Mark Rashid

Estes Park’s own Mark Rashid. Horseman, Luthier, Singer. Songwriter. Storyteller.

Local singer, songwriter and storyteller Mark Rashid will be performing at the American Legion on Thursday, January 8th beginning at 6:30 pm.  At his show, Mark will be going back to his roots as a traveling troubadour, playing original songs and cover tunes, sharing stories about various farm animals, exploding outhouses, childhood black eyes, failed outlaws and poor driving. He will also be regaling stories of the times he Forrest Gumped his way into meeting recording artists such as Charlie Daniels, Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, and others.

Mark was born at an early age in a hollowed out tree in the middle of the forest. As a way to escape the doldrums of living in a tree, Mark began pounding on rocks with a stick. Having mastered the art of rock pounding with one stick, he eventually graduated to two sticks.  One day a kindly woodsman and guitar player named Jerry was passing by and heard Mark’s rock pounding. Impressed by his unique rhythms, Jerry asked him to join his musical group as the drummer. Thus, at the age of 13, Mark became a member of Jerry and the Jesters, a local polka group that toured extensively throughout the Midwest playing mostly weddings and polka festivals. 

Mark quickly realized that drums were not the most ideal instrument to take to campfire sing-alongs. Ergo, he endeavored to learn to play a slightly more portable instrument, choosing the guitar. Mark bought an old acoustic guitar at a garage sale and learned how to play it. Ultimately, he left Jerry and the Jesters to become a full time troubadour in search of fame and fortune, riding the rails, traveling the country and playing and singing for meals and tips.

Mark had a brief stint as a turtle boy on the famous turtle drive of 1868-1994. It began in Houston, Texas and finished at the rail head in Abilene, Kansas. He then made his way to Colorado where he got a job as a teamster on an ox cart carrying supplies to the miners in Glen Haven, a suburb of Estes Park. It was there in the flickering light of a shrouded campfire that he had a chance meeting with Cowboy Brad Fitch, a local legend and also a former turtle boy. Brad had just returned from his own adventure as a sous-chef on a Norwegian tramp steamer

Mark and Brad shared stories of the old days pushing turtles north on the old Turtlebox Trail, which ran parallel to the old Chisholm Trail, when Brad noticed Mark’s beat up garage sale guitar and his worn out leather satchel full of songs from years on the road. Pulling out his own satchel full of songs and his equally beat up yellow guitar, Brad suggested they play some of their songs and tell some stories, which they did through the night and into the next day. They kept playing all that day, into that night and then into the day after that. The night of that day they kept playing, stopping briefly before playing all the way till the following day. 

Thirteen days later they finally finished getting through both satchels of songs. Only then realized they were surrounded by a group of listeners who had stopped to enjoy the music. Unbeknownst to them, the listeners had been filling their guitar cases with money while Brad and Mark were playing. They had also put rocks and sticks in there too, but mostly money. 

After totaling up the cash, which was just short of seventeen dollars, the two former turtle boys decided to try their hand at playing music in the bustling cultural center of Estes Park. As the years went by, the pair not only played together as a duo, but also in several local bands including the Elktones, the Tropicowboy Band, The Blue Sky Mountain Band and others. 

Mark’s show will be a once in a lifetime event, unless he does it again. We hope to see you there!

Tickets are $20 General Admission in advance, and $25 at the door.