Put It On Your Calendar! Fort Morgan Rotary’s 15th Annual Chili & Soup Festival – Saturday, December 6th
Join us on the first Saturday of December at 11am at Glen Miller Park for one of Fort Morgan’s favorite holiday traditions: the 15th Annual Chili & Soup Festival hosted by the Rotary Club of Fort Morgan.
For only $5 per person, enjoy:
A wide variety of delicious chili and soups
Wagon rides for the family
Cookie & ornament decorating stations
Hot chocolate to warm up
Redneck reindeer petting and a ride on the mechanical reindeer
A visit with Santa for the kids!
Chili & Soup Cook-Off
Think your recipe is the best? This is your chance to shine! Enter your chili or soup in our cook-off at no cost. Winners will receive cash prizes or awards, plus the coveted title of Best Chili, Best Soup, or People’s Choice. 📌 Entry Form: Click here to enter
Supporting Our Community
Proceeds from this event help fund Fort Morgan Rotary’s community initiatives, including student recognitions, international exchange programs, and scholarships for youth to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Camp (RMYRLA.org) – a life-changing leadership training program.
Sponsorship Opportunities
This festival wouldn’t be possible without the support of our sponsors. If you’d like to help make this community event a success, please consider becoming a sponsor. 📌 Sponsor Form: Click here to sponsor Or email us at fortmorganrotary@gmail.com
📅 Save the date: Saturday, December 6th, 11am for great food, fun activities, and holiday cheer at the Fort Morgan Rotary Chili & Soup Festival at Glen Miller Park!
Fort Morgan Rotary’s 15th Annual Chili & Soup Festival – Saturday, December 6th
🌺 Fort Morgan Rotary Club Fall Plant Sale – Bring the Tropics to Your Backyard!
Make your garden the envy of the neighborhood with perennial hibiscus—the hardy beauties that thrive in zones 4–9 and flaunt dinner plate-sized blossoms from midsummer to early fall. With regular watering, these stunners return year after year, bursting with color and charm!
Available colors: Deep Pink • Red • Rose
📅 Order by: August 14, 2025 📍 Pick-up: August 18, 2025 at Golden Belt Bank (Lobby)
Single (1) Plant- $15.00 Multiple (2+) plants- $12.50
As a follow up to our meeting back in April on how to get involved in our wonderful Fort Morgan community, we have added a document in our files section on our Home page that lists all of the volunteer opportunities available. Click on Fort Morgan Volunteer Opportunities under Home Page Download Files to see how you can give back to our community!
Remember, Vvolunteering isn’t just about giving—it’s about growing!
Looking for ways to give back to your community? The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan invites you to a special event where you can discover exciting opportunities to serve, connect, and make a difference!
📅 Saturday, April 5th 🕙 10:00 AM 📍 Cover 4 Theatre
🔎 Why Attend?
Meet local organizations, clubs, and churches looking for passionate volunteers like you!
Watch an inspiring internationally acclaimed video about the power of community involvement.
Get a personalized connection to an organization that aligns with your interests.
💡 Did You Know? Volunteering isn’t just about giving—it’s about growing! Helping others boosts emotional well-being, reduces stress, and even improves physical health.
Join us and be the change you want to see in Fort Morgan! 💙
The 2024 Fort Morgan Rotary Chili and Soup Festival wrapped up Saturday with certainly the warmest temperatures we have experienced during this annual event. Numerous attendees from the large crowd were spotted shedding coats and scarves as the temperatures climbed into the 50's by the close of the event. Children were dancing, goats were prancing, families were riding, cookies were decorated, Graham cracker houses were built and decorated, yummy hot chocolate and cider were dispensed, and of course lots of delicious soup and chili was consumed.
This year's judged category winners, judged by our local celebrity judges Kristin Clifford-Basil, Kevin Lindell, Brent Nation, Gordon Westhoff, and Dusty Johnson, will each receive $100. Congratulation to Christine Yung, who was awarded Best Soup, and Zaiden Holguin, who was awarded Best Chili! Our People's Choice winners, who each received the most votes from the tasting public, were Sue Boyett for the most popular soup and Bryan Solensky for the most popular chili. They will receive $75 each. And the winner of the door prize, which all attendees could enter, was Kevin Rhode.
The Fort Morgan Rotary club would like to thank our Category Sponsors Viaero Wireless and McDonald Toyota of Fort Morgan, Executive Chef sponsor City of Fort Morgan, and Sous Chef sponsors FMS Bank, Golden Belt Bank, Kauffman Pest and Week Control, Dayleen Mitchell, and Jeff & Richelle Schauermann. Our Station Chef sponsors were Medialogic Radio, Morgan County Economic Development Corporation, Fort Morgan Community Hospital Association, Cover 4 Theaters, Brush State Bank, and St Elizabeth Hospital. We also thank Kathy Brasby for providing her goats for our Red Neck Reindeer petting zoo, the Morgan County Extension Office for the use of their gates to pen the goats, Pope Farms for the use of their wagon for the rides, and 21st Century Equipment for the use of a tractor to pull the wagon. We gratefully thank our youth volunteers Kids At Their Best and the Morgan County 4-H club youth for helping us with our many activity stations for the children! And of course, we have to thank Don Enninga for volunteering his Santa skills and Viaero Wireless for providing Santa with a comfortable space to meet with all of his young visitors!
Finally, we thank all who attended to support this fun annual event to raise money for the Fort Morgan Rotary Club's community youth initiatives. Be sure to mark the first Saturday of December 2025 on your calendars for next year's event!
