The Fremont Community Foundation (known formerly as the 'Belvedere Community Foundation') is an all-volunteer group dedicated to improving the quality of life in Fremont County, Colorado.

While our community has been without a local “United Way” chapter for several years, our Foundation has been working to provide that very important support role to the Fremont County community since 1999.

Our Foundation puts on two major fundraisers each year, and all the money that we raise is given away at the end of the year to other non-profit agencies within Fremont County. Our “Belvedere Blues Festival” is one of Southern Colorado’s biggest music events and is held annually on the weekend following Labor Day. The “Royal Gorge Holy Smoke BBQ Showdown” is held annually on the second weekend in June, and features competition barbeque teams from across the United States, competing in a major event sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

We also sponsored the “Flashback on Main” event in May, 2009, featuring a big street dance that was open to the public at no charge! With wonderful support from downtown Cañon City merchants and other sponsors, the event was a huge success and a terrific family event! A hula-hoop contest, karaoke contest and classic car show kept everyone hopping, and “The Continental Kids” kept the crowds dancing in the streets well into the night!

Since the inception of the blues festival, more than $135,000 has been given away to local non-profit groups, humanitarian causes and area organizations. (Click the “Who Do We Help?” button below)

We have an all-volunteer board and a host of wonderful supporters, donors and sponsors for our annual event, and we owe our success to them.

The first ten years of the Blues Festival were held in the parking lots behind Merlinos’ Belvedere Restaurant in Cañon City, and we thank the Merlino family and all their employees for their generosity and support!!