Inundated with nasty political ads, discouraging headlines, natural disasters and predictions of a “second wave” of COVID-19, it is not that difficult to adopt a mindset of fear and negativity. It is all too easy to lose sight of the many forces for good that are available to us each day. Living in the small-town culture of our mountain community, we have many opportunities to engage in activities designed to highlight the best in human nature. We can make choices to create connections and uplift the spirit of our community.
Tall Grass Promotes
Healing Through Hearts
Tall Grass Spa is known for offering services that heal body and soul. During the tumultuous times our country is facing, the Spa is inviting us to display our compassion by creating a heart design on a 4×4 wooden panel that will become part of a larger community mosaic representing healing.
The Spa is offering a total of 250 panels for participants to use as their own canvases for painting or drawing a heart. The suggested donation is $10 for a panel, and $20 for a panel, paint and paintbrush, with proceeds going to Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice. The panels are available to pick up at Tall Grass, 997 Upper Bear Creek Road, and must be returned to that location by Nov. 1 to be part of the mosaic.
The Spa is encouraging everyone to participate, with no formal artistic talent required. Families, youngsters and seniors in Evergreen and surrounding areas are most welcome to express their creativity. The community participation art installation will be displayed at the Spa in celebration of its 25th anniversary and as a reminder that we all have the power to promote healing.
The Ghouls and Goblins
Will Parade in Downtown
Evergreen on Halloween
The Evergreen Downtown Business Association invites families and their pets to another “Spooktacular” Halloween event. There will be a staggered parade through main street from 3:30 – 4:30 pm with advance registration required for specific time slots at downtownevergreen.com. Adults, children and pets are encouraged to wear their costumes. Protective masks and social distancing will be standard protocol. At the conclusion of the parade, all registered attendees will receive a Halloween treat.
The family-friendly atmosphere will feature “Monster Mash” music provided by Sound Mountain Entertainment with Halloween blow-up characters providing a great backdrop for family photos. A highlight of the afternoon will be a special 4:15 pm choreographed performance of “Thriller” by the Evergreen Dance Center open to all attendees who want to join the dance.
You can get into the Halloween spirit by entering an online Pumpkin Carving Contest, which runs through the month of October. There are prizes for outstanding creations in adult and children’s categories with winners announced at the conclusion of the Oct. 31 festivities. Please follow @heartofevergreen on Facebook for event updates.
Mark Your Calendars for the Nov. 20 Snowdance at Evergreen Brewery
Put on your ski parkas and head to the Evergreen Brewery on Friday, November 20 from 4 – 9 pm for an evening outside complete with firepits, terrific music, outdoor movies and prize giveaways. Adhering to state and county guidelines, the Snowdance will be capped at a total of 150 people, with online registration required and compulsory onsite social distancing and masks. Evergreen Brewery is located at 2962 Evergreen Parkway. Event organizers are planning to offer a streaming option as well.
Returning this year is the ever-popular Fabulous Mumblin’ Cousins, the host band for an all-star lineup of musical guests.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will support the Loveland Ski Patrol as well as a new beneficiary: the Friends of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (FoCAIC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was created to financially support avalanche forecasting and education throughout Colorado. The organization depends in part on fundraising through events and individual donations. This year, the group is experiencing a lack of adequate funding to address an anticipated spike in the need for avalanche services given an increase in backcountry activity. Visit the Evergreen Snowdance Facebook Page for updates on event plans.
EChO Seeks Donations as
School Lunch Program Expands
While school attendance is a hybrid of part-time onsite instruction and remote learning, the need for students to have access to EChO’s lunch program remains constant. This initiative is a continuation of the organization’s summer lunch program, which served 188 school-age children, with the addition of some 70 youngsters in the remote learner program.
EChO has made the program available to all families in the mountain community who struggle to provide nutritious, consistent meals for their children. Remote learning has put a tremendous strain on family budgets if their student would typically have received a free or reduced fee lunch onsite at their school. To address this gap, EChO provides them with a week’s worth of food items for their children such as milk, fresh produce and easy to prepare lunch items in addition to the family’s regular weekly shopping at the Food Bank.
The success of EChO’s Food Bank is enhanced by donations from the community. To help sustain the school lunch program, EChO is seeking shelf stable items such as tuna/cracker packs, cups of fruit, applesauce, pudding and Jell-O, granola bars, fruit snacks, juice boxes, and small bags of chips and cookies to supplement the main lunch items distributed by EChO. Donations can be dropped off Monday from 10 am – 6 pm and Tuesday-Thursday from 10 am – 4 pm at the Food Bank, which is located on the grounds of the Church of the Transfiguration at 27640 Highway 74. Financial donations to support the lunch program can be made online at evergreenchristianoutreach.org.