That's a wrap! 2024 Chili & Soup Festival warmest on record
Our annual Fort Morgan Rotary Chili and Soup Festival is here! We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow morning starting from 11am - 1pm to enjoy some yummy soup and chili, Santa, red neck reindeer, wagon rides, cookie decorating, ginger bread house building/decorating, and dancing! Tickets are only $5/person and children 10 and under are free!
Many thanks to our Category sponsors Viaero Wireless and McDonald Toyota Fort Morgan, our Executive Chef sponsor City of Fort Morgan Recreation, our Sous Chef sponsors FMS Bank, Golden Belt Bank, Dayleene Jentzen Mitchell, Jeff & Richelle Schauermann, and Kauffman Pest and Weed Control, and our Station Chef sponsors Medialogic Radio, Cover 4 Theaters, Brush State Bank, St Elizabeth Hospital, Fort Morgan Community Hospital Association, and the Morgan County Economic Development Corporation. We're also grateful to Pope Farms and 21st Century Equipment for working together to provide our wagon rides.
Come join us for some wonderful food, friends, and fun!
Even though we're still enjoying a warm October, December is right around the corner and so is our 14th annual Fort Morgan Rotary Chili and Soup Festival on Saturday, December 7th from 11am - 1pm!
This year's festival will be full of good soup and chili and lots of fun activities for the family! Cookie decorating, gingerbread house making, hot chocolate, tractor-pulled wagon rides, and even Santa and his red-neck reindeer. Entertainment will be provided by local groups and of course, lots of good soup and chili. Thanks to our sponsors, we're still able to keep the price of this activity family friendly at only $5/person, with children 9 and under free! Purchase your tickets in advance here.
Are you interested in entering your delicious soup or chili in the festival? You could win up to $200! Click here to enter or learn more.
And of course, if you would like to sponsor this wonderful community tradition, please click here or contact us at fortmorganrotary@gmail.com
Non-green thumbs are no excuse! If you're going to kill your plants - you might as well kill 'em for a good cause!
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club is selling beautiful perennial hibiscus plants to support our community projects. Perennial hibiscus are hardy in zones 4-9. Their large stature and dinner plate sized blossoms make them the talk of your neighborhood from midsummer to early fall as they flaunt their tropical looking blossoms.
The perennial hibiscus plants we are selling are available in White (could be blush white), Deep Pink, and Red. Single one gallon size $15. Buy 2 or more and only pay $12.50 each. Order one of each color! Click here to order before 8/13/24.
Delivery date is slated for 8/19/24. Plants will be delivered to be picked up at the Golden Belt Bank lobby that day. Details will also be sent via email and will be posted on this website and on the Fort Morgan Rotary facebook page.
HOSTING AN EXCHANGE STUDENT IS A CULTURALLY REWARDING EXPERIENCE FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY!
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club is in search of 2024/2025 host families for our exchange student Felipe, a 16-yr old exchange student from Brazil who likes sports, especially soccer, and wants to either go into medicine, technology, or business. Felipe is friendly, adaptable, cheerful, and hard working. Felipe arrives in August and will be attending Fort Morgan High School.
Wouldn’t you like to be a part of sharing Felipe’s hopes and dreams of experiencing life as a student in Colorado?
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
I should have kids of the same age at home to be a good host parent. The most important aspect we look for in a potential host family is a caring, orderly, and open household. If your family has these qualities, then yours may be an awesome host family. Although children at home may benefit greatly when a family hosts, it is not necessary for a successful exchange.
I don’t have time. An exchange student is typically very self-sufficient. You won’t need to treat him or her as a visitor to be entertained. The student becomes a member of your family.
I am a single parent. A single parent may host an exchange student of the same gender. Two parents are not necessary for a successful exchange.
I can’t host a student the whole school year. Rotary exchange students stay with 3 host families for only 3-4 months at a time to make it easier for families to host and to gain different experiences with multiple families.
Exchange students bring a variety of new ideas and views of the world to the host family. They may offer to cook a meal typical of the home country. He or she will observe and learn from the family what it means to be part of an American family. The host family will learn things about a foreign culture that can’t be gotten from the typical two-week vacation abroad.
Find out more about hosting! Visit https://rmrye.org/host-parents/ or contact the Fort Morgan Rotary Club (fortmorganrotary@gmail.com) and we’ll be happy to share more information with you about the Rotary Exchange Program and being a host family!
Cold is in the air, which means it is almost time for the Fort Morgan Rotary Chili and Soup Festival!
This year's family-friendly event will take place Saturday, December 2nd, from 11am to 1pm at Beaver Avenue on the south side of Fort Morgan's Glen Miller Park, corner of Beaver and Main. In addition to our soup and chili food fest, we will have fun activities for the family.
Chili & Soup
Cookie Decorating
Ornament Decorating
Gingerbread House Making
Hot Chocolate Bar
Kids Eating Contests
Dance Presentation on the Main Stage
Christmas Choir Singers on the Main Stage
This promises to be a fun-for-all event, so please help us out by spreading the word, directing your friends and family to our web site or Facebook page to purchase tickets, encouraging them to enter as a contestant, or consider being a sponsor. We've also attached
This year's Chili & Soup categories and prizes will include Green Chili and Professional Chili or Soup, so there will be plenty of choices for your palette.
Grand Prizes for Best Chili, Best Green Chili, Best Professional Chili, and Best Soup ($125 each)
People’s Choice Best Chili ($75)
People’s Choice Best Soup ($75)
Spiciest Chili, Best Presentation + Best Table (gift baskets)
We hope you'll plan to join us! Volunteers are needed, so if you would like to help out, please contact us at fortmorganrotary@gmail.com.
