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OURIE est. 1958
WEEK OF MARCH 23, 2023
The mountain area’s newspaper since 1958
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Jumping into 2023 Evergreen Lake Plunge was a cool success BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
New Year’s Day was a great day to go jump in the lake — Evergreen Lake, that is. Evergreen Lake Plunge participants lined up from the lake through the parking lot, waiting their turn to brave the frigid water to start 2023. This year, the plunge had the most participants in its 14-year history: 423. Compare that to last year’s 177 plungers. As always, the event is a fundraiser for the Evergreen Park & Recreation District’s INSPIRE program for the special needs population. Plus Active4All, the plunge’s organizer that is EPRD’s foundation, helps pay fees for families who can’t afford to use the rec district’s facilities. Alan Gionet, Active4All’s vice president and the event’s emcee, figures the plunge with help from its sponsors including title sponsor Buffalo Park Dentistry raised about $30,000, also an all-time high. “We had people from all over the metro area,” Gionet said about the high attendance. “The crowd was
Hello! You reWEST METRO ceived this special EDITOR introductory edi-
Jumping through the air, Paul Faulkner of Evergreen participates in his first plunge at PHOTO BY SARA HERTWIG Evergreen Lake on New Year’s Day.
great and having a great time. We aren’t sure what drove big numbers other than, we have fun. It’s outdoor fun in a beautiful place, and people seem to want to just get away from their devices and go jump in a lake. We’re all about it.” First in line were sisters Stephanie Suzanne and Kelley Graham of Denver. Their first time plunging, the two attended church together in Evergreen before heading for the lake.
They wore swimsuits and leggings under their church clothes, plus they brought warm clothes to change into after the plunge. The two joked and laughed about what they were about to do, suggesting that the hole to jump in was larger than in past years, so big that they could swim laps in it. “They’re making it a challenge,” Suzanne said, laughing. “We can’t just jump in and jump out.”
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tion of the Canyon Courier because we wanted to give you a taste of what we have to offer as a trusted source of local news in your community. We hope that once Kristen Fiore you get to know us, you’ll want to join our family of readers. My name is Kristen Fiore, and I am proud to be the editor of the Canyon Courier, a lively weekly newspaper for the foothills covering the news, people, schools, sports and events in Pine, Conifer, Indian Hills, Evergreen, Kittredge, Morrison and beyond. The Canyon Courier aims to capture the mountain charm of daily life in these communities while keeping readers informed about breaking SEE WELCOME, P8
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