Welcome to the 2017 Midwest Morris Ale

The Colorado Morris community is proud to present the 37th Annual Midwest Morris Ale in the Rocky Mountain state of Colorado on Memorial weekend, May 26-29, 2017.

Site

This year Ale will be held at YMCA Camp Shady Brook located in Deckers Colorado.

Camp Shady Brook (https://www.ppymca.org/camp-shady-brook) is a beautiful, rustic camp approximately 45 minutes northwest of Colorado Springs in Deckers, CO. There is a long tradition of dancing on this property. The property was originally owned by Lizzie and Robert Bandhauer (1894), who used it as a summer retreat and built a dance hall to help with the courting of their four daughters.

In 2002, Shady Brook was damaged by the Schoonover Fire. The camp lost nine buildings, but luckily the tree coverage was not affected. On June 8 of the same year the Hayman Fire, one of the largest in Colorado state history, erupted north of Lake George and eventually burned 137,760 acres. This fire burned on all sides of Shady Brook and it is believed that if not for the previous smaller fire, all of Shady Brook would have been lost. Instead, the camp became a small island of green in a sea of black when viewed from above.

The camp boasts outlying cabins and platform tents, ample wooded camping space, and a lovely view from the hilltop stage.

Directions to the camp

Camp Shady Brook is 70 miles southwest of Denver International Airport. Google maps typically provides two routes to camp. The route using County Road 67 is more scenic and offers 30 minutes of dirt road. The I-70 to Hwy 285 route is paved the entire way to camp turnoff in Deckers. The last 2 miles from Deckers to Camp Shady Brook is a dirt road along a creek.

Directions to the camp can also be found here.

Bus from Denver International Airport

We will offer one bus from the airport to the camp on Friday around 6:00 or 6:30 pm and a return bus to the airport Monday morning at 9:00. Round trip tickets will cost $40.

We will be hanging out in a corner of the airport, on the 5th level, in Terminal East, near carousel 9, from about 12:30 pm till the bus leaves.

Please note: This will be the only transport offered from the airport to the ale site.

Arrival Time

Registration opens at 4:00 pm. Please do not arrive before 3pm as we will be busy getting the camp ready!

Parking

There are several parking lots around camp. Carpooling is appreciated. We will need to keep the main driveway clear to accommodate the buses.

Code of Conduct

Be awesome and respectful - abide by the Code of Conduct

Lodging

There are four types of housing available at the camp. Regardless of the lodging option, everyone will need to bring their own gear for sleeping, including sleeping bags and pillows. The nights could still be cold this time of year at this elevation. All buildings, including the platform tents, have electricity. Some extension cords will be provided, but if you have multiple devices to charge or that need to be in a certain place, consider packing an extension cord. For more information on Lodging, click the “Lodging Info” tab above.

Smoking is not allowed in any structure. There will be a couple of smoking areas set up outside – please refer to the camp map for their locations.

Schedule

The schedule can be found here.

Silent Auction

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. For more information on the Silent Auction, click the “Silent Auction” tab above.

Quilt Raffle

We will raffle a Morris Quilt this year. The winner of the raffle will keep the quilt. Raffle tickets are $5.00 each or 5 for $20.00. You can purchase your raffle ticket with your registration.

Activity Pass

During workshop time on Sunday, the camp staff will open the zipline, high ropes and climbing wall. For $15, payable at the time of registration, you can participate in all 3 activities.

First Aid

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.

More Ale Information

As information becomes available, links/labels above will take you to information on mass dances tours and other information for this year's ale.