History

Niwot has a rich and colorful history, as does Rhythm on the Rails!

In 2005, construction began to create a gazebo-style bandstand, like the one that housed Niwot’s Community Band in the early 1900s. That same year, Boulder Creek Events was approached by members of the Niwot Business Association with hopes of creating a summer concert series in the park that housed the new bandstand. That summer, Boulder Creek Events, in conjunction with Bank of the West and the Niwot Business Association, produced the first concert series season at the bandstand, dubbed “Bands on the Tracks,” in honor of the railroad tracks running alongside the bandstand. The inaugural season featured 16 concerts, including performances by Face, Rebecca Folsom, Wendy Woo, and Chris Daniels & the Kings, to name just few.

In 2006, the Left Hand Valley Courier and Niwot Business Association sponsored a “Name the Park” contest and “Whistle Stop Park”, submitted by Niwot resident Walet H. Smith, was the winning entry. In an April 2006 LHVC article written by LuAnn Piccard, Smith was quoted as saying “Whistle Stop seemed like a good name because of the very small town charm of the area (and) of the park which has been enhanced by the gazebo and caboose.” That same year, the Niwot summer concert series got a new name, as well: “Rhythm on the Rails”.

In 2007, Rhythm on the Rails was awarded the Governor’s Award For Downtown Excellence. Thrilled to have been honored with this award in our second season, representatives from Boulder Creek Events, the producers of Rhythm on the Rails, and the two major sponsors of the event (Bank of the West and the Niwot Business Association) attended a dinner in Pueblo on Sept. 11, 2007, to accept the award.

On behalf of the NBA, Bank of the West, and the Niwot Community, we look forward to many more years of Rhythm on the Rails in Niwot!