It’s time to get excited for Carbondale’s 55th annual Mountain Fair! This year’s theme is Camp Bonedale, a tradition originating in 1981 from the graduating class of Roaring Fork High School. Camp Bonedale nostalgically embraces the heart of the fair being about connection and community.
“We were very close, so when we got out of high school and people moved away to go to college or started a career of their own, Camp Bonedale was set up,” John Thiel, the initiator of Camp Bonedale, said. “We had 66 kids in our graduating class, so everybody knew everyone’s parents and brothers and sisters.”
Thiel knew that his close-knit class deserved a spot at the annual Mountain Fair to gather and catch up, so he staked out the spot between the sound booth and the beer garden facing the stage.
“It was prime real estate,” Thiel explained. In 1983, they made a Camp Bonedale sign from redwood siding that came from a coal bin of an Aspen home built in the 1890s.
planting open-sided tents in Sopris Park
during Mountain Fair, Camp Bonedale staked
out turf for anyone who felt like sitting in the
blazing sun for several hours. Of course, this
was before the Carbondale trustees passed
an open container ordinance, so massive
quantities of beer helped cool down Camp
Bonedale residents. Photo and text by Lynn Burton (2016)
The sign has gone missing before, to return, go missing again and return again … As for Camp Bonedale …
“It just carried on year after year. Looking forward to the fair meant looking forward to Camp Bonedale and seeing everybody that would come back for the fair,” Thiel said. “Some of the best memories of my youth.”
“I was very, very flattered and enthusiastic about Camp Bonedale being the theme of the Carbondale 55th Mountain Fair, and it brought back a lot of memories,” Thiel said, adding that he wished he could attend this year’s fair. Thiel currently lives in Kalispell, Montana and is recovering from an e-bike accident which left him as quadriplegic.
“I’m doing much better. I’m walking again, I’ve regained use of my arms and my right hand,” Thiel shared. “So yeah, things are going really good.”
Folks involved in the fair share Thiel’s sentiment and locals look forward to the festivities every final weekend of July. The fair would not be as spectacular as it is without the commitment of the awesome volunteers that run it each year. Many traditions have carried through, evolved and changed year after year — from limbo to pie making to wood chopping.
Mountain Fair 2026
One area that has evolved is the Oasis. Now located on Main Street from Weant Boulevard to 4th Street, the Oasis is a family-friendly area with more vendors, activities for children and a live music tent.
Starting off at the Oasis stage Friday at 5:30pm will be Rock and Roll Academy Aspen. Another thing to look forward to at the Oasis is line dancing Sunday at
1 o’clock in the afternoon.
The fair opens Friday at noon, starting with the kid’s carnival until 7:30pm.
At the Gazebo Main Stage in the park Gabriela Mejia and friends will lead off the opening blessing at 3:50pm, followed by the Rhythm of the Heart Community Drum Circle. Local rock ‘n’ roll band Tommy the Animal kicks off after that at 5:15pm.
When you arrive, you can choose to be in costume with the first theme, Camp Crafts. Make a costume inspired by classic camp crafts like flower crowns, hand and leaf paintings, friendship bracelets and nature weavings. Saturday’s theme is Camp Couture, so think sashes, khaki and cargo pants — but fashion! The final fair day’s costume theme is Carbondale’s classic, Tie Dye.
This year’s poster design was created by Colorado visual artist and tattooer Rowan Brown and encapsulates the vibrant sense of community and joy that the fair brings. The Mountain Fair poster design contest is nearly as old as the fair itself and invites artists from across the state to participate.
“We’re just a fraction of the people who have cared for the fair, who have been the stewards, and, you know, we really don’t take that for granted,” Sarah Overbeck, Carbondale Arts’ marketing and communications director, added. “We know how much the fair means to everybody and we’re just trying to hold the torch.”
If you are interested in being a part of the incredible volunteers that make this fair possible, sign ups are still available until Thursday. Sign up at tinyurl.com/mountainfairvolunteer2026
As always, the importance is to show up as yourself and enjoy celebrating 55 years of Mountain Fair. The fair truly represents the heart and soul of the community in this town and is the perfect time to be grounded in the present with family and friends.
Find the music and event lineups and more information in this year’s Mountain Fair program, included in this edition of the newspaper and on-hand at fair entry points, or at the Carbondale Arts website: carbondalearts.com/mountain-fair