Jess Worley is a Carbondale resident who grew up going to Mountain Fair. As she grew up, she learned to play bluegrass guitar. In 2010, her father, Bill “Willy” Worley, disappeared in the mountains near Redstone, and he was never seen again.
Bill took Jess to Mountain Fair when she was younger.
“He took me as a kid to get my face painted, and he would let me swim in the ditch, which I now realize was a little gross,” she said.
Jess attended Colorado College where she was able to hone in on her musical skills. After college she lived in Denver and then traveled around South America. She missed going to the festival.
“Mountain Fair is my favorite weekend of the year,” said Jess. “My birthday is always on mountain fair too, so it’s extra fun because of that.”
When Jess moved back to Carbondale about a month ago, she received a call from Amy Kimberly, the executive director of Carbondale Arts.
Kimberly invited Worley to gather up a bunch of local musicians to sing the John Lennon classic, “Imagine”.
Bill disappeared right around the time of Mountain Fair, and though she won’t say that the performance is about or for her father, she says that he’s always on her mind this time of year.
“It’s this time when people you grew up with from different walks of you life all come back to the valley,” said Jess. “You get to see people you haven’t seen in years. It’s just a really fun reunion...a way to catch up with old friends.