13th Annual Fort Morgan Rotary Chili and Soup Festival!
Please help us get the word out! The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan has been asked to host a female exchange student from Sweden for this coming 2023/24 school year! We are excited about this opportunity even though it doesn't give us much time to prepare. We are in urgent need of identifying 3 host families that are within the Fort Morgan school district (but you don't need to have students attending a Fort Morgan school) to share their home with Emelie for 3-4 months and enjoy this rewarding experience together.
Who can be a host family? Anyone, with or without children at home, that wants to help Rotary exchange students unlock their true potential to: - Develop lifelong leadership skills - Learn a new language and culture - Build lasting friendships with young people from around the world - Become a global citizen
Would you like to be a host family or do you know a family that would enjoy this rewarding experience? If you do, please send us an email at fortmorganrotary@gmail.com to learn more about this great experience!
Non-green thumbs are no excuse! If you're going to kill your plants - you might as well kill 'em for a good cause!
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club is selling beautiful perennial hibiscus plants to support our community projects. Perennial hibiscus are hardy in zones 4-9. Their large stature and dinner plate sized blossoms make them the talk of your neighborhood from midsummer to early fall as they flaunt their tropical looking blossoms.
The perennial hibiscus plants we are selling are available in White (could be blush white), Deep Pink, and Red. Single one gallon size $15. Buy 2 or more and only pay $12.50 each. Order one of each color! Click here to order before 8/13/24.
Delivery date will be determined based on growers notification to our club that the plants are ready. This will be determined in mid to late August with delivery likely before the end of the month. Plants will be delivered to a central pick up location. Details will be sent via email and will be posted on this website and on the Fort Morgan Rotary facebook page.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club's 100 Trees Project, led by club member Loren Boyett, had its first tree planting ceremony this morning. Attended by members of the City staff, public, and Fort Morgan Rotary Club, we officially turned the spade on the first 17 trees that have been planted so far. With the planting of 14 trees at Optimist Park, 1 at Cox Park, and 2 at the Riverside Park city shops, we are well on the way to our 100 tree goal for planted trees in the city of Fort Morgan. The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan is working with other like-minded individuals and organizations in our community to beautify the city and work towards cleaner air through the planting of 100 trees. Rotary, an international service organization, is committed to supporting activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources, advance ecological sustainability, and foster harmony between communities and the environment. If you are interested in helping to support this project, you can donate by clicking here.
Calling all Tree lovers and oxygen breathers – The Fort Morgan Rotary Club NEEDS YOU. We are leading the charge to get 100 trees planted in public spaces throughout the community. Be a partner in this fresh air campaign and give to a legacy project that will provide oxygen, cooling shade, beauty, and vital wildlife habitat in our city for decades to come. Click HERE to sponsor a whole tree for $400 or sponsor just part of a tree for $10 per foot. Every little bit helps!
The 11th Annual Fort Morgan Rotary Chili/Soup Cook-Off December 3rd to benefit Fort Morgan Rotary's community youth programs is just about here!
This year's event on Saturday, December 3rd from 11am-1pm will be at the newly created Beaver Ave space just south of the newly renamed Glen Miller Park at the corner of Main and Beaver Avenue. Come join us by purchasing your tickets online here or the day of the cook-off in person as we taste all of the many chili and soup entries and vote on your favorites! You can even enter into a drawing for a gift basket provided by the Morgan County Tourism Association!
If you'd like to enter your special chili or soup for a chance to win money and gift baskets, it's still not too late! You can enter by clicking here. You could win up to $150 in cash! We'll also be giving away gift baskets provided by the Morgan County Tourism Association for the Most Unique Ingredients, Spiciest Chili or Soup, and Best Presentation!
We especially want to thank our sponsors for their support of our community youth programs!
Title Sponsor:
Viaero Business Solutions - Powered by Juniper Networks
Executive Chef Sponsors:
City of Fort Morgan
McDonald Toyota/Dodge of Fort Morgan
Sous Chef Sponsors:
Dayleen Mitchell - Cornerstone Brokers, LLC
Western Sugar Cooperative
Station Chef Sponsors:
Fort Morgan Community Hospital Association & Foundation
It's Cook-Off Time! The 11th Annual Fort Morgan Rotary Club Chili/Soup Cook-Off will be Saturday, December 3rd from 11am - 1pm at the Glen Miller Park on Beaver Ave and Main. This year we'll offer prizes of up to $150 for the best soup and chili! Come join in the fun as either a contestant or a taster!
For only $5/person you can taste all of the chili or soup entries. Children 9 and under are free. Purchase your tickets the day of the cook-off at the event or online here.
Calling all Cooks! Enter your soup or chili for a chance to win up to $150! We'll have prizes for the Best Judged Chili, the Best Judged Soup, People's Choice Awards for both chili and soup, as well as prizes for the hottest chili & best presentation. Do you have what it takes to win? Contact us at fortmorganrotarycookoff@gmail.com for an entry form or more information.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club is working to make Fort Morgan a more “Bicycle Friendly” community!
A bicycle repair station has been installed at the Brenda Joy Skate Park and the Rotary Club is planning to install two additional stations, one at Riverside Park and another at the Ft. Morgan Field House.
Grant funding from the Rotary District has been secured for one of these stations and funds for the second are being raised by the Rotary Club through a drawing for a brand-new e-bike, a $2,800 value.
The drawing for this e-bike will take place at the Thursday Night Concert in the Park, August 11th. You do not have to be present to win.
