Hill on a mapping program, be sure to type
“Gold Hill, Boulder, CO”. There are several Gold Hills and the correct one
does not always map if you do not include Boulder in the description. Here is
a link to the correct map with the preferred route to Gold Hill via Sunshine Canyon:
Boulder to Gold Hill via using Sunshine Canyon
If you are driving from Denver International Airport (a.k.a. DEN) here's a couple more maps that may be helpful
Map from DIA to Gold Hill via the Tollway ($7.60 in tools from Pena Blvd, to 96th St)
Map from DIA to Gold Hill via the I-70
If anyone who is driving would like to speak to a live person about directions, road construction or timing, please contact Anne Smith at secretary@midwestmorrisale.org. I will arrange a time for us to chat.
We have reached the physical capacity of our Ale site. The Colorado Mountain Ranch is a rustic mountain facility and with the number of people we have registered, we will be pushing the capacity. Please be respectful of the resources. We would like to encourage everyone to stagger showering, so we do not overload the septic. Meals will be served on compostable plates to limit the amount of water needed for dishes.
Colorado weather can change very quickly. We encourage everyone to dress in layers. The temperature can be quite different between the morning and the afternoon, or between the camp and where we will be touring.
Lodging
[back]All lodges and cabins have electricity and are heated with a woodstove. The woodstove will take the edge off the chill, but we highly recommend bringing warm blankets and/or sleeping bags as it could be fairly cold in the evenings. Flashlights are also strongly recommended if you are staying in a tent.
The Bluebird Lodge in Gold Hill is full. If you do not have a car, we will make sure you know who your fellow lodgers are, so carpools can be arranged, although the distance from the Bluebird Lodge to the Ale site is approximately ˝ – mile so walking is also an option and will provide a nice morning 'warm-up':
http://tinyurl.com/mwma2010-1Tenters will need warm sleeping bags. Since we have reached the capacity of the camp, there will be many tents. As tenters, please be respectful of the flora and fauna around the camp area. Stay on trails and only put tents in areas reserved for tenting.
No smoking is allowed in any structure. When smoking outside, please field strip your cigarettes for disposal in a proper container.
Travel
[back]Members of the Colorado Morris teams will be transporting to and from the Ale everyone who needs transport and arriving by plane, train or bus. It is imperative that the travel information for ale attendees be entered onto the Ale website at: http://midwestmorrisale.org/current_ale_public/registration.html?ra=epur Travel arrangements will be communicated directly to the people needing arrangements by Christopher Netter – weboverlord@midwestmorrisale.org.
Early Arrival
[back]Everyone arriving early will be assigned pick-up and housing. Travel arrangements will be communicated directly to the people needing arrangements. Please contact Anne Smith at secretary@midwestmorrisale.org if you have not received arrangements one week before the Ale.
Arrival Time
[back]Registration will not open until 4:00 pm. Please do not arrive before this time, unless you are willing to be put to work. (We reserve to right to inflict an evil glare on people arriving early who are not willing to work.)
Silent Auction
[back]We need your help! This year the scholarship fund gave out $2,270 in scholarships. Once again, we will host a silent auction to raise money for the scholarship fund. Please bring your donations for the silent auction. Items will be put out as we receive them. The silent auction will end at 7:25 pm on Sunday night.
Quilt Raffle
[back]This year the Morris Traveling Quilt will be raffled to the next recipient. The winner of the raffle will be awarded the Morris Quilt for one year along with the quilt’s journal. In addition, the winner will have a space on the MWMA website where he or she can post pictures showing the whereabouts of the quilt for the year. Raffle tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00.
Emergency Contact
[back]Until the morning of Friday, May 28th , questions can be directed to Anne Smith at 303-651-0909. The morning of Friday, May 28th , you can try to reach Anne at home first or on her cell at 720-352-4211. Once at camp, cell service is limited. The camp number is 303-442-4557. This is also the number to leave with others if they need you in an emergency over the weekend.
Tour Buses
[back]The tour buses will be school buses. Children under 5 years old cannot ride the bus. We will provide transportation in vans for these children. Please let us know as you check in if you have a child under the age of 5.
Minors
[back]There will be a meeting Friday night, tentatively at 8:00 pm, for parents and guardians of children attending the Ale. Please be sure to attend if you are a parent or guardian. Each teen team will need to have an adult responsible for ensuring all team members are on the bus during tour. I will need to know the name of the responsible party each day prior to the tours departing camp.
Top of the World Tour
[back]On Monday around 10:00 am, anyone who is still around camp is invited to join us as we dance on the highest road in the United States. We will drive up as far as we can and dance intermittently along the way. The Colorado Morris teams will host anyone who wants to stay an extra day to enjoy this event. If you are going on the Top of the World Tour and you have a valid National Park pass, please bring it as there is a fee for every car entering the National Park.
T-Shirts
[back]All orders received by May 3, 2010 have been sent to the printer.
First Aid
[back]If you have first aid training, please let us know when you check in. There will be first aid supplies for the expected minor injuries. There is also a limited supply of extra toiletries. Please try to bring what you need with you.
Skits and Workshops
[back]Sign-up for skits and workshops will be posted in the dining room by Saturday morning. The schedule for the workshops can be found here
Altitude
[back]Just a reminder that everyone should drink lots of water when they are at altitude. This will help prevent dehydration and altitude sickness.
Things to Bring
[back] Here a list of Things to Bring to the Ale
Hops and High Capers,
The Colorado Morris Teams
Maroon Bells Morris Dancers 
Breathless in Berthoud Border Morris Dancers 
Tommyknockers Morris Dancers