Palmer Lake Historical Society, Dec. 19 – Palmer Lake holds 91st annual Yule Log Hunt

By Marlene Brown

On the slopes of Sundance Mountain and under the deep-blue sky of Colorado, the Town of Palmer Lake, with the support of the Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS), held the 91st Yule Log Hunt starting at the Palmer Lake Town Hall on Dec. 19. It is the longest-running yule log hunt in the United States. It was started by Evelena Macy, pastor of the Little Log Church in the 1930s, and Lucretia Vaile, one of the original pioneer residents of Palmer Lake and a charter member of PLHS.

You can visit the Lucretia Vaile Museum in Palmer Lake, operated and curated by PLHS, at 66 Lower Glenway St. See palmerdividehistory.org for hours and more information.

Each year, Palmer Lake villagers have donned their red and green capes (made by the local cape committee) and greeted hundreds of visitors from all over Colorado and the U.S. to partake in the annual Yule Log Hunt jollification. Everyone gathers at the Town Hall, and at 1 p.m. the trumpeter calls for the hunt to begin. Participants run up Sundance Mountain to find the log and then the finder rides the log back to town. The log is pulled by the other hunters to the Town Hall.

The log is then cut in half with hand bandsaw. Half will be saved for next year’s hunt and the other half is added to the fire in the massive fireplace, built especially for the Yule Log Hunt. Then the finder is served the first drink of traditional wassail (made with apple cider, spices, and fruit). Everyone is invited to partake in a cup of wassail and cookies, followed by a sing-along of Christmas carols. Gallons of wassail are made by the “wassail committee” and are offered for sale after the hunt.

Recipe for wassail to make at home: 2 quarts of apples cider, 1 lemon, 1 orange, 1/4 tsp. of ground cloves, 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg, 2 baked apples, ½ tsp, of finely chopped cinnamon bark, ½ – 1 cup of sugar (to taste). Heat cider and spices to boiling, add finely chopped fruit and serve hot.

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The next PLHS meeting will be the Annual Potluck Supper Membership Meeting on Jan. 16, 6 to 8:30 p.m. (supper starts at 6:15) at the historic Palmer Lake Town Hall, 42 Valley Crescent. Please bring a dish to share. The program includes an overview of 2024 programs, an update of 2025 programs, and the election of the 2025 Board of Directors. Membership can be renewed at that meeting. For more information about membership and ways to contact PLHS, see palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be reached at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

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