EVERGREEN, Colo. — While Mother Nature may bring people to this mountain town, those who call Evergreen home see and feel the beauty inside the community every day. Denver7 | Your Voice took the trip to visit the historic downtown, capture the beauty of Lake Evergreen, and listen to locals.
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Making the drive up, it is easy to see the picturesque views of Evergreen Lake and the charm in the heart of downtown. Tara Emch with the Evergreen Area Chamber of Commerce reflected on the beauty of the area, along with the small businesses that have turned into staples.
"It really is a hidden gem. People think it's so far away from Denver, and it's only 40 miles, and there's just a strong sense of community here," Emch said.
Emch has lived in the area for almost 20 years, but she vividly remembers first seeing the lake around the holiday time with people getting their Christmas trees and drinking hot cocoa, and thinking it was "right out of a Norman Rockwell painting."
However, no matter the season, Evergreen Lake brings in an audience, whether it's runners and fishers in the warmer months or how it transforms into an arctic playground for hockey players and polar plungers enjoying the ice.
Cory Vander Veen, executive director of Evergreen Park and Recreation District (EPRD), explained that they provide programs to help "elevate people's lives every day" and provide facilities for people to enjoy.
"I do what I love every day, and I get to enjoy the best job with the best team and the best community," Vander Veen said. "And so, that's what I love about the community and see my kids enjoy and seeing people out on the fields or out on the trail and just enjoying what they're doing and having those big smiles."
A similar sentiment was shared by Pandora Erlandson, who has lived in Evergreen for about 14 years. Before the interview, she shared that she was out enjoying the outdoors on a run.
"It's a little gem because people live here like I do, because I want to live here, and it's a community where everybody just enjoys it so much," Erlandson said. "You're in nature all the time. It's like coming home to a vacation."
Being an unincorporated town, Erlandson explained that people step up and take action to get things done, which is a reflection of the overall strong community engagement in the area.
"A lot of people are involved," Erlandson said. "A lot of people are really passionate and care — the nature, the views, the open space, that we get to enjoy the art. We're now a creative arts district and the music — there's a lot of wonderful live music around here, too,"
Evergreen
New initiative putting the 'green' in Evergreen during summer concert series
During the summer months, EPRD has a special way of bringing the community together through a summer concert series. Denver7 covered one of the concerts, sharing the new green initiative they launched to help with waste. When asked about challenges in serving the community, Vander Veen explained that it is encouraging people to stay involved in facilities and programs during the winter months, especially for the older adults in the community.
"It's in the foothills, so we're just getting up in elevation, so we get snow, and we get weather," he explained. "We find a lot of people get cooped up, and we have an older population here, so being able to engage people and get people out of their house."
As far as the challenges Emch sees, she explained the worry in the summer months surrounding wildfires, finding affordable housing with "very limited space for growth and development," and the current economic situation small businesses face.
"Right now, we're at a time that people are not spending as much money on luxuries, such as going out to eat or the nice things that they want to do for themselves, so I think that's a struggle for our small businesses in our community," Emch said.
Denver7 | Your Voice wanted to hear from businesses in the area, stopping into Aspen's Consignments and Little Bear, which have been constant spots in the community.
Born and raised in Evergreen, Aspen Moscoso is one of the friendly faces people will meet at Aspen's Consignments. She works alongside her mother in the consignment store, which sells everything from athletic wear to tennis shoes to designer jeans and more.
In the video below, Aspen Moscoso talks about the store with Denver7's Maggy Wolanske.
The business is now 19 years in the making, where consignments first started from word of mouth. Moscoso recalled growing up in the store and playing under the racks until she was old enough to start working.
"I'm so proud of my mom for just sticking with it through