Tickets are available at the Rotary table at the weekly Thursday night concerts, by scanning the QR code below, or at https://fortmorganrotaryclub.square.site/. You will receive one entry into the drawing with a $10 donation, three entries into the drawing for $25, or six entries for $50.
Help the Fort Morgan Rotary Club make our community more bicycle-friendly by providing bicycle repair stations for the public.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of this project:
McDonald Chrysler/ Dodge/ Jeep/ Ram/ Toyota of Ft. Morgan, Viaero, 21st Century Equipment, Bicycle Adventure, Bank of Colorado, Brush State Bank, Golden Belt Bank, Colorado Cold Correct, and the Cover4 Theater.
Fort Morgan Rotary Works To Make Community More Bicycle Friendly
The results are in and this year's 10th annual Fort Morgan Rotary Club Chili/Soup Cook-Off was a chilly success and delightful for all who attended! Congratulations to Gaige Stroh, whose Squash Vibes soup won Grand Prize and $100 cash prize! Dayleen Mitchell and Carol Johnson both won People's Choice awards for their soup and chili and each will receive $75 cash prize. This year's Grand Prize judges were Rotary District 5450 Governor Ray Anderson, Fort Morgan Chamber of Commerce Director Andrew Stieb, and Morgan County Economic Development Director Kristen Clifford-Basil.
Our sincerest thanks to our sponsors of this year's cook-off for making this year's event a success.
Executive Chef-level Sponsors:
Viaero Wireless
City of Fort Morgan
McDonalds Toyota of Fort Morgan
Insurance Connection
Sous Chef-level Sponsors
Bank of Colorado
Dayleen Mitchell of Cornerstone Brokers Realty, LLC
It's a 10th anniversary! This year's annual Fort Morgan Rotary Soup and Chili cook-off marks 10 years of prize-winning soups and chilis from members of our community. We invite you to join us on Saturday, December 18th, from 11am - 1pm at the Fort Morgan Library Park and Beaver street for this year's tasty cook-off! We're holding the price steady at only $5/person, while children 9 and under eat free. Come join us for the festivities at the Christmas Capital of the Plains! If you're interested in being one of our sponsors or you'd like to enter your soup or chili in the cook-off, please contact us at fortmorganrotarycookoff@gmail.com for more information.
Today the Rotary Club heard from Zach Schwindt of Origin Vanilla (www.originvanilla.com), a local businessman who is working with smallholder vanilla bean farmers around the world to give them greater access to markets. Origin vanilla can be purchased on their website or here locally at The Flower Petaler. We enjoyed Zach's story of how his company started and his plans for the future. Best of luck, Zach!
Today for Rotary we found out more about the meals delivery program for seniors in our area. Over 3K meals are delivered every month by volunteers. Our club delivers meals every Friday. Towards the end of the meeting we put together gift bags organized by our very own Carol Johnson to deliver to our seniors on the Friday before Christmas. Many thanks to all of our club volunteers and to the many other community volunteers that help to make Fort Morgan's Meet and Eat program a success!
Congratulations to Matheus Cofferri for making it through a year at Fort Morgan High School as a Senior! He had some experiences he didn't plan on, what with COVID-19 and all, but he stuck with it and was able to participate in one of the more unique graduations our exchange students will see.
The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan officially welcomed several new members to its ranks in its regular Tuesday lunch meetings in February and March. Inducted into the club were Sarah Crosthwaite (City of Fort MOrgan), Jeff Morford (FMS Bank), Kyle Bernhardt (Edward Jones), Jerry Olson (21st Century Equipment), Chaundra Jacobs (United Way), Jody Strouse (SHARE), and Loren Boyett (Fort Morgan Hospital Association). Welcome to our newest members and we look forward to getting to know you better! Click on the story link to see more pictures.
It was a great day for chili, soup, ice carving, and ice skating in Fort Morgan on Saturday the 14th! We had a great turnout and lots of chili and soup to help keep folks warm inside, even if it was cold outside.
Money raised from this event goes to support the Rotary Club of Fort Morgan's youth programs that recognize and strengthen youth in our community, including the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, a scholarship given to middle school and high school youth that allows them to attend a youth leadership development camp in the summer. In addition, the club recognizes a student each month from the high school and middle school as the club's students of the month and invites them to have lunch with the club, meet community leaders, and practice their public speaking skills by reporting on school events each week. The Rotary club is also hosting an exchange student this year from Brazil, Matheus Cofferri, who is learning about our community and culture while sharing details about his.
The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan wants to thank our sponsors, without whose help this event would not have been possible.
We want to thank County Commissioner Mark Arndt, County Sheriff David Martin, and the Fort Morgan Rotary Club exchange student from Brazil, Matheus Cofferri, for taking time out of their day to taste all of the dishes and come to a consensus on their favorite. Congratulations to our Grand Prize winner, Dayleen Mitchell, who was voted by our esteemed judges to be the best tasting dish overall!
For only $5, the public was able to taste all of the chili and soup entries and also cast a vote for their favorite dish. After the votes were tallied up at the end, the taster's award for Best Soup went to Carol Johnson and the award for Best Chili went to Loren Boyett.
It's almost time again for our annual soup and chili cook-off! We would love to have you participate, either as a cook or a sponsor!
This year's event will be Saturday, December 14th, from 11am-1pm at the Fort Morgan Library Park.
Please help us spread the word. In addition to sampling all of the chili and soup for only $5 per person (9 and under free), you can enjoy the skating rink, ice sculpting, and a free movie for the kids! All on the same day!
Fort Morgan is the place to be on the 14th! Come join us.
Want more information? Contact us at webmaster@fortmorganrotaryclub.org.
