Winning With ALS, led by local music-lover Tom Miller, put on the inaugural Cripple Creek Music Festival this weekend on the DCCH grounds in Fort Mitchell, KY. I had never visited this area and was surprised that more events don’t happen here, as the mix of open spaces and permanent structures was perfect for a small festival. The first-time event was impressively managed from easy parking to short lines to great beer and bourbon selection and food trucks to please everyone. 

The CCMF made good use of the grounds by having acoustic music under the open-sided “barn” during the day. Kids played outside in the grass while folks packed in to enjoy great local talent capped off by Arlo McKinley. The only unfortunate part of the day was the cold front that blew through as the music transitioned to the outdoor stage in the evening. However, for the few that stuck around for the 10 pm set from Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, the frigid breeze was quickly forgotten as Denson and crew absolutely lit up the stage. The jazzy New Orleans funk group had everyone dancing and smiling. The original tunes were heavy funk but the group relied on a Dreams (Allman Brothers Band) cover to flex their musical muscles. The song, known as a vehicle for deep improvisation from ABB, allowed the band to take turns one-upping each others’ world class jamming 

Music. Food. Drinks. Convenience. Fun. Tom Miller and crew curated an event that checked all the boxes. I caught up with Tom and others from Winning With ALS toward the end of Karl Denson’s set. The group was all smiles and had one thing to say, “We can’t wait to do it again next year.” Me neither.