What’s better than partying in the late summer sun? Partying in the late summer sun on a 131 year old, beautifully restored historic monument, that’s what.
On Sunday, Front Rangers, music lovers and vintage building enthusiasts are invited to enjoy the last rays of the summer season at Altona Grange Hall, a community center west of Longmont.
The hall’s annual fundraiser, Home on the Grange, is part music festival, part community gathering, and part annual celebration of Altona Grange #127. From noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday, the public can enjoy musical performances by country, bluegrass, electric blues, folk, and mariachi artists, along with food from local food trucks, beer, goods from local artisans, and a custom car show. Admission is $5.
Established in 1891, Altona Grange Hall estate once served as a meeting place for local farmers and rural communities.
In recent years, Altona Grange Hall has gotten a bit of a facelift, thanks to grants from Boulder County and a team of dedicated volunteers. Now the buttery-yellow building is outfitted with new windows, clapboard siding, and a sleek, shiny new sign.
According to Henry Poirot, a long-standing board member of Altona Grange, the hall is ready to be used and to host events – large and small, fun and formal.
“Home on the Grange offers guests the opportunity to see this great historic place and celebrate our Longmont community at the same time,” Poirot said. “We invite people to come to this kind of open house, to learn more about Altona Grange Hall and know that people can use it.
“Now that the building has been restored, the community can use it for meetings, birthday parties, weddings and things like that. It’s a small community center that’s historically significant.”
This weekend, guests can keep an eye on the venue and its facilities for future events while enjoying the music of headliner Las Dahlias, one of the few all-female mariachi groups in Colorado.
Las Dahlias, pictured here at Longmont’s 2022 Day of the Dead celebration, will perform at Altona Grange on Sunday. (Cliff Grassmick/Press Photographer)
With a powerful ensemble backed by three violins, a vihuela, and a guitarron, the group breathes new life into the mariachi repertoire while also incorporating Latin music and original compositions. Las Dahlias have performed at a variety of events, from the inaugural ball that brought Governor Jared Polis to power in 2019 to entertaining crowds at Major League Baseball All-Star Week in Denver in 2021. The quintet is sure to have the crowd dancing the zapateado.
Kimmer Jae, Minstrels of the Galaxy, 50 Shades of Blue and the Dave Dardine Project will also perform at the event.
Admission to Home on the Grange is $5, children are free. Proceeds from the event benefit the historic Altona Grange Hall, located at 9386 N. 39th St., Longmont. More information at altonagrange.org.
