Second Annual 9/11 Stair Climb Fundraiser For The National Fallen Firefighter Foundation In Estes Park September 11th, 2023

The Estes Valley Fire District and the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation (NFFF) are proud to announce the second annual 9/11 Stair Climb Fundraiser, set to take place in Estes Park, Colorado on September 11th, 2023. This inspiring event will honor the brave firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty during the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, while raising funds to support the families and loved ones they left behind.

The 9/11 Stair Climb Fundraiser is a unique and poignant way to commemorate the sacrifices made by firefighters on that fateful day. Participants, including firefighters, community members, and supporters from all walks of life, will climb a symbolic 110 stories, representing the height of the World Trade Center towers. Each participant will carry the name and photograph of a fallen firefighter, ensuring that their memory and legacy live on.

The Stair Climb will be at the Estes Park Parking Structure (691 North St. Vrain & US 36) and you have the opportunity to climb 110 stories - the height of the World Trade Center. Participants are encouraged to climb what they can, whether that be one story or all 110. The climb will serve as a powerful reminder of the courage, dedication, and selflessness exhibited by firefighters across the nation. In addition to the Stair Climb, there will be a 5k Run / Walk around will directly benefit the NFFF's programs and initiatives aimed at assisting the families of fallen firefighters. These vital resources include scholarships, support for educational and training programs, and immediate financial assistance for families in need. By participating in the 9/11 Stair Climb Fundraiser, attendees will make a meaningful contribution to the lives of those affected by the loss of their firefighter loved ones.

Registration for the event is open and participants are encouraged to sign up early to secure their spot. Whether climbing individually, as part of a team, or simply making a donation, everyone can play a significant role in honoring the fallen firefighters and their families.

We invite local businesses, organizations, and community members to join them as event sponsors and supporters. The 9/11 Stair Climb Fundraiser offers an excellent opportunity to demonstrate corporate social responsibility, showcase community involvement, and make a lasting impact on the lives of firefighters' families.

Specific information about this year's Stair Climb and 5k Run will be made available but for more general information, please visit www.estesvalleyfire.org/stair-climb or email info@estesvalleyfire.org.

Open House At Estes Valley Community Garden

Community Gardeners and their families, friends and neighbors, Estes Park visitors – everyone is invited to drop in to see what’s growing in our high-elevation, short-season Garden. So far this year it’s looking pretty nice!

Open House will be Saturday, August 26, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Board members will be on hand to answer questions and accept your application for a 2024 plot if you’d like to join us.

You’ll find us at 380 Community Drive, the corner of Community Drive and Manford Avenue, just north of the Estes Valley Community Center (Rec Center). Park along Community Drive where it turns north towards the Skate Park, or next to the Tennis Courts via the first left turn past the Garden from Manford Avenue. Or stroll over from any of the parking areas in Stanley Park. We’d love to see you at the Garden! Visit evcg.org for more information.

Want to feel like you’ve died and gone to heaven—or sinned indulgently and gone the other way? Then get yourself to one of the fruit stands we see roadside during the month of August, buy a Palisade peach (or a boxful), and bite into the lusciously fresh and fragrant, juicy, most ambrosial fruit on the planet.

The season is short. The fruit is expensive. But these delectable treats are worth every penny; sweet as candy and succulent enough that you need to hover over the sink to eat one straight, and wipe your chin and elbow afterward. There is no need to peel one before sinking your teeth into its tender flesh. The skin melts in your mouth as easily as the sunrisepink/orange fruit. Plus, since Palisade peaches are freestone, the fruit easily separates from the pit, allowing every bit of deliciousness to be consumed, not stuck in a mess to the stone.

The town of Palisade, (population: about 2,600; elevation: 4,728 feet) is on Col orado’s Western Slope where long, sunny days and cool nights help develop fruits into dazzling and distinctive deliciousness. Plums, cherries, apricots, berries, grapes and apples grow well there, but peaches reign. I’ve purchased good wines there and once I bought a special cream sherry there, but the peaches are what put Palisade on the map.

You may have some luck buying your peaches in the produce section of a grocery store but in a big-name market I can’t tell where the fruit comes from. I’ve studied the little sticker labels and have not been able to decipher an origin. California produces more than half of the United States’ fresh peach crop, Georgia is known as the Peach State, and South Carolina claims that its peaches are “tastier.” All well and good, but when I’m buying peaches I want to make sure they are from Palisade, Colorado.

That’s why I like the fruit stands. There is something wholesome and nostalgic about pulling up to a wayside booth that looks like it was built by Grandpa, talking with the growers and family behind the tables laden with produce, and walking away with brown paper bags or cardboard boxes heavy with pure bliss— much the same as shopping at a farmers’ market.

If your peaches aren’t quite ripe when you buy them don’t worry, they’ll ripen at home. Store them separated, away from direct sunlight, and on their shoulders as opposed to on their aptly named bottoms. If you need to speed up the ripening, put them loosely in a closed paper bag. (Be prepared to be enveloped in the mouthwatering aroma of peaches when you open the bag.) On the other had, if you want to slow down the process, keep them in the fridge. You can buy “firsts,” which are the unblemished, perfectly round peaches. They’re the best for eating straight. Seconds are those that are just as delicious but may have a bruise, might be smaller, or oddly shaped. These are cheaper and are great for baking or for smoothies, making jams, jellies, syrups, salsas and for dehydrating. Yesterday my friend Joan provided the peaches and I used them to bake a crisp. The fruit was so sweet there was no need for added sugar (well, just a little to assure a crunchy topping). True confession: last night’s dessert for Joan and me doubled as our breakfast this morning. I think there’s enough left for lunch too…

With these peaches I could also make a pie, cobbler (or variations such as pandowdy, brown Betty, crumble, and buckle), bread or muffins, kuchen, a tart, upside down cake, panna cotta, Dutch baby, cheesecake, a trifle, dump cake, ice cream, a chiffon (or variations such as mousse, soufflé and Bavarian), and even wine. Truly, the options are endless. Unfortunately, the peaches are not.

I buy as many as I can when I find them, and what isn’t consumed within a week or so, I freeze. Not peeled, not pitted, but whole. Easy peasy (or peachy, in this case). With frozen peaches, we get to enjoy the sublime fruit all year ‘round. Let Adam and Eve have all the apples they want. If I’m going to be seduced by a fruit hanging temptingly low from a tree branch, I’ll succumb to the pleasure of a Palisade peach.

You may let The Thunker know what you think at her e-mail address, donoholdt@gmail.com.

© 2023 Sarah Donohoe