Under bright blue skies and with grass damp from a recent spring snowstorm, dozens gathered in Bond Park Saturday morning to offer prayers, songs, and movement, hoping to call forth more rain for the Rocky Mountains.
The area is facing severe drought driven by record-breaking warmth and extremely low snowpack.
The event, called Rain on the Rockies, blended a spiritual gathering, a community celebration, and a collective appeal to natural forces, conveying a message about the importance of honoring and sustaining life in the West.
Organized by Marcia Rothschild and hosted by Estes Park native Kiley Jo Schroeder, Rain on the Rockies brought together wellness practitioners, outdoor guides, musicians, and community members to honor water and its role in the health of the land and the local economy.
“What better way to give homage to our mothers than to also put it up in the air for Mother Nature herself,” Schroeder told the crowd on Mother’s Day weekend. “She’s working hard for us.”
Setting the tone for the morning, Mayor Gary Hall opened the event with a nod to the timing.
“Three days ago, we had two and a half feet of snow,” Hall said. “I give credit to Marcia and Kiley Jo, and the crew. The vibes created already have paid off.”
Hall noted that while prayer and positive intentions can be meaningful, water conservation and stewardship also require practical action.
“There are many real, practical things that we actually have to do to conserve water and do the right thing,” he said. “But in the meantime, hey, why not have good vibes?”
Concerns about drought, wildfire, and low snowpack have weighed on Colorado mountain communities. In response, organizers said the event aimed to unite people in gratitude for recent moisture and to encourage continued replenishment of rivers, reservoirs, and forests.
Music by Linda Adam-Hall and Hall of the local group Share the Road set both a reflective and playful tone as participants sat on blankets and lawn chairs or stood barefoot in the park. One of their last songs was a lighthearted rendition of “Let It Snow.”
Emerald Simmons, owner of Three Feathers Wellness Studio, conducted a sound bath, filling the park with resonant tones from pink crystal singing bowls.
“We are here to ask for rain, not just with our voices, but with the full weight of our hearts,” said Jess Hill, a Reiki master who led a ceremonial invocation to the four directions and the elements. Turning to the east, south, west, and north, the group called on air, fire, water, and earth to bring “gentle, nourishing rain” in balance.
Nanette Chisholm, owner of Estes Park Spinal Flow and Biofield Tuning, guided participants through a meditation focused on the body’s connection to water.
“Water makes up our cells, our bodies, and we are so connected to the whole cycle of water in the environment,” she said. Participants who held bottles of water were invited to pour a small amount onto the ground as a blessing to the earth.
Shifting perspective, for Logan Kirk, CEO of Colorado River Expeditions, the significance of rain was both spiritual and economic.
“When I look at rain in the Rockies, I don’t just see the weather,” Kirk said. “I see the first movement of our economy.”
Kirk said water powers nearly every aspect of life in mountain towns, from rafting and fishing to hotels, restaurants, and retail shops. “That is how rainfall becomes payroll,” he said.
Reed Woodford, co-owner of KMAC Guides, asked the crowd to imagine Colorado’s defining landscapes—snowcapped peaks, wildflower meadows, trout streams, and forests—and reminded everyone that all these depend on water. Without sufficient moisture, Woodford said, those iconic scenes can disappear, along with the tourism economy they support.
“So yes,” Woodford said, “let’s pray, dance, project, and meditate for rain.”
“Our body is water, and we have an impact on that water when we move, when we breathe, when we feel,” said Tara Joy MacKeigan of One Body Dance in Boulder, who led participants in ecstatic dance, encouraging them to move freely, release stress, and create energy.
People danced freely, twirling and spinning, some partnering, others dancing solo, and some used drums and rain sticks.
“Water itself is the primal element,” said Sam Adamae of Dao House, a wellness retreat center. “Without water, life would not exist, and we would not be here in this form,” said Adamae, offering a reflection from the Daoist philosophy.
Organizers had originally announced that RisingBuffalo Maybee would lead a traditional rain dance during the event. Maybee, an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho Nation from the Turtle Clan within the Seneca Nation, is also a ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Instead, Jamie Richards, a public affairs specialist and digital communications lead for Rocky Mountain National Park, spoke about the park’s wetlands and its dependence on water for its flora and fauna. While wetlands cover only 4% of the park, Richards said wetlands support 65% of rare plant species and critical habitat for 20% of mammals, including beavers, elk, and frogs. Wetlands also serve as crucial stopovers for 45% of migratory bird species during spring migration.
The program concluded with a prayer led by Elizabeth Jameson, an ordained Episcopal priest. Drawing the event to a close, she reminded attendees of humanity’s intimate connection to water. “We are born in water,” Jamison said. “Our bodies are primarily made of water.”
Throughout the event, children played catch or climbed a snow pile from the recent storm. As participants lingered, some danced barefoot in the wet grass while others talked quietly with neighbors. Even Bigfoot stopped by and joined in the dancing.
The event’s main message: in a mountain community shaped by weather and water, reverence for nature goes hand in hand with practical stewardship and, at times, faith that the skies will open.
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