The Curtain Rises

With the opening of Baldpate’s Keythedral Theater 2013 summer series , it seems fitting to feature our “Key to the Curtain”. This unique key was donated in 1929 by Melville Burke, the then head of the Elitch Gardens Players.



The laughing face on the key’s bow represents the comedy face of the Greek theatre masks, and the “E” that is the bit of the key signifies the Elitch Gardens Players.

Although for Coloradans today Elitch Gardens is synonymous with amusement park, when it first opened in Denver in 1890, it was primarily a botanic garden, zoological park, and cultural center. Two years later the Elitch family opened the Elitch Theatre. This summer stock theatre, the oldest in America, entertained audiences for one hundred years. It was renowned for the talent that performed on its stage, including Grace Kelly, Cecil B. DeMille, Lana Turner, Mickey Rooney, and Antoinette “Tony” Perry—the namesake of the “Tony Awards.” Some of these actors you can see in Charles Mace’s photography collection in The Baldpate’s dining room, as well as in the Inn’s guest registers.


Mace's photograph of Lana Turner

 



Mace's photograph of Mary Elitch

 

During the time Melville Burke was the troupe’s director in the 1920s, the Players often pranked new actors by asking them to find the “key to the curtain.” Since curtains have no keys, this request was a fool’s errand. That is, until Melville Burke requested the prop department make a key to be added to The Baldpate Inn Key Collection.

Near the end of the twentieth century, the Gardens’ popularity waivered. While the park’s new location in downtown Denver was purchased by Premier Parks, Inc. in 1994 and transformed into today’s Elitch Gardens, the Elitch Theatre was revived by the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation. This non-profit organization’s goal is to renovate the theatre and return it to its former renown. 

 

Here at The Baldpate Inn, our Keythedral Theater is in no danger of shutting down or being abandoned for an amusement park! This season our theatre will feature productions by Encore! Encore! and The Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies with the stage version of Seven Keys to Baldpate and Marriage is Murder, respectively:

Doors open for Seven Keys performs at 6 p.m. on June 28^th and July 5^th, as well as at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. June 29^th and July 6^th.

Marriage is Murder, by Nick Hall, performs August 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th. Doors open at 6 p.m., as well as at 2:30 p.m. matinees on Sundays.

Come by to enjoy the Inn’s connection to early Colorado theatre and, most especially, to enjoy our own summer stock performances at our Keythedral Theater.

Caitlyn

Key Room Museum Curator

 

Dracula Lives Again

If you read last season’s blog posts or have been by the Key Room recently, you have probably seen the addition of a replica key from one of Dracula’s castles. Although this key joined our collection almost a year ago, we just received the key’s official documentation from Bran Castle.

          As mentioned in the letter itself and in a previous blog post (http://baldpatekeyroom.blogspot.com/2012/07/america-and-dracula.html ), Bran Castle was built in the 14^th century in Transylvania’s Carpathian Mountains. The picturesque fortress is located in an area that was an economic crossroads and suffered many military invasions. Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler or simply Dracula, is thought to have resided here during his reign from 1456-1462. During this time he instilled order throughout the country, though at high costs. His nickname “the Impaler” derived from the way criminals, foreign enemies, and those who spoiled his notion of a perfect society were punished: impalement. This is one way he became connected to Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire (although, another “living vampire” named Countess Elizabeth Bathory inspired Stoker’s count more than Vlad Tepes did). Since then Bran Castle has been called Dracula’s Castle, even though it was modernized and beautified by Queen Marie after World War I. In 1958 it solidified its place in history by becoming a museum that tourist still frequent today.

From 1836 to 1920, the key whose replica we received was used to unlock the main gates to Bran Castle.  In 1937, though, during Queen Marie’s residence, it opened a secret passageway from the inner courtyard to the Royal Park outside, where the queen rode horses every morning. Today, the key rests in the famous Key Room as part of The Baldpate’s key collection. Come by and decide for yourself whether it looks like the key to Dracula’s Castle or Queen Marie’s beautiful Bran Castle!

 

Caitlyn
Key Room Museum Curator

 

Key of the Day: The Boilermaker Special 5 Key (BMS 5)

Hello all! This is Cameron, one of the Key Room museum curators at the Baldpate Inn this season, wishing all the proud papas a Happy Father’s Day!

For such a special day I wanted to present a unique key that is special in its own way called the Boilermaker Special Key, or the BMS 5. This artifact comes all the way from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. *Interesting Fact about Purdue University: The school has produced 23 astronauts, which includes Neil Armstrong, the first American to walk on the moon.

