Colorado Centennial Homeschool Ball
22nd Annual Colorado Centennial Homeschool Ball
When: Saturday, January 10th, 2026, 6:30-9:30 pm
Where: Douglas County Fairgrounds Events Center in Castle Rock, Colorado at 500 Fairgrounds Rd, Castle Rock, CO 80104. (See Directions page.)
What: We’re excited to announce the 21st Annual Colorado Centennial Homeschool Ball, hosted by You Can Live History!
This ball began over two decades ago (like many annual events, we missed a couple years around 2020) as an event to provide just plain clean fun for teens and their families who didn’t want to worry about the issues of modesty, rock music, inappropriate dances/movements, nor the whole guy/girl dating issue. The historic period from 1860-1876 seemed to answer all of these issues, since it was from a more formal time period without modern concerns.
We will be celebrating Colorado's bid for statehood from 1860-1876, featuring historic dances, including the Virginia Reel, Grand March, Hat Dance, and Polka. The young ladies will wear Victorian ball gowns or frontier dresses and the young men will be dressed as Victorian gentlemen, frontiersmen, soldiers, cowboys, or in other era-appropriate costumes. (Note: It was the Victorian era in England, which influenced the English-speaking world; in America it is better known as the Civil War era. At a ball in 1876 you would most likely be wearing the same ball gown you - or your mother - had in 1860, since clothes were homemade and hand-sewn. The ready-to-wear industry was just starting to develop. More history here)
You will learn about 19th century American culture and etiquette, all while having a terrific time enjoying a score of authentic period dances – ranging from waltzes to reels – all taught by a professional dance teacher and set to common 1800's tunes played by skilled musicians. Please make sure to plan your day to be available for the dance class in the morning so everyone learns the steps together.
This will be a family event with parents and young adults, thirteen and older, all dancing together. Refreshments of cookies and punch will be provided during the evening. (If you need, or can bring, gluten-free refreshments, contact us at [email protected] to be connected with the volunteer organizing that.)
We will have a maximum of 400 participants, so register soon!
To Register: Click above on "registration" in the menu bar.
Snow Date: There will be NO snow date unless the entire city is shut down by a blizzard (i.e. if DIA is closed down) therefore, partial refunds may be given only under these circumstances. We are sorry for any hardships this may cause. This is because the fairgrounds management will only reschedule our use of the facility, or refund our money, under those conditions.
Pictures from 2024 Ball:
The pictures below were taken by student photographer Owen McGough, and he took many other beautiful pictures throughout the evening. If you were there, look through the whole collection of high-resolution pictures; you may find some fun ones of friends and family, especially if a young lady in your family was introduced. Tips are appreciated for any pictures you wish to download; Owen's Venmo ID is @Owen-McGough
Buy Tickets
Highline Canal T-Shirt
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Denver for the Dis-Inclined!
The Highline Canal Trail is a unique way to experience Denver. In its 70 zigzagging miles through the Mile-High City, the elevation changes by only about 2 feet per mile (as compared to about 625 feet per mile on Barr Trail up Pikes Peak!) On the Highline Canal Trail you see magnificent views of the Rocky Mountains while tracing a contour line (also called isohypse, or line of equal height on the earth's surface) through urban Denver.
Traversing the urban grid in a green corridor that doesn't do straight lines means a hike or bike ride completely unlike the trails for which Colorado is known. Around each corner you discover the next in a series of parks, wildlife areas, historic areas, and beautifully landscaped backyards - accessible even by wheelchair or stroller, in sections short enough to accommodate even little legs. Yet its total length makes it an interesting challenge even to fitness addicts.
Highline Canal History
The Highline Canal Trail is closely connected with the history of Denver. The canal was begun in 1881 and finished in 1883, in an effort to bring mountain runoff to farms out on the dry plains. Due to Colorado water rights laws, the canal never carried the capacity it was built for, but the water it carried created its own ecosystem of flora and fauna.
In 1970 the maintenance road beside the canal was first opened for recreation, and now it is a National Landmark Trail. The trail connects historic sites such as the Fly'n B Park and Delaney Farms, and passes through Fairmount Cemetery, the burial place of those responsible for many place names in Denver: Iliff, Bonfils, Boettcher, Buchtel, Cheesman, Downing, Lowry. Baron von Richthofen (not the Red Baron, but his uncle Walter - an early developer in Denver!) at one point hoped to use the canal to supply water to country homes, but the water supply didn't work out. However, the canal did draw government installations such as Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
Another way of expressing the range of the trail: on one end it passes through the foothills where Lockheed Martin develops space vehicles, while from the other end Denver International Airport's control tower is visible.
The T-Shirt
Our family loves the Highline Canal Trail; we've hiked a large fraction of it together by selecting a short distance to do each week through the changing seasons of one year. To celebrate it in t-shirt art, Ewan Tallentire took a picture from around mile 24 of the trail (near deKoevend Park) and stylized the scene.
Trees show their depth in two shades of green, white snowfields are visible on mountains in the distance, and a tan trail curves tantalizingly around the next corner through a tunnel of trees. Small figures on the trail highlighted in red show the neighborliness of trail users. The scene is framed in the colors of the scene, with "HIGH LINE CANAL" across the bottom. The shirt itself is the background color of metro blue (royal blue for ladies and youth sizes), and is short sleeve in Gildan 100% cotton.
NEED ANOTHER SIZE? - Other sizes and even styles are available; if yours isn't listed or is sold out, we can probably take care of that in our next printing. Please inquire through [email protected].
FREE SHIPPING FOR LOCALS - Use the discount code HIGHLINELOCAL when checking out. We may even deliver in person if you want to meet at a mile marker on the Highline Canal. Contact us at [email protected] to discuss the possibilities.