We thank our sponsors for sponsoring this event and thus sponsoring our youth programs for 2020.
We are excited to announce our 2019/2020 exchange student from Brazil, Matheus Cofferri!
Matheus hails from Curitiba, a city in the southern part of Brazil near the coast. Though he lives in a big city now, he grew up in a much more rural setting where his father works for a dairy products company, which means he'll be right at home here in Fort Morgan.
Though you may not visit Brazil in your lifetime, the next best thing is to have someone from Brazil live in your home! You can be a host family to Matheus and share your culture and traditions with him while he shares the culture and traditions of Brazil with you! If you'd like more information about hosting an exchange student, please visit http://www.rmrye.org or send us an email at webmaster@fortmorganrotaryclub.org.
Rotary Club of Fort Morgan's Greg Wagers presenting a contribution of $800 to Susana Guardado, Executive Director of One Morgan County and fiscal manager for the Fort Morgan Growing Readers program. The goal of this initiative is to provide 100 paperback books to every 4 year old in Fort Morgan to help jump-start their literacy education. For more information regarding the Ft. Morgan Growing Readers program please go to their website:
The Rotary Clubs of Fort Morgan and Brush recently got together at Morgan Lanes for some fun lunch time bowling, pizza, and Christmas singing provided by students from the Fort Morgan High School. Though there were lots of strikes and spares, no turkeys were to be seen.
The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan’s 7th Annual Chili/Soup Cook Off enjoyed warm temperatures, warm bowls, and warm hearts from all of the community support this past Saturday.
An appreciative crowd of official taste testers donated $5 each to be able to sample the varieties of chili and soup available. Christine Yung’s cocoa-infused chili was the official judged winner and the people’s choice winners were Cody Millar and Neil White for best chili and Robin Northrup for best soup. The public also enjoyed John and Jaton Edge's Chili Verde with pork.
James Hochanadel was a regular attender at Rotary meetings in November as the Senior wheel of the month. Parents, Lance and Carolyn, should be proud of this outstanding young man.
Lydia Echols, daughter of Ryan and Sarah Echols, was chosen to be the Junior Rotary wheel for November. This 8th grader has a lot going for her, starting with a 4.0 GPA!
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club recently had the wonderful opportunity to hear back from the students it sponsored to attend this summer's RYLA leadership camp. This year, due to the generosity of community members and businesses who supported our fund raising efforts, we were able to send 5 local youth to participate in the fun activities and receive training.
"RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is a life-changing leadership training program for young men and women where leadership skills and principles are learned, developed and enhanced in an atmosphere of trust and respect. The purpose of RYLA is to encourage and assist current and potential youth leaders in methods of responsible and effective leadership. Many past RYLArians have said, "It was the best week of my life!" "
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club's 2018 7th Annual Chili/Soup Cook-Off is almost here!
Join us Saturday, December 8th, from 11am to 1pm at the corner of Beaver and Main next to the Snow Maze to sample some great soup and chili. Money raised supports scholarships for our community youth to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (rmryla.org), a life-changing leadership training program for middle and high school youth where leadership skills and principles are learned, developed, and enhanced. Last year monies raised helped send 5 students to RYLA!
This year's soup or chili entry judged by our distinguished panel of gastronomy experts to be the best will win $100! People's choice winners for the best soup and best chili will each win $75. If you think you have the soup or chili entry to win the prize money, contact Wayne Johnson (9707683350) or Doug Crandall (9704677763) for questions or to reserve your entry spot!
The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan was once again recognized by the Northeast Colorado Area Agency on Aging with a certificate of appreciation for the club member volunteers who show up every week to deliver meals.
Simon Graff was selected as the Senior Rotary wheel for October. Parent’s James and Letty should be proud of this wonderful young man. He is 2nd in his class and plans to attend college to get an MBA and be an actuary.
Jonathan Acosta-Soto was selected as the Junior Rotary wheel for October. His parents are Rosalba and Orlin Acosta. This 8th grader has a 3.98 GPA and has goals to get straight A’s in high school, be a valedictorian and go to CSU for a degree in meteorology to be a storm specialist.
The 6th annual Fort Morgan Rotary chili/soup cook-off was a great success and we had a great turnout from the community sampling over 20+ soup and chili entries.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club's 6th Annual Chili/Soup cook-off is this Saturday, December 2nd, at 11am. Come join the fun and judge for yourself the best chili and soup entries. And get a yummy cinnamon roll to go with it!
Allie Weingarten joined the rotary meetings in October as the chosen High school student of the month. Her parents, Ed and Connie Weingarten, should be very proud of this delightful young woman.
Junior Rotary Wheel for December was Jackson Langford, son of Josh and Shelli Langford. Jackson has a 4.0 GPA in eighth grade so far and is a principal’s award recipient.
Senior Wheel for December was Faith Shaver, daughter of Mark and Angela Shaver. She is a member of Harvest Valley Christian Church and plans on attending the University of North Florida to major in marine biology.
January Rotary Junior student of the month was Dylan Youngs, son of Joshua and Stephanie Youngs. His long-term goals include attending college with possible careers of becoming a surgeon, mechanical engineer or a psychologist.
The Rotary Club Senior wheel of the month for January was Heather Hoffman, daughter of Mathew and Kristy Hoffman. Heather’s career goal is to major in metallurgical engineering and she hope to spend time traveling.
Mady Garcia, daughter of Dawn Garcia is the Junior Rotary wheel for February. Mady likes to be involved and has participated in the science fair, orchestra, NJHS, SADD and she volunteers at the workforce center.
Ivan Barrios is the senior Rotary student for February. He has participated in the high school student government, homecoming carnival and school improvement projects such as remodeling the high school's Wall of Fame.
The fifth annual Fort Morgan Rotary Chili Cook-Off results are in!
For the second year in a row, Jason Meyers, currently serving as the President of the Fort Morgan Rotary Club, had the most favored chili, as voted by 50+ public tasters/judges. John and Belinda Pickens came in 2nd place and Amy Green came in 3rd.
This Saturday, December 3rd, is the Fort Morgan Rotary Club's annual Chili Cook-Off in conjunction with the Christmas Capital of the Plains.
Stores on Main Street between Beaver and Kiowa will be hosting the chili cooks at stations set up in their stores. These locations are The Flower Petaler, Unique Embroidery, Business Mart, Rent A Center, Browns Shoes, The Oak Tree, and JC Pennys.
The public can come by between 11-1 to taste the chili and vote for their favorite chili, the spiciest chili, and the chili with the best presentation!
Tickets are $5 per person and allow the holder to taste all of the chili entries. So come support the Rotary club, shop our local stores, and get some great chili!
Annual Rotary Chili Cook-Off Saturday, December 3rd
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club gladly participated in this year's Christmas Capital of the Plains events, including the decorating of Christmas trees in Riverside Park. We did such a good job, somebody decided they had to have it.
Club president Jason Meyers, his wife Brittany, Doug Crandall, and his wife Shelli came to the park Saturday morning in the freezing cold (if we'd waited a couple of hours it would have been much nicer) to decorate the tree with blue LED lights and gold tinsel and ornaments in the theme of Rotary's colors. We did a pretty good job, wouldn't you agree?
Tessa Frasco was selected to be the November Rotary student of the month. Parents, Linda and Jason, should be very proud of this 8th grader who has a 4.0 GPA.
The Fort Morgan Rotary club welcomes 8th grader Beto Martinez to Rotary meetings in September. Parent, Lisa Mares, should be proud of her son’s accomplishments and ambitions.
Marisol Lopez has been selected by Fort Morgan High School staff as January's Senior Rotary Wheel of the Month student. The Senior Rotary wheel is Marisol Lopez, daughter of Maria Garcia and Antonio Lopez.
Lauren Keller was the Rotary Junior Wheel of the month in January. Parents, Dave and Michele should be proud of the 8th graders accomplishments so far!
Antonia and Fernando should be very proud of their daughter Chrystal’s accomplishments, which recently include being selected the Rotary Senior Wheel of the month.
Members of the Rotary Club of Fort Morgan welcomed Charlene Holzworth as the 2015/2016 club president and thanked outgoing 2014/2015 club president Connie Weingarten for her year of service.
The Third Annual Fort Morgan Rotary Club Chili Cook-off benefited from warmer weather and Santa's Workshop crowds and saw a much larger crowd than last year, when the temperature was in the single digits.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club is hosting a fundraise during the Fort Morgan Chamber Christmas Parade. We will be hosting a full service gourmet hot chocolate bar, with warm cookies and cinnamon rolls for sale. We will also be selling glow/light up items for children.
The ducks were flying, or dropping depending on your perspective, on a beautiful Fall Saturday out at the Fort Morgan airport as Rotarians and hopeful duck sponsors gathered to see the annual dropping of the ducks.
Fort Morgan Middle School eight grader Manuel Vieyra has been selected as the March Rotary Junior Wheel. Manuel is the son of Jesus and Gloria Vieyra. He has a grade point average of 3.6. Manuel hopes to attend University of Colorado to study business and law. He would like to become a lawyer someday.
Kendra Quick has participated in sports the last three years of high school. Kendra has volunteered for vacation bible school in Guernsey, Wyoming at the Presbyterian Church, at the Head-start program, as well as wrapping and distributing Christmas presents for Schneider Energy Angels. Kendra is currently student teaching at Green Acres Elementary School every afternoon. She has also been a member of many different clubs throughout high school.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Roundballers, consisting of local players and celebrities and sponsored by local Morgan County businesses, will take on the world-renowned Harlem Ambassadors at 7pm on Monday, March 17th, at the Fort Morgan High School gymn. Be sure to join us for this entertaining event the whole family can enjoy!
Fort Morgan Middle School eight grader Ailine Bonilla Nevarez has been selected as the February Rotary Junior Wheel. Ailine is the daughter of Laura Nevarez.
Samantha Scott, daughter of Melissa and C.W. Scott, has been selected as February's Fort Morgan High School Rotary Wheel of the Month. Samantha is ranked 10th in her class and is planning on attending Kansas State University, where she will major in Architecture.
Fort Morgan High School faculty representatives have selected Celia Ruedas as the Rotary Wheel Student of the Month for January. She is ranked 6th out of 192 seniors at Fort Morgan High School. Celia plans to attend the University of California to study Architecture. After receiving her degree, she would like to work abroad in Asia through Aecom or Gensler.
Fort Morgan Middle School eight grader Tyler Christiansen has been selected as the January Rotary Junior Wheel. It is Tyler’s goals to carry a 4.0 average this year, to get Advanced on all of his TCAP tests, and to get an academic scholarship for college. Tyler aspires to be a veterinarian locally for small or large animals. An alternate profession would be marine biologist.
Bailey is the daughter of Eugene and Laura Baltazar. She is ranked 12th out of 190 seniors at Fort Morgan High School. Bailey has a 4.03 GPA and she has been on the Alpha Honor Roll. She is a member of MESA, National Honor Society and Talent Search.
Fort Morgan Middle School eight grader Vanessa Loera has been selected as the December Rotary Junior Wheel. Vanessa is the daughter of Maria and Fransisco Loera.
Welcome to our newest Rotarians! Brenda Escamilla of Edward Jones, Steve Neel, and Mary Avalos of FMS Bank. Here Brenda, Steve, and Mary listen as Greg Wagers, club president, Kate Jilek, club secretary, Sharon Kauffman, and Rose Anderson, club treasurer, induct them into the club.
We look forward to working with you in serving our community!
Doug Crandall of the Rotary Club of Fort Morgan presented Caring Ministries' Debora Beck-Massey with a check for $340, proceeds from the club's Chilly Chili Cook Off held Saturday, December 7th, and 4 $25 Safeway Gift Cards, donated by Safeway Stores. Rotarian Jeff Wells was voted Best Chili for the second year in a row and won $75 in Safeway Gift Cards. Somebody's going to have to take away those bragging rights next year.
In conjunction with the Fort Morgan Christmas On The Plains festivities, the Fort Morgan Rotary Club will host its second annual Fort Morgan Chili Fest this Saturday, December 7th, from 11am to 1pm at various downtown business locations. Tickets to sample and vote on your favorite chili or just eat a bowl are $5/person and can be purchased at any of the downtown chili stations or the downtown park or Chamber offices.
Tori is ranked 1st in the senior class at Fort Morgan High School. She is a member of National Honor Society, International Club, MESA, and Knowledge Bowl. Tori is the President of FMHS National Honor Society. She has been on the honor roll for 3 years and has received an academic letter and music letter.
Fort Morgan Middle School eighth grader Kyla Carpenter has been selected as the November Rotary Junior Wheel. Kyla is the daughter of Kirk and Shauna Carpenter.
Rotarians and friends gathered at the Fort Morgan Airport on Saturday, October 19th, to witness the annual Duck Drop. The weather was perfect and the ducks fell true. Five winners were announced and will be awarded their prize money at an upcoming Tuesday lunch meeting.
Because of high winds forecasted at the Fort Morgan airport for October 5th, this year's duck drop has been postponed to the 19th of October. If you have not yet purchased your ducks, please contact a Fort Morgan or Brush Rotarian for your opportunity to win 15% of all the money raised. Ducks can be sponsored for 1/$6 or 4/$20.
Morgan County Rotarians Postpone This Year's Duck Drop to Oct. 19th
This year's Rotary Duck Drop is the 19th of October, which should be bright and sunny. If you have not yet purchased your ducks, please contact a Fort Morgan or Brush Rotarian for your opportunity to win 15% of all the money raised. Ducks can be sponsored for 1/$6 or 4/$20.
Kaylee is the daughter of Shelly and Warren Dermer. She is ranked 15th out of 190 seniors at Fort Morgan High School. Kaylee has been on the honor roll all 3 completed years at FMHS. She is a member of the National Honor Society. She has received Academic All State, All conference, and Colorado 7 League Champion in Track and Field. Kaylee is a member of International Club, FCS, Student Senate, and Freshman Connection.
Fort Morgan Middle School eighth grader William Amaya has been chosen as the October Rotary Junior Wheel. He is the son of Ana Reyes and William Amaya.
Fort Morgan Middle School eighth grader Darian Prevost was selected as the May Junior Rotary Wheel of the Month. Darian is the daughter of Tommy and Kim Vinesett.
Fort Morgan High School senior Alexandra Schneider was selected as the May Senior Rotary Wheel of the Month. She is the daughter of Cindy and Jeff Schneider.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club recently donated money to purchase 10 school desks for the Gumriak Orphanage and Community School in Pariang, South Sudan. Each desk seats two pupils and are built locally with supplies acquired locally. Peter and Jean Firmin accepted the check on behalf of the Sudan American Orphaned Rehabilitation Organization, or SAORO, which was set up as a non-profit organization by James Manyror, a resident of Fort Morgan and native of Pariang and the founder of SAORO.
Through an opportunity funded by the Rotary International Foundation, four doctors and a retired pharmacist from China are visiting Colorado for a month. They were hosted by the Brush and Fort Morgan Rotary Clubs April 9-11, 2013. This program is known as Group Study Exchange (GSE) and a group from Colorado will be going over to China for their own experiences soon. The team leader is always a Rotarian, but the rest of the team are non-Rotarian professionals that have applied and been nominated for this cultural and vocational exchange.
The Rotary Club of Fort Morgan service theme for the month of March had to do with something green. Rotarians were encouraged to bring printer cartridges or other items that could be recycled. They were also asked to look through their drawers to find any used eye glasses that could be donated to the Fort Morgan Lion's Club at their joint meeting in early April to honor the Fort Morgan High School National Honor Society members.
Officer Roger Doll, Community Resource Officer of the Fort Morgan Police Department, spoke to the Rotary Club of Fort Morgan about staying safe in an unsafe world and the club wrapped up its Warm their Hearts food drive for February. Rotarians brought boxed food and toiletries to each meeting during the month of February to be donated to Caring Ministries in Fort Morgan.
Fort Morgan Middle School eighth grader Kennedy Escobedo has been chosen as the February Rotary Junior Wheel. He is the son of Raul and Elvira Botello.
Fort Morgan High School senior Ben Creighton was selected as the January Senior Rotary Wheel of the Month. He is the son of Alec and Christie Creighton.
Rotary Foundation does a lot of good throughout the world and Rotarians are hard at work throughout our world and right here in our community. Watch this video clip to see what Rotary Foundation does.
The Rotary Club honored this year's top 4-H Record Book winners. Winners were selected based on the neatness and professionalism of their record books, including presentaion (typed or handwritten), organization, photos, thoroughness of documentation or records, whether they followed all of the directions and whether they answered all of the questions. There were many good project record books, but in the end, the winners rose to the top based on the criterion used.
The Fort Morgan Rotary Club is holding a chili cook-off on the 24th of November in downtown Fort Morgan in conjunction with The Christmas Capital of the Plains events from 11am - 1pm. Proceeds from the event will benefit Hurricane Sandy victims and Caring Ministries.
Fort Morgan Middle School eighth grader Kinsey Brashears was selected as the November Junior Rotary Wheel of the Month. Kinsey is the daughter of Brad and Lori Brashears.
Fort Morgan High School senior Dusty Johnson was selected as the November Senior Rotary Wheel of the Month. Dusty is the daughter of Christine Johnson.
Ian Wingstrom is the Student Government Vice President as well as a member of the National Honor Society, Science Club, luLac, Student Counsel, Freshman Connection, and Mile High and Prairie Rattlers.
Fort Morgan Middle School eighth grader Hallie Wickham was selected as the October Junior Rotary Wheel of the Month. Hallie is the daughter of Jason and Carrie Wickham.
Maranda Miller from Rural Solutions presented today’s program on mantherapy.org, a site dedicated to reducing suicides among men ages 25-54 by showing men that talking about their problems, getting help, and fixing themselves is masculine.
It was a blustery day but that did nothing to diminish the enthusiasm of those gathered to watch the 8th annual Rotary Clubs of Morgan County Duck Drop at the Fort Morgan Municipal Airport, even though they had to wait two weeks for the right weather!
James Manyror, founder of the Sudanese American Orphaned Rehabilitation Organization, spoke to the club about his life as a former Lost Boy of Sudan and his work to help the children of his native village Pariang in South Sudan.
Fort Morgan Rotary Club is now selling Duck Drop certificates for the 2012 Duck Drop on October 6th. This year's fund raiser will help the Fort Morgan Rotary Club support several local and international charities, including Blessings in a Backpack and Caring Ministries.
Petricia Urias, an eighth grade student at Fort Morgan Middle School, has been chosen as the Junior Rotary Wheel for the month of March. Over the last several school years, she has received the Student of the Month Award, Straight A's Achievement Award, Academic Award and a Perfect Attendance Certificate. Her school activities include being on the yearbook staff and participating in basketball and volleyball.
Fort Morgan Middle School eighth grader McKinley Thompson has been chosen as the December Rotary Junior Wheel. McKinley is the daughter of Tamara and Shaun Thompson.
Duck Drop postponed to the 20th because of weather.
The annual Rotary Duck Drop is the main fundraiser for the Fort Morgan and Brush Rotary Clubs, which have supported projects benefiting Morgan County for over 75 years.
Frank Rosales, an eighth grade student at Fort Morgan Middle school, was chosen as the April Junior Wheel of the Month.
He has received the Team Player Award and was a second place finisher at the league wrestling meet. He participates in Gear Up, track, basketball, weight lifting and his favorite sport of wrestling.
Outside of school, he is a member of the Rattlers Wrestling Club.
Brooke Wiederspan, daughter of Troy and Laura Wiederspan and MJ and Rod Rhoades, was selected as the April Senior Wheel.
She has earned Academic All-State honors and has lettered in both softball and basketball. She was honored by being selected as Queen of the Winterfest Dance. Besides participating in softball and basketball, she has been manager for the baseball team and is a member of band and full orchestra. She also participated with other student athletes delivering packages to Hillcrest residents.
Brooke is active outside of school as well. She attends the Christ Congregational Church where she teaches Sunday school and Bible school. In addition, she is employed ar Cable's Italian Grill.
Following graduation, Brooke plans to attend Colorado State University and major in sports medicine.
Fort Morgan High School Senior Raquel Marquez has been selected as the Rotary Senior Wheel for March. She is the daughter of Maria and Angel Marquez.
Raquel is on the honor roll and is a member of National Honor Society, Drama Club, Mustang Buddies, G.A.L.S. and Morgan High Singers. She also serves as Editor in Chief of Broadcast Journalism. She has participated in the fall musicals, was a Girls State delegate and is a Morgan Community College Student Ambassador.
Following graduation, Raquel plans to attend Metropolitan State College in Denver and major in Criminology/Criminal Justice.
Applications are now being accepted for Rocky Mountain Rotary Youth Leaders Award for Sophmores & Juniors & Junior RYLA for 7th Graders - an all-expense-paid leadership opportunity of a lifetime for Fort Morgan students!
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Fort Morgan Middle Schoool student Conner Shaver has been selected as the Junior Wheel of the Month for May.
Macy Schocke, daughter of Doug Schocke, is the Senior Wheel of the Month for May.
Petricia Urias, an eighth grade student at Fort Morgan Middle School, has been chosen as the Junior Rotary Wheel for the month of March. Over the last several school years, she has received the Student of the Month Award, Straight A's Achievement Award, Academic Award and a Perfect Attendance Certificate. Her school activities include being on the yearbook staff and participating in basketball and volleyball.
Frank Rosales, an eighth grade student at Fort Morgan Middle school, was chosen as the April Junior Wheel of the Month.
Brooke Wiederspan, daughter of Troy and Laura Wiederspan and MJ and Rod Rhoades, was selected as the April Senior Wheel.
Fort Morgan High School Senior Raquel Marquez has been selected as the Rotary Senior Wheel for March. She is the daughter of Maria and Angel Marquez.