For those not familiar with Purdue, their nickname is the Boilermakers, with their mascot being the Boilermaker Special. Resembling a Victorian-era locomotive, though operated as an automobile to be driven on streets, the idea for the mascot was suggested by Purdue Student Israel Selkowitz in 1939 who, along with the school board, thought it best represented the school, especially its engineering and railroad heritage. The first model of the Boilermaker Special was created in 1940 and was operated by a driver with room for a passenger. A few models later the Boilermaker Special Five was created on September 23, 1993. Student members of the Purdue Reamer Club have operated and maintained the BMS models.

This version of the mascot came equipped with nostalgia as it had installed the brass bell from the BMS 1 along with the brass whistle from the BMS 3. Able to hold up to 14 passengers, the BMS 5 was able to “kneel” which provided easier access for young children and the elderly to hop on and enjoy a ride. The BMS 5 was discontinued in 2011 in favor for newer model. We here at the Baldpate Inn are very honored by the Purdue Reamer Club’s donation and proud to showcase this memento in our Key Room along with a letter of authentication which provides a brief history on the BMS 5 for visitors.

Come See!

 

A Day Spent With Amazing Kids

Today in the key room I met the two most interesting and lovable kids from Michigan, their names were Lauren and Connor. I spent an hour with them in the key museum talking about the featured keys and how fascinated they were by the many keys found in the museum. We completed the scavenger hunt and talked about each key individually. We talked for a long time and their mother took a picture of us. Lauren and Connor were so fascinated with the museum that they didn't want to  finish their lunch or a piece of one of the delicious pies that we make daily. I was so impressed by these two because they were interested in learning and taking the time to talk about what the key musuem was all about. Before they departed I took the time to draw  them a picture where I designed a key and put their names on each.  I had such an amazing time with the two of them and before Lauren left, she gave me a BIG hug and told me Good Luck in school! (Smiling!) What an interesting day and I have to admit being a New Orleans native it's been a great experience so far. I have met so many interesting people from all parts of the United States and a lot from my hometown in New Orleans.

Roam with the Gnome

The Key Room has a new activity for kids and adults alike! Come find where the Gnome hid some of our most intriguing keys by picking up our scavenger hunt.

This week, Coleton Tanner, age 5, found all 10 keys with a little help from his parents. By showing me his favorite key on the scavenger hunt, he was awarded a very prestigious prize: the Junior Key Keeper Award.

Come unlock the mysteries of our keys by Roaming with the Gnome. If you can complete the task successfully, you might walk away with an award!

Lauren
Key Room Museum Curator

Baldpate Family Memories

As you may be aware, the Baldpate Inn has been run by two families since its very beginning. Those families, however, go beyond just the Mace and Smith family trees. Our staff lives, works, and plays for a full season together and by the end of their stay, they are inextricably tied to the Baldpate Inn's history. This extended family's geneology spans 95 years of operation and has undergone several changes as times have evolved, but the feeling of being home in a rustic mountain inn will never leave.

For this Share Your Story series, Becky Page Yoza recalled her experiences at the Baldpate Inn, and we are privileged  to include some of what she told us here:

"I worked at Baldpate twice.  The first was the summer of 1991 after I graduated from high school.  I was a rotator so I did every job except front desk.  Harold did front desk back then.  He was 150 years old but we loved him.  My favorite job was laundry, believe it or not.  Using the mangler was the best part.  My least favorite job is probably housekeeping.  I’d do dish dog over housekeeping to this day.  The second was the summer of 2003 when I just moved to Colorado.  I was much older at this point and worked in many other capacities and Lois was doing me a favor by hiring me part-time on the desk.  It was so different the second time around not living at Baldpate and only working part-time and only doing one job.  I couldn’t complain because it was still great.  It was so different being so old compared to the rest of the staff.

If I tell you the type of music I listened to as Dish Dog it will definitely date me.  However, I always listend to hip hop and/or rap to the annoyance of my team.   My first year we had several “lifers” that had worked at Baldpate multiple times and knew the drill.  That was very helpful.  I remember Brad and Barb Martin.  Of course there’s MacKenzie and Jen.  I miss Duke.  He wasn’t an employee but he was part of the staff.  As a guard dog he had an important task although most times he was lounging on the porch and people had to step over him to get in.  Or, he was running down through town and Lois or Mike had to go retrieve him.  I didn’t say he was a very good guard dog!

