Thanks to Sue Barkley of the Rotary Club of Conifer for this month’s column contribution.
Summer is about to get hotter! With warm afternoons under a bluebird sky, and a cold drink and warm friends, the Rotary Club of Conifer is gearing up to kick off our local festival season on Saturday, July 12 with the 6th Annual ConiferFest.
ConiferFest will be presented at the picturesque field on 9444 Eagle Cliff Rd., adjacent to Our Lady of the Pines Church in Conifer. Fun and celebrations are in store when the gates open at 11am and visitors are greeted by a vibrant marketplace filled with cool vendors sharing local arts and crafts.


Further down the field, the Shady Grove tent invites you to enjoy cold beverages including cool craft brews, chilled margaritas, hard lemonades, teas and seltzers. Food trucks will supply a range of both hot and cold tasty foods and snacks.
Add in more hot times: the surrounding sound coming from the stage filling the air with cool blues, hot rock, smoldering reggae, and more from the bands, The Midday Sons, The Ritual Blues League, Izzy and the Icebreakers, and Iron Roots. Grab a cool dude and your hula hoop and enjoy a full afternoon of music starting at 1 pm.
No alcohol will be allowed from outside, but do bring your lawn chairs, blankets and rain gear! You know about our mountain weather!
For your comfort, bring your own 8’ x 8’ canopy to the “High Rise Alley” circling the perimeter, or stay stage-side with blankets and chairs. Dogs on-leash are always welcome; bring lots of water!
The Rotary Club of Conifer was founded decades ago by a group of local men and women professionals interested in coming together to do community service locally along the 285 Corridor, as well as internationally.
Locally, you’ve likely seen “Rotary Wildfire Ready” volunteers out in the community helping to clear trees from major roadways and creating exit lanes in case of wildfires. The Wildfire Ready Truck will be present on the scene at ConiferFest.
Many of you will also join us at the newly created Rotary Club of Conifer Peace Park, adjacent to the Aspen Park Community Center, for free yoga on June 19, and we invite you to join us in the early evening on July 17 for Poetry and Storytelling for Peace. For more information on future programs and times, contact us at [email protected].
The Foothills Home, Garden and Lifestyle Show, hosted jointly by both the Conifer and Evergreen Rotary Clubs, just recently raised funds for both Club’s charitable foundations.
Conifer Rotary’s funds continue to support the Rotary Backpack Program, packing and delivering backpacks filled with food to children in local schools on weekends.
And speaking of summer, visualize biting into a fat, ripe and juicy peach fresh from the Peach Capital of Colorado, Palisade, on the Western Slope! Conifer Rotary’s Annual Peach Sale in August will raise funds to support high school scholarships and tuition to send kiddos to Rotary Leadership Camps. Order forms are available at RotaryConifer.org.
So… HEAT up! Or COOL down! It’s your choice… enjoy it all at ConiferFest 2025! Parking is free and admission is only $5. Skip the lines and visit ConiferFest.com for tickets in advance.
Help us keep the FUN in FUNdraising! You’re not just having a great time; you’re making a difference. Scan the QR code or go to coniferfest.com for all details.
Rotary International, of which we are a part, was begun in Evanston, Illinois over 100 years ago by a group of businessmen who adopted the motto “Service above Self” and based their community service-oriented philosophical principles on The Four Way Test, which reads: “Of the things we think, say, or do: First, is it the truth? Second, is it fair to all concerned? Third, will it build goodwill and better friendships? And Fourth, will it be beneficial to all concerned?”
To emphasize the FUN in our continued Fundraising efforts, we’ve added a Fifth principle: “Will it be fun and inspiring?” Rotary exists to improve people’s lives, locally and globally, through service. Our Conifer Club is made up of an interesting and diverse group of men and women, with such expanded focuses both locally and internationally, but all directed at understanding and contributing to solutions to community problems and opportunities. Because Rotary remains free of religious or political ties, all our projects are designed to meet “real” and actual needs as expressed by those who are requesting support.
To learn more about the Rotary Club of Conifer, please visit RotaryConifer.org