Folking it up in the Four Corners

Fiddles, food and four-part harmonies. Campgrounds, stompboxes and banjo-picking. String bands and beer gardens and three days of folk music in the park. That’s the formula at the heart of the Four Corners Folk Festival, an annual outdoor music festival that takes over Reservoir Hill Park in Pagosa Springs each Labor Day weekend. The 2014 festival will kick off today and will bring a bevy of bluegrass, newgrass, gypsy folk, chamber folk and indie folk to the Ponderosa Pavilion. The lineup promises young up-and-coming talent alongside veterans of string: the folk-bending sounds of San Francisco band Steep Ravine, the gypsy swing of Caravan of Thieves, the joyful and flamboyant tunes of Paper Bird, bluegrass from string legends Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott and the rowdy newgrass picking party of the Sam Bush Band. Single-day, three day and camping passes start at $45, and are still available. Visit www.folkwest.com for more information.

Imbibe on the rails

This weekend, beer fans and wine aficionados can explore their respective passions on the rails. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is partnering with five local breweries and three Colorado wineries for the Brew Train and Wine on the Rails, special back-to-back events that pair railroad history with spirits. Up first on Saturday is the Brew Train. Riders will have the chance to sample craft beers from Brew, Carver Brewing Co., Durango Brewing Co., Ska Brewing Co. and Steamworks on the train ride to Cascade Canyon, where they can taste more beers, play yard games and take in music from local string band Sugar Creek. Sunday’s event, meanwhile, is for the oenophiles out there. Wine and Rails will bring representatives and samples from Four Leaves Winery, Fox Fire Farms and Vino Salida to the train, which will also take passengers to Cascade. Once there, people can check out sampling stations, learn how the wines are made and listen to jazz music. The events heighten the train experience, said Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Train Marketing Manager Andrew Seid. “People go to wine tastings or to breweries, but to combine that with being on the train makes it super unique,” she said. Both trains will depart Durango at 10 a.m. and return to the depot at 4:40 p.m. Fares start at $99. Visit www.durangotrain.com for more information.

What a guy

Fury, joy, melancholy, pain and love. Buddy Guy can express all these emotions and more through his incendiary and exemplary guitar playing. Guy, who many would argue is the greatest bluesman alive, is performing a Labor Day concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Farmington Civic Center, 200 W. Arrington. The Chicago blues legend, who honed his chops with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Junior Wells, has won Grammy awards, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and showered with laurels. But what may be his biggest claim to fame these days is his reputation for electrifying, joyful and dynamic live performances. He’ll have you wrapped around his finger.