Banjo Billy is back— with walking tours over two weekends, at least— and his alter ego says they could mark the return of regular walks if they go well.
Glenn Locke, who has portrayed quirky Banjo Billy for many years, will lead 90-minute downtown walking tours on June 13 and 14, and June 20 and 21.
The tours, sponsored by the Museum of Boulder, aim to resurrect local legends, historic hotels, notorious outlaws and juicy historical tidbits. They will visit locales such as the Boulderado Hotel, Boulder County Courthouse, Boulder Theater, Dushanbe Teahouse and even the site of famed 1930s band leader Glenn Miller’s first dance hall.
“People can come learn something about Boulder in a fun way and come out laughing,” Locke said.
Missing, though, is the iconic Banjo Billy bus, an old school bus converted into a “log cabin on wheels” with old wooden siding, metal roof, Astroturf carpeting, mismatched seating and funky fabric draped across the ceiling.
The bus and its Denver tour counterpart were given away when Banjo Billy’s bus tours closed during Covid in 2020. “They were just so weird, and I didn’t want to sell them to anyone who would drive them cross-country” because they were failing mechanically, Locke said.
Locke joined Banjo Billy as a part-time tour guide soon after it was founded in 2005 by John Georgis. He bought the business in 2015, leaving behind his seemingly unlikely previous career teaching economics at Front Range Community College.
Locke shifted to foot tours during Covid, but closed the business altogether in 2021 because “I had two old buses that needed to be replaced and no cash flow” to fix them due to Covid’s financial toll. “You can’t just go to the weird bus depot” to buy another, he remarked, “and I had turned 65, so I figured I’d retire.”
While it lasted, though, Banjo Billy Bus Tours became an eccentric piece of Boulder history itself, with Locke and his part-time tour guides dishing out local tales with humor, creativity and a touch of hillbilly charm from the rollicking bus.
And that past is why the Museum of Boulder hopes to launch Banjo Billy tours again — on foot.
“Banjo Billy itself is sort of fading away into history,” said Christopher Taylor, the museum’s executive director. “And who are we: a history museum.”
Taylor and Locke met last October at a gala celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Boulder Historical Society, which operates the museum.
”I met the legend. I was so excited,” Taylor said. He suggested Locke resume some sort of tour, and Locke followed up this spring.
”We’ll do a couple tours now, and if it goes well, we’ll make it an ongoing thing,” possibly later this year, Locke said. He is volunteering his time to the museum for the two June walks, but added, “If people want to tip me, I won’t turn it down.”
The tours, limited to 15 people each, will begin at 1:30 p.m. on June 13 and 14, repeating on June 20 and 21. They will leave from and return to the Museum of Boulder, located at 2205 Broadway.
Tickets are $20 for museum members and $25 for nonmembers, plus tax, and are available at Eventbrite.com/banjobilly. Each ticket includes free admission to the museum before or after the walk.
While Locke hopes the inaugural foot tours are successful enough to lead more, he doesn’t want more buses. “If someone wants to do that, I’ll help them,” he said, “but I’m 69 now and don’t have the energy.”
You only gave passing mention to the original Banjo Billy, John Georgis. He was a colorful character who gave up a career in software sales (I once hired him) to buy an old bus in Wyoming, drive it home, and deck it out like a cabin. Sadly John passed away at a young age. He created the concept and drove the buses for years. A true Boulder original.