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S’mass Town Briefs: Sky Mountain Park trail closures; fire station honored for design; annual food drive and Thanksgiving potluck

Staff report
A photo of the Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Station 45 in Snowmass Village.
Dallas & Harris Photography

Sky Mountain Park trails near Snowmass to close for elk hunt

For five days starting Wednesday, four Sky Mountain Park trails will close for the fourth rifle season while an elk hunt occurs on a portion of the park.

The hunt, which five people were chosen for last spring through a lottery and is limited to cow elk, takes place every year on about 1,200 acres between Snowmass Village and Highway 82 in the heart of Sky Mountain Park, according to a Pitkin County news release.



The management plan for the park made a provision for limited hunting to assist Colorado Parks and Wildlife in managing the area’s resident elk herd.

This year’s elk hunt will occur Wednesday through the Sunday, and the Cozyline, Airline, Skyline Ridge and Ditchline trails will be closed to the public as a result for safety reasons, the news release said. Highline, Lowline, Viewline and the downhill-only Deadline Trail will remain open.




The news release also noted that most of Sky Mountain Park closes to all public starting Dec. 1 to protect wintering wildlife. The park reopens May 16.

RFFR station in Snowmass receives honor for design

The Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Station 45 in Snowmass earned the highest level of distinction by Firehouse magazine Station Design Awards, according to a new release.

This year, the Snowmass station, designed by Charles Cunniffe Architects, was given the top “Career 1 Gold” distinction out of 54 entries from 44 architecture firms across the U.S. and Canada.

Firms paid over $1,400 to participate in the competition, according to the Firehouse website.

The purpose of the Station Design Awards is to educate Firehouse, a fire rescue news magazine, readers on trends and innovations in new public safety facilities across North America, the magazine website says.

November LIFT-UP food drive

For the month of November, the town of Snowmass Village and LIFT-UP, a local area nonprofit dedicated to helping people survive hardship, are collaborating to host a food drive for families in need.

Donations can be dropped off at Snowmass Town Hall, Snowmass Recreation Center, Snowmass Housing Office or the Snowmass Transportation Office, according to LIFT-UP.

A news release stated that canned stews and chili are the featured food items for November, but that dried foods (like beans, nuts, rice, pasta, macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, cereal), canned foods (like tuna, chicken, fruit, veggies) and other items (like jellies, peanut butter, sugar, flour and even grocery gift cards) also are accepted.

For more information, contact 970-922-2272.

John Bemis community potluck Thanksgiving on Nov. 24

On Nov. 24, the Sunday before Thanksgiving, the Westin Snowmass Conference Center will host the annual John Bemis Community Potluck Dinner, according to a town news release.

As tradition holds, the dinner’s turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and stuffing will be provided, but attendees are asked to prepare side dishes dependent on the letter their last name begins with:

• A through H: Bring a salad

• I through P: Bring a side dish

• Q through Z: Bring a dessert

Potluck dishes will be submitted into “Best in Category” competitions, with the winners taking home $50 if dropped off to the conference center by 5:30 p.m. Nov. 24, according to the town. If locals do not wish to be entered in the contest, they can just add their dish to the buffet line.

The potluck Thanksgiving welcome and blessing will begin at 6:15 p.m., and the buffet begins at 6:30 p.m.

Community sponsors include Snowmass Village Rotary, Snowmass Chapel, Town of Snowmass Village, Westin Snowmass, Alpine Bank, East West Partners, Romero Group and Eastwood Investments.