I remember MacKenzie camping out in the car next to the dumpster to see the bear who kept breaking into the dumpster. He was about 13.  I remember the building getting hit by lightning one day during a mid-day thunderstorm.  I remember the squirrels running through the dining room; always a hit. Not! I remember a giant grey squirrel sitting behind my customer as I delivered the bill in the near empty dining room late at night.  I remember trying not to react as I handed it over and slowly backed away from the table.  I remember the second time I worked there a bear was seen at the back of the lodge on the hill.  I went outside to see as the bear walked into the building through the second floor door that was always open right by the staff laundry room.  I could have done without that.

Many things changed from the first time I worked there to the second.  The second time we had the computer system which we didn’t before. Also, we served alcohol which we never did before.  Not too much else was different.  The cornbread is still a great hit.  The Beef Stew is still huge.  I still dream about Lois’ pecan pie.

I left the key from my 1999 Red VW Beetle that met a very tragic and untimely end on the I-25 in Denver.  I had a love/hate relationship with that car.  I loved it in the very beginning and then when stuff starting going wrong I wanted desperately to get rid of the car. However, I didn’t mean for the car to meet such a tragic end.  I find sometimes that I long for certain things about that car and forget some of the bad qualities about it.  This is just like any ex-relationship.  Moreover, I find it quite symbolic of my experiences at Baldpate in that some of the best and worst moments in my personal life occurred there.  However, now that I live many thousands of miles away I find myself longing for Baldpate and the memories I had there.  It will always have a special place in my heart, kind of like that car.  I have found my key since I left it there.  I find it every time I come back."

Becky's memories certainly resonate with present and past staff, but for non-staff members the words"Dish Dog" and "Mangle" may be new. To keep our non-staff family in the loop, we can explain those terms.

At the Baldpate, rotating staff has several different positions ranging from wait staff, prep cook, housekeeper, and dishwasher. Our dishwasher of the day is affectionately known as a Dish Dog, and they double as the kitchen DJ. On housekeeping days, rotators are in charge of laundry. Our basement houses an industrial sized ironing machine. One year the staff discovered a horror movie about a similar machine, entitled The Mangler. The name stuck, along with some related graffiti on the wall above the machine for the entertainment of future Baldpate housekeepers.

Thanks to Becky for sharing her Baldpate experience with our extended family! If you are interested in being featured for a Baldpate Share Your Story, email us at keys@baldpateinn.com.

Lauren
Key Room Museum Curator

Reminicent Registers

One of the most rewarding parts of the Baldpate Inn Key Room is the living history that survives here. Since our collections are comprised of visitor contributions, many of our guests have a special tie to the keys, photographs, and even our guest registers.

The Baldpate has the distinction of being the only inn in Colorado with a complete set of original guest registers since opening. We have been working to document the incredible wealth of information these registers contain, and with good reason.

Just recently, a couple came to the Baldpate in search of their names in the 1968 guest register. They explained that they got married on August 14 and had driven their yellow Triumph TR250 to the Baldpate for their honeymoon. The newly married Wilhites spent a few days in Estes Park to begin their long, happy marriage.

This August 14th, the Wilhites celebrated their 44th anniversary by coming to visit the bed and breakfast where they spent their honeymoon. After quite a bit of searching through our 95 years worth of guest signatures, we were able to find an unassuming signature of Mr. & Mrs. Q. M. Wilhite, who stayed in room 14. The couple was excited to have finally found their signature after a few unsuccessful attempts in previous years of visiting while the inn was not open. The Wilhites found a priceless token of the beginning of their marriage as part of their celebration.

At the Baldpate, we have embarked on the task of copying the names and information located in these registers for their preservation and research. Some of our earliest registers contain sketches by the local Estes Park artist, Dave Stirling. Because we wish to keep all parts of our historic registers for the use and enjoyment of the public, the registers are being documented in photographic form as well as through a database. Eventually, we hope to be able to link our guest registers with our key database, and even our photograph collection so that we can align guest signatures, keys and portraits. Until then though, feel free to come and sign in on the register. When you come back in 44 years, your name will be waiting for you!


Lauren
Key Room Museum Curator


Key Room News: Join us at 7 pm tonight to hear Estes Park Museum Director Derek Fortini present this season's last Summer Enchanted Evening, Charles Mace: Photography and Life in anticipation for their upcoming exhibit on the photography of one of the Baldpate's original owners.