The Telluride Bluegrass Festival has shaped the town’s culture and identity over the past five decades. A longtime attendee shares her reflections on how the music, performers, and experiences have evolved while the festival tradition continues.

For generations, the Draper family has made its living ranching in Wetmore, in southern Colorado. As supplemental income, the family found another way to sustain their operation by providing horses, cattle, and wagons for Western movies filmed throughout the region.