During the month of October, the following new members have joined the class of 2023:
Cheryl & Phil Baker
Randy & Terry Brigham
Rob & Christina Eccleston
Joyce & Richard Paxton
Deborah Schmitt & David Ruffley
Lisa and Mark Taylor
David & Debra VanTassel
The program for the Club's November General Meeting will focus on history. Our guest speaker is Dr. James Pickering, who will present The History of F.O. Stanley in Estes Park. Jim is a noted Estes Park and Estes Valley historian, has written several books about Estes Park and its characters, and is very active in the Estes Park community.
The meeting will be held at Hunters Chop House, 1690 Big Thompson Avenue on November 8th. Social time will begin at 5:00, with dinner at 6:00 and a guest speaker at 7:00. To attend, you must register online no later than November 1st.
We Believe in Estes Park is a community outreach project of the Estes Park Newcomers Club. The Club has partnered with the Town of Estes Park to join in celebrating the holiday spirit, while supporting several local non-profit organizations. Our efforts will help children, families, seniors and even the homeless pets in Estes Park.
Santa and his merry Newcomers elves will be busy all over town - from small photo sessions to the Tree Lighting Ceremony to being the feature attraction in the Town’s Catch the Glow Parade. Our festive Newcomers entourage will escort Santa on the final float of the parade for the big finale! We hope that you, your family and guests will consider being part of the parade. We have elf and Nutcracker soldier costumes for our entire entourage, or you can come festooned in your own festive wear.
We invite you to join us in spreading the holiday spirit! Click the button above, and Santa will magically take you to the We Believe area of the Newcomers website. All the details are there…dates, times and places where Santa needs helper elves to mingle and jingle. Signing up to volunteer is easy, and once you’ve registered, a member of the We Believe Team will be in touch to provide you with all the details you’ll need to be part of the fun!
A hearty thanks to the over 40 members who are already working hard on costumes, Santa sets, parade gear and decorating the We Believe Inn.
Elves are fun, elves are funny, elves are needed to help everyone in Estes Park believe!
Fall is by far my favorite season. Excitement is in the air from all the new things that happen this time of year - schools, football, the harvest - even the new television lineup.
Autumn is also a time of change here in our little slice of paradise - as the air gets crisp, the days are shorter, the animals become more active, and more color comes to our views.
Those beautiful fall colors remind me of the signature artwork we selected for the new website:
Back story: One of our local artists, James Frank, captured this stunning image of Bear Lake during the fall season. We have secured his permission to use this image in Club promotions.
If you have a design background, or just a good eye for color, you may have noticed that this masterpiece is both the featured artwork and the basis of the signature color palette used throughout the new website. It was also the inspiration for a new logo.
Let The Program(s) Begin!
Following our successful kick-off at the September General Meeting, the Newcomers 2018-2019 program is now in full swing.
All of the Interest Groups have organized, with a myriad of activities planned and underway. As introduced earlier, two new groups have started - Nature Photography and Weekend Hiking. Both groups are off to a great start with a couple of dozen participants.
Our special events team offered an education program and tour of the Benson Sculpture Garden along with one of its associated casting foundries. Next up: The Brews Cruise! This popular event has been expanded and is sure to be loads of fun. You should check it out.
And of course our Wine & Cheese social event calendar is filled up. Nothing gets between Newcomers and their wine & cheese!
As introduced in September, a new addition to our program lineup this year is a focus on Community Outreach, with two efforts underway at present. Our very own Trail Ridge Quilters are topping off their inventory to be ready for a series of sales starting around Thanksgiving, the proceeds of which will benefit EP Health.
In addition, a new team has formed within Newcomers to help with Santa’s dilemma. They are organizing and planning a series of activities for the holiday season that will be great fun for Newcomers and help out some of our worthy causes here in the Estes Valley. Stay tuned on this one - more info will be forthcoming very soon!
I look forward to seeing everyone at the next general meeting on October 18th at Mama Rosa’s.
Social hour will begin 5:00pm. Wine, beer, liquor and sodas will be paid for by the guests. We encourage each table to order wine for the table, which will speed up the drinks. Your table waiter will keep a tab of the drinks.
Chase Ryland, District Wildlife Manager, Area 2, will provide a presentation on the biology of bears in the Estes Valley
Cost is $24 per person and you must register online before Thursday, October 11. You are encouraged to pay online by credit card. Credit cards are not accepted at the event.
CANCELLATION POLICY: If you register and then need to cancel, the last day to cancel is by end of day, Thursday, October 11. To cancel, contact registration@estesparknewcomers.org.
Spotlight - Jeanne Allen, Quilter and Newcomer Alumnus
Eight years ago when we realized our dream of moving to the mountains and Estes Park after visiting regularly for 30 years, I was particularly excited to have more time to pursue my passion of quilting. This interest was developed after owning a quilt shop in Iowa for nearly 12 years where there was never enough time to be creative after all the jobs of being a small business owner were complete.
I researched the various quilting groups in town and knew there was a quilt guild, Estes Valley Quilt Guild, and another group called Trail Ridge Quilters, affiliated with and supported by Estes Park Newcomers Club.
We eagerly attended a Newcomers Club Meeting a few days after we moved in, and I inquired about the quilting group. I learned that they were a Special Interest group of the Newcomers Club, meeting weekly at Estes Park Health in the Longs Peak room and making quilted items that are sold to the public. All proceeds go to Estes Park Health Foundation to buy items that directly benefit patient care. These items, requested through grant requests from the departments, are needed to enhance daily patient care. The group’s monies have purchased a variety of items from temporal thermometers to digital scales to colonoscopy equipment and so much more.
Why do I make items and then donate them rather than keeping them for myself or family? It’s a great way to use my quilting skills to benefit myself and other patients who use our local medical facility. By making items as small as a potholder or as large as a king-sized quilt, I get the satisfaction of creating an item and helping my local community as well. And then there is the added benefit of getting together with the other quilters and chatting as we work on our projects. For me, it’s a win-win situation.