When Brad Fitch takes the stage at Ruesch Auditorium on Aug. 23, it will mark the 20th year of Estes Park’s beloved John Denver Tribute Concert, and the fourth year the Rotary Club of Estes Park Foundation has hosted it as a scholarship fundraiser. For Fitch, who grew up here in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, the music of John Denver has always felt like a natural soundtrack to life at 8,000 feet.
“I grew up in Estes Park at a time when John Denver was everywhere,” Fitch said. “He was on the radio, on TV, in movies, and singing about the place I called home. I think he’d approve of this concert, because the organization it benefits, especially those helping kids, is exactly the kind of cause he’d believe in.”
The Saturday evening event will feature Fitch as Cowboy Brad and his TropiCowboy Band performing Denver’s greatest hits as well as deeper cuts from the singer-songwriter’s discography. Doors open at 4 p.m., Estes Park favorite SnowBelt Bluegrass opens at 5 p.m., and Fitch’s set starts at 6:30 p.m.
“The show has never been the same for any two years; I do not repeat a set list,” Fitch said. “While I do include the greatest hits, I always work in lesser-known songs. Along with that, I tell the story of his life in between the songs. His life, background, and what he experienced, and I’ll talk about what he learned about how he wrote certain songs. I also find a couple of songs where we can go into a jam band style with solos, so each musician can take center stage.”
For the Rotary Club, the tribute concert is more than a summer tradition — it’s their largest annual fundraiser for scholarships. Last year’s event helped the club award 17 scholarships totaling $153,500 to local high school graduates, a record amount that members hope to match or exceed in 2025.
“Education is one of Rotary’s six pillars of service, and giving scholarships fulfills that mission,” said Rotary member Tara Manning. “Our first scholarship was $250 to one student in 1966, when college cost $300. Now we’re giving scholarships worth up to $20,000 over four years, and they can make the difference between a student going to college or not.”
The club awards two main types of scholarships: academic awards, which provide multi-year funding to students based on academics, community service, and citizenship, and named scholarships, often created in honor of longtime Rotarians. While some recipients pursue bachelor’s degrees, others use the support to earn associate degrees or technical certifications.
“Not all our recipients are headed to a four-year school,” Manning said. “We’ve had students train to be firefighters, diesel engine technicians, and other essential careers, as well as students who might go on to get a master’s or PhD. The goal is to help them get started and finish.”
That mission resonates personally for Fitch’s sister and bandmate, Melinda Morris, who received a $1,000 Rotary scholarship in 1980 to attend Colorado State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics and went on to direct Boulder County’s WIC program, which serves women, infants, and children.
“I’m really happy to give back to the Rotary Club because they helped me when I was in high school,” Morris said. “Playing in Estes Park, at that gorgeous theater at the YMCA, is such a privilege. Brad makes every musician feel welcome and supported, and the music goes perfectly with the atmosphere.”
Morris said that performing Denver’s songs in Estes Park strikes a chord with both the audience and the band. “The reason people come here is for the nature, beauty, and peacefulness, and those are all themes in John Denver’s music. It’s such a privilege to be able to sing with my brother and make money to help other high school students go on to study at college.”
The concert has its roots in 2004, when Fitch’s musician friends suggested he do an all-John Denver show for the Estes Park Cultural Arts Council’s summer series. The debut drew an estimated 1,200 people to Performance Park and made it clear that locals and visitors alike were hungry for Denver’s music performed live in the Colorado mountains. Since then, the tribute has been staged in a variety of venues and has raised money for groups including the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and the Lions Club before the Rotary Club took over in 2022.
Moving the concert to the YMCA’s indoor Ruesch Auditorium in 2017 eliminated the risks of rain and lightning that had plagued outdoor shows and gave the event a comfortable, scenic home. The setting is part of what makes the evening so memorable, Fitch said, along with the sense of community that fills the room.
“It means a lot to give back to the community where I grew up,” Fitch said. “The Rotary Club does so much good, from scholarships to community projects. Playing this concert is one way I can support that.”
For Manning, the appeal is simple: it’s an evening of high-energy music, performed by a hometown talent, in service of a cause that changes lives. “Oh my gosh, Brad is the consummate performer,” she said. “He’s local and he loves singing John Denver songs; it just happened that he looked like John Denver. I always say he sings John Denver songs better than John Denver because he’s done it longer. It’s a high-energy concert that is just pure, unadulterated fun.”
Fitch hopes audience members leave feeling not only entertained, but connected to the purpose behind the show.
“What could be more quintessentially Colorado than John Denver’s music, performed live at 8,000 feet?” he said. “It really is the classic Colorado experience. I just hope everyone will come check it out. It is a really fun time. A light, fun atmosphere and the price of the tickets goes to a great, local cause.”
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