By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Weekly Register-CallWeekly Register-Call
0

No products in the cart.

Notification Show More
Latest News
The Colorado Central Railroad
7 months ago
Black Hawk’s impact on the community
9 months ago
The Bald Mountain Cemetery Crawl
9 months ago
Clinica Family Health
9 months ago
New teachers, relaxed Covid protocols, and project updates
9 months ago
Aa
  • Community
  • News
  • History
  • Government
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Obituary
  • Contact
Search
Reading: Bed racing on Central City’s Main Street
Share
Weekly Register-CallWeekly Register-Call
Aa
  • Community
  • News
  • History
  • Government
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Obituary
  • Contact
Search
  • Community
  • News
  • History
  • Government
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Obituary
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Weekly Register-Call > Blog > Community > News > Bed racing on Central City’s Main Street
CommunityEntertainmentHistoryNewsSports

Bed racing on Central City’s Main Street

PATRICK SWEENEY
PATRICK SWEENEY 9 months ago
Updated 2021/08/21 at 2:32 PM
Share
SHARE

47th Annual Madam Lou Bunch Day

By Jaclyn Schrock

With festivities returning to our Central City, we all cheer the arrival of Madam Lou Bunch Day. Thank you to all the volunteers and dedicated workers who made the 2021 Madam Lou Bunch Day such a success!  Central City has had many lives and historical events remembered and forgotten. Summer brings on the celebration of the last Madam to serve the City of Central. She and her girls cared for the sick miners as yet another wave of illness struck the mining community, so celebrated on Madam Lou Bunch Day.

Saturday, August 14th at noon, Central City Mayor Fey announced the opening of the 47th Annual Madam Lou Bunch Day. He introduced the day’s events and MC Chris Bauer from the stage set at the top of Gregory and Main Streets, between Dostal Alley and the Century Casino.

Main Street was closed for the afternoon from Eureka Street to Pine Street, for the vendors, entertainers, mingling crowd, many in Victorian wear, and the famous bed races.

The first entertainment set included a half hour Jimmy Lewis fiddling two steppin’ old time favorites with the full band, a quick comical song from a local miner, Eric Chinn, and a half hour of eye-popping dancing by the Infamous Backroom Cabaret Performances with tap dancing Rocky Mountain Rhythms.

All bed racing teams were called to the Elk’s Lodge for rules and safe keeping for all.

The second entertainment repeated the entertainers with different tunes, Jimmy Lewis, Eric Chinn transitioned to the 2nd set with the Infamous Backroom Cabaret Performance.

All bed racing teams and parade participants were called to organize in front of the Teller House.

The Belvidere Players performed a melodrama of local events, supported by some Cabaret characters.

The Famous Brass Bed races began! Each team had two “Johns” and one sporting house girl. The girl must ride on the bed down the hill with one guy, and once around the barrel at the bottom of the hill they get off. Judges carefully watch while the downhill pusher wearing the red side of the bath robe removes the robe, turning it inside out so the black side shows for the uphill pusher to wear and ties it in back. Then the girl and downhill pusher sit on the bed for the race up the hill. Ten teams raced in this order and provided thrills and chills with lots of encouragement from the onlookers as the wobbly wheels on the beds caused all kinds of unexpected turns on the race course.

Winners of 2021 Bed Racers

1st Place – Dostal Alley time 1.03. This team is the 3rd generation to run in the family, and each team has won first place.

2nd Place – Madam Violet of the Lee Mansion time 1.20

3rd Place – Easy Street Casino 1.21

Best Costume – Chimney Sweeps

Worst in Bed (slowest) – Central Presents

Oldest in Bed – Ameristar 132

Winners of the Madam and Miners Ball

1st Madam – Jeannie L

2nd Madam – Jill S

3rd Madam – Jennifer B

Best Sporting House Girl

1st Sporting Girl – Tina S

2nd Sporting Girl – Sierra R

3rd Sporting Girl – Khristine K

Best Dandy Dan 

1st Dandy – Caleb l

2nd Dandy – Shawn B

3rd Dandy – Jeremy K

During the significant growth of the male population with hard rock mining in Gilpin County after Colorado became a state, there were very few women coming to the state, so there was a popular part of Central City known by the locals as the Red Light District. Children were not to go near the end of Pine Street, past the St. Mary’s Church, below St. James Methodist Church which was up the hill. A newspaper writer stated that the madam should relocate her business to a less conspicuous location. Madam Wright was operating a “crib” in the district.

In 1880, the Census reported this residence as having four women “housekeepers.”

In the 1900 Census, the same address reported a widow running a boarding house, with two women boarding.

The 1910 Census showed the two girls “boarding” with Lou Bunch from the 1900 Census, now listed as prostitutes.

Lou Bunch was the last operating madam in Central City. She was highly regarded by the miners when yet another epidemic hit the miners, and with great struggles of illness, she welcomed customers to stay and find care and healing.

The festivities drew eager crowds to enjoy the amazing music, talented dancers, and all out bed racers.

We hope to celebrate more of our mining camp traditions through the rest of summer and on into our next year. See you in Central!

You Might Also Like

The Colorado Central Railroad

Black Hawk’s impact on the community

The Bald Mountain Cemetery Crawl

Clinica Family Health

New teachers, relaxed Covid protocols, and project updates

TAGGED: Black Hawk, Central City, Colorado History, Gaming, Gilpin County
PATRICK SWEENEY August 19, 2021
Share this Article
Facebook TwitterEmail Print
What do you think?
Love0
Sad0
Happy0
Sleepy0
Angry0
Dead0
Wink0
Previous Article Take a load off and sit a spell in Black Hawk
Next Article Mask use and vaccinations for Gilpin County
Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Stay Connected

Facebook Like
Twitter Follow
Youtube Subscribe
Telegram Follow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Latest News

The Colorado Central Railroad
Community News
Black Hawk’s impact on the community
Community Entertainment Government History News
The Bald Mountain Cemetery Crawl
Community Education Entertainment History News Obituary
Clinica Family Health
Community Education News

You Might Also Like

The Colorado Central Railroad

7 months ago
CommunityEntertainmentGovernmentHistoryNews

Black Hawk’s impact on the community

9 months ago
CommunityEducationEntertainmentHistoryNewsObituary

The Bald Mountain Cemetery Crawl

9 months ago
CommunityEducationNews

Clinica Family Health

9 months ago
//

We influence 20 million users and is the number one business and technology news network on the planet

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

[mc4wp_form id=”55″]

© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.

Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc..

[mc4wp_form]
Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?