285 Gold Rush and Leaf Peeping Season is coming! Want to stay local and enjoy the fall colors? You don’t need to go far. There are beautiful fall colors in this area and we are going to help you find them! Businesses are creating amazing hot deals for the season between September 15 and October 15. Macaroni Kid: Evergreen, Conifer, Bailey is creating an interactive map with both hot spots for the beautiful fall colors and all the hot deals! Get off HWY 285 and enjoy the local colors in our local area and get some hot deals from local businesses while you’re at it! Follow the 285 Tourism Facebook page for more information and log on to GoConifer.com for the map and a complete list of hot deals!

The Conifer Chamber is continuing to advocate for our business community. As businesses tell me about their needs, I’m taking those comments directly to our representatives. Rep. Lisa Cutter is proud to be one of the cosponsors

for the Energize Colorado Gap Fund.

This application is now live. You can visit 

energizecolorado.com/gap-fund for details, eligibility and the application. The Energize Colorado Gap Fund will provide more than $25M in small business loans and grants to boost small business enterprises. Sole proprietors, businesses and nonprofits with less than 25 full-time employees can apply for up to a $15,000 grant and a $20,000 loan for a possible combined total of $35,000 in financial assistance. Another opportunity that just opened up is free PPE supplies for Jefferson County businesses. The Commissioners have allocated money from the CARES Act dollars to help businesses in providing free PPE supplies. There is an application process. The application is available at jeffco.us/4057/CARES-Act-Emergency-Grants-Funding. Supplies can be picked up from the Evergreen or Conifer Chamber once you have been approved.

School Restart Resource Guide is now available at GoConifer.com! The Conifer Chamber of Commerce teamed up with local community educators and day care providers, to create solutions for families as we walk through the fall school schedule. Interested in volunteering to help students in the virtual/online environment during the fall 2020 semester? We have resources for you! Are you thinking about starting a new business by offering in-home childcare? We have resources for you! Do you and your child need to access the internet for completing schoolwork, but have no internet or unreliable internet? We have resources for you! Log on for a list of individuals and/or organizations that can assist you with online learning, tutoring, alternative school formats or day care options.

At the membership meeting earlier this month, Commissioner Dahlkemper and Fire Chief Ware provided an update on the Jeffco Fire Mitigation Task Force. To hear a recording of the meeting, log on to GoConifer.com. 

We’d love to have you join us for our combined Conifer/Evergeen Chamber mixer at Morse Evergreen Auto Body on Sept. 17 from 5-7 pm. Please register in advance at GoConifer.com.

Thank you for shopping and supporting local especially during this time. Our local businesses thank you for your support!