The Flume

Donkey ducks will hit the water this weekend during the South Park Food Bank’s Third Annual Donkey Duck Derby promptly at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 18 at the Alma Town Park. Held in previous years at Sacramento Creek Ranch, this year's highly anticipated event will take place in conjunction with the activity-packed Festival of the Clouds weekend.

Please send your event details to Paul Goetz at pgoetz@orourkemediagroup.com. Friday, July 17 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Burland Ranchettes Community Yard Sale in Bailey. 20-35 homes will be participating this year. The event will also be hosted on Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19. 10 a.m. - noon – Free Master Gardener Workshops at the Park County Fair with CSU Specialists. 10 a.m. to noon is water conservation, plant selection in semi-arid high altitude.

The Town of Fairplay is seeking community members interested in serving on a Steering Committee to help guide the update of the Town's Comprehensive Plan and Unified Development Code (UDC). This important project will help shape Fairplay's future by establishing a community-driven vision for growth, development, housing, economic vitality, transportation, recreation, and preservation of the Town's unique character.

The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) recently honored Park County with the C-Stat Distinguished Performance Award for its work in calendar year 2025. This annual award celebrates the county’s efforts to make sure residents in our community have the resources they need to thrive. Specifically, the honor highlights timeliness, safety and accuracy.

Beekeeping at 9,000 feet is difficult and challenging to say the least, but there are many local, Guffey-area residents who are beekeepers. Kodie Ketchbaw of the K-Bar Ranch got three hives of bees this last April and is very excited to be a beekeeper. Kodie got two different species of bees, the Italian Carniolian and the Saskatraz species. The Saskatraz was developed in the 1980s in Canada and should be a hardier bee for this area and the cold.

A devastating fire destroyed the Mr. Burro Cafe on Main Street in Fairplay last winter, but the cafe had their grand re-opening July 4th and is now on historic Front Street. Mr. Burro is located at 501 Front Street between the Colorado Mountain Hat Company and the Park Bar in the old Millonzi’s building. The cafe is serving breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

On the evening of Monday, July 6, a spot fire jumped up near Horseshoe Campground along Colorado Road 18 in Fairplay. Due to the swift response of local emergency response teams, the fire was quickly put out. In addition to first responders, a chopper from Buena Vista was quickly on scene for a water drop. Officials stated that while the cause of the fire is still unknown, community members should stay vigilant with current weather conditions.

Join us for the Platte Canyon Area Chamber of Commerce Town Hall on Thursday, July 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Platte Canyon Fire Station, 153 Dellwood Drive in Bailey. This is your opportunity to hear directly from several county officials, learn about current projects and initiatives affecting our community, and get answers to the questions that matter most to you.

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) started off the Tuesday, July 7 regular meeting by adjourning as the county commission and reconvening as the County Board of Equalization, for consideration of the 2026 Assessor’s Report. County Assessor Monica Jones presented the report and answered several questions from the board before the BOCC approved it. Reconvening as the BOCC, first up on the agenda was the 2025 Forest Reserve Distribution.

Antiestablishmentarianism. Ooh… that’s a fun word. Let’s say it again: antiestablishmentarianism. The rejection of or opposition to the social and political establishment. We’re deep in it now in this country. Not for the first time, but maybe the most extreme case. In recent history it’s been common enough within various minority groups, but now it seems to have spread across nearly the entire population. And it’s easy to understand.