Sarah Brewer grew up visiting the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and Nature Center with her parents who were devoted volunteers. When she was around 6 to 7 years old, she attended the concert in the summer of 1996 that featured the Riders in the Sky cowboy band and other performers, she said. “It didn’t have a ton of people, surprisingly, but I loved it.
” Throughout the years, Brewer grew up loving the Vasquez Rocks area and dedicated her master’s thesis on the history of the park, she said. Now as the park’s superintendent, she experienced a full-circle moment earlier this month, and had the opportunity to witness the “Fireside Night: A Celebration of Western Music” event featuring live performances donated by the International Western Music Association for approximately 100 guests free of cost. The Fireside Nights is a once-a-month free program from May to October that is family-friendly and highlights a variety of interests such as nature, education, history, movie history, geology and cultural topics, Brewer said.
The large crowd present on a recent Sunday evening for the musical event was an encouraging surprise for Brewer and all the volunteers who worked to make the event come to fruition, she said. She hopes to make musical performances a more frequent event in the future and artists interested in donating their time are encouraged to contact her, she said. “Any performers of any type, you know, care to donate their time for free programming, we’ll take .