Colorado Farm to Table Volunteer Day
On Friday, September 4th, 2026 several Salida Sunrise Rotary members picked broccoli, cabbage and pie pumpkins for give away to the Grainery, a nonprofit food pantry in Salida.
Outdoor Shelter for Food Distribution in Buena Vista
On Wednesday August 19, 2026 five members of Salida Sunrise Rotary built a an outdoor shelter for free food distribution just off Main Street in Buena Vista. The project is sponsored by Guidestone, a local nonprofit that provides free food for the needy. We enclosed Guidestone's refrigerator and built shelves for non-perishable food items. Participating in this service project were Gary Olson, Chuck Washer, Mike Close, John Vandewalle and Dave Krieves.
2026 Lucky Ducky Race and Community Celebration
2026 Lucky Ducky Race Results!
On Sunday, August 23, 2026 at Riverside Park, ducks raced down the Arkansas River to cheering spectators. The rain poured down but the ducks did not mind one bit. Sponsored ducks competed to be able to give away a college scholarship to deserving local students. Citizen's races were a chance for anyone to get in on the action. Local nonprofits did giveaways and fun activities for the kids. The Salida Circus did a wonderful performance.
The sponsors of the top 3 ducks in each category will each have a scholarship granted in their choice of name during the next school year:
Platinum top three: $2,000
Gold top three: $1,500
Silver top three: $1,000
Platinum Winners: 1. HRRMC OR Staff 2. Xcel Energy 3. Commissioner PT Wood
Gold Winners: 1. NAVSYS Corporation 2. Monarch Spur RV Park 3. Chaffee County Printing Center
Silver Winners: 1. Moonlight Goldens 2. Rick Pautz 3. Kathy Freyschlag
Best Decorated Platinum Duck: 1. Commissioner PT Wood 2. KW Restoration and Construction 3. Hippie Radio
A big thank you to our emcee, Dan R, from Hippie Radio!
Thank you to all of our sponsors:
2026 Platinum sponsors: Ascent Eye Care, Banyan Breads, Brad's Alignment and Offroad, Brady's West Garden Center, Brew and Bloom, Colorado Mountain Solar, Commissioner P.T. Wood, Heart of the Rockies Radio, HHSB Family Fund, High Country Bank, HRRMC Operating Room Staff, Kate Woolman State Farm Insurance, Dave, Katie and Cora Krieves, KW Construction, Carol and Jim Melzer, Julie Mordecai, Mountain Mail, Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort, Harry and Deb Payton, Peak to Peak Pickleball Club, Carmon and Andrew Popler, Cecil Rhodes, Signature Estate and Investment Advisors, Xcel Energy. Also special thanks to Larry Moskow and Don Dubin for their generous donations!
2026 Gold sponsors: Altamont Landscaping, Chaffee Printing Center, Chaffee Tire and Wheel, Mike and Jan Close, Cheryl Faust (2 gold sponsorships), Collegiate Peaks Bank, Herks Werks, High Country Home Inspectors, Mandala Financial Advisors, Mo Burrito, Monarch Spur RV Park, Napa Auto Parts of Salida, NAVSYS Corporation, Laura Pomerenke and Ed Colt, Principle Law, Red Tail Ventures, Melinda and Jim Robertson, Robin's Restaurant, Jan Schmidt and David Evans, Michelle Smith, Stotler and Young PC, Charles and Denise Washer, Waste Management of Salida, World Literature Book Club.
2026 Silver sponsors: Absolute Bikes, Badfish, The Boathouse, Chill Salida, Currents Steak and Seafood, Oren Dreeben and Melodee Kennington, Janet Franz and David Moore, Kathy Freyschlag, Grund Investment Group, Chris and Marcia Hazlitt, Jeanne and Randy Herrick-Stare, Kaleidoscope Toys, Becky and Scott Leonard, Lund Eye Care Associates, Jerry and Debbie McCabe, Moonlight Goldens LLC, Morning Sage Wellness, Mountain Valley Transit, Gary and Debby Olson, Rick Pautz, Julie Richardson, Bill and Susan Roser, Rupp Worldwide, Salida Ace Hardware, Vital Living.
See you at next year's race!
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
2025 Year in Review!
2025 was another great year for Chaffee County’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program!
In late February, we celebrated 10 years of the Chaffee County program with fun Storytime celebrations at both the Salida Regional Library and the Buena Vista Public Library.
An exciting update to the program occurred in early June when families in Colorado could now choose whether to receive mostly English books with the occasional bilingual English/Spanish book - or - ALL bilingual English/Spanish books. This was an option many families across our state desired.
In August, the results of a rigorous independent evaluation about Imagination Library from the Colorado Evaluation & Action Lab were published. Salida School District was one of four Colorado school districts to participate in the study. This study found that Imagination Library is helping prepare children for kindergarten by significantly improving early literacy skills. As Jack Tate, President and CEO of Imagination Library Colorado, stated, “This study confirms what we’ve long believed: the Imagination Library is helping kids arrive at school ready to read and succeed.” More information about this study is available at: https://www.imaginationlibrarycolorado.org/_files/ugd/2844ce_6d1cab1f32de47b69284ebfda5a10652.pdf
Service Above Self
Salida, CO 81201
United States of America