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Volunteers reporting on community issues in Monument, Palmer Lake, and the surrounding Tri-Lakes area

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Snapshots of Our Community

Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic

Above: About 1,1100 people bundled up to watch the 3rd Annual Palmer Lake Outdoor Classic on a frozen Palmer Lake on Jan. 6. The temperature was around 20 degrees when the Palmer Lake Star was lit, and fireworks brightened the dark sky to mark the start of the high school tournament. There were fire pits to warm the crowd and several food trucks offering a variety of treats. Pine Creek beat Palmer High of Colorado Springs 3-2 to take home the championship trophy. Lewis-Palmer finished third by defeating Chaparral 3-1 in the consolation final. The event proceeds covered all of Lewis-Palmer’s hockey team’s fees for the season. Photo by Michael Weinfeld

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Early round at the Palmer Lake Outdoor classic (19 sec)

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Fireworks at Palmer Lake Outdoor classic (16 sec)

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Color guard at Palmer Lake Outdoor classic (30 sec)

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Palmer Lake’s version of the Zamboni at the Outdoor Classic (15 sec)

Ice fishing in a blizzard, Jan. 8

Above: No heat, no hut, no problem. This ice fisherman didn’t let sub-zero temperatures and wind-blown snow stop him from trying his luck on Monument Lake on Jan. 8. Of course, it didn’t stop this reporter from walking his dog, either. The Tri-Lakes area got several inches of snow. Windchills were in the double digits below zero. Photo by Michael Weinfeld.

Ignition-resistant gardens

Above: Waterwise landscaping and foundation plantings can also be resistant to wildfires, said Cassie Olgren, Monument’s Parks & Trails planner and program manager, to the Tri-Lakes Women’s Club Garden interest group. She described a safe, sustainable approach to landscaping to reduce the risks of homes catching fire where grassland, forests, and human development overlap and we are vulnerable to wildland fires. The keys are regular yard and vegetation maintenance; choosing the right plants, fences, and mulches; and designing your landscape to include fire breaks. See Olgren’s “Firewise Landscaping” presentation full of beautiful examples at townofmonument.org/524/Gardening-and-Landscaping-Videos-and-Cla . Visit the town’s Waterwise Garden on the northwest corner of Adams and Second Street. Olgren is searching for community groups to get involved with town gardening and the Heart of Monument Play Park projects. Contact her at colgren@tomgov.org . For information on Tri-Lakes Women’s Club activities, see trilakeswomen39sclub.wildapricot.org/ . Photo by Lisa Hatfield.

Winter storm preparedness

Above: At the Monument Hill Kiwanis meeting on Jan. 13 at the “Big Red” D 38 administration building in Monument, Lisa Hatfield, author of To Melt a Snowdrift, presented guidelines to avoid traveling in severe winter weather and ways to prepare that could help one survive if caught out. She was accompanied by Dr. Gayle Humm, who, after her military service, was part of El Paso County Search and Rescue and shared some of her experiences rescuing hikers and others stranded in severe conditions. See Emergency Preparedness Guide at epc-assets.elpasoco.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/OEM/PPROEM-Preparedness-Guide-Final-Feb2023.pdf. Photo by Steve Pate.

Robotics competition, Jan. 13

Above: Bear Creek Elementary School (BCES) hosted a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) Competition on Jan. 13. The event was organized by D38’s Bearbotics Robotics Teams and BCES in collaboration with Colorado FIRST. More than 60 volunteers helped put on the event. The competing teams were from schools and communities across the Front Range. All three Bearbotics FTC Teams, Ragnarok Team 19541, Theta Team 19970 and Sigma Team 20771 made it to the playoffs. This competition was a qualifier for teams to receive tickets to the Colorado State Championship. Teams competed in the Centerstage Robot Game that was revealed in September and were judged in areas of Inspire, Connect, Motivate, Think, Innovate, Controls, and Design. Bearbotics FTC Ragnarok Team 19541 won the Connect Award and Bearbotics FTC Theta Team 19970 won the Motivate Award. All three Bearbotics Teams will compete in their second qualifier on Feb. 10 at Severance High School in Severance, Colo. Caption by Jeanette Breton, executive director, Monumental Impact. Photo by Steve Pate.

Donkeys in Downtown, Jan. 20

Above: Jake, Tin Cup, and Louie went for a run Jan. 20 and caused many a head to turn. The donkeys were running through downtown Monument with owner Joe Polonsky and his friends Jon Roberts and Roland Brodeur. They came from the nonprofit Double Rainbow Ranch in Monument, down Second Street to the Santa Fe Trail. The animals are being trained for pack burro racing, a sport where humans race with donkeys while guiding them with a rope. From front to rear, Brodeur with Tin Cup, Polansky with Jake, and Roberts with Louie. Photo by Jeanette Lamb.

Kiwanis donates to Salvation Army

Above: Monument Hill Kiwanis Club presented a check for $36,550 to the Salvation Army on Jan. 20. The money was raised by volunteer bellringers during the holiday season. Kiwanis members and their partners, Tri-Lakes Women’s Club and Lewis-Palmer District 38 Key Club members, spent 521 volunteer hours ringing the bells at three locations in Monument. The hourly rate worked out to be three times the national average. From left, front row are Kiwanians Jeff and Heidi Baker, Mark Zeiger, Salvation Army representatives Greg Mitchell, Capt. Doug Hanson, and Tri-Lakes Women’s Club representatives Pam Perry and Shelly Pruitt. Back row are Kiwanians Rob Knoth and Mahlon Lang. Photo by Warren Gerig.

“Push-in” first MFD wildland engine

Above and below: Driver Engineer Shaun Leonhardt is positioned behind the wheel of the Monument Fire District’s first Wildland Type 3 engine, as El Paso County Commissioner Holly Williams, board directors, residents and Monument Fire District firefighters assist with the time-honored tradition of “pushing-in” the engines at the Station 1 bay on Jan. 27. The district received the Wildland Type 3 engine 541 and a replacement ambulance in December. Fire Chief Andy Kovacs said the ambulance will be placed into service in early February and engine 541 will be the first of its kind within the district. Engine 541 is designed to navigate rough terrain, hold a large capacity of water, and has pump and roll capability. The engine will be operated by the district’s dedicated wildland crews and, besides tackling local fires, could deploy to wildland fires outside the district and state. The ceremony of “pushing-in” apparatus dates back to the 1800s, when fire departments used horse-drawn steamer engines to put out fires. After fighting the fire, crews would ready the horses in the stable for the next call, but because horses will not walk backward when they are under load, crews would push the apparatus back into the narrow station bay. The time-honored tradition continues nationwide, whenever a department is lucky to receive new apparatus. Photos By Natalie Barszcz.

Sertoma donates to Home Front

Above: The Gleneagle Sertoma Club donated $10,000 to the Home Front Military Network (HFMN) at the club’s Dec. 6 meeting. The money was raised by the annual Patriot Golf Benefit Tournament on Aug. 23. HFMN Executive Director Kathleen Hatten and Development Director Jennifer Wilson say the group has had a great impact on military and veteran families in the Pikes Peak region and all across Colorado. From left, Sertomans Pete Peterson and John Coyle present the check to Hatten and Wilson. Photo by Victoria Wynn.

O’Bryant named Sertoman of the Year

Above: At the Sertoma Christmas dinner on Dec. 13, Donna O’Bryant was named Sertoman of the Year. O’Bryant has been a Sertoman for 30 years. Photo by Victoria Wynn.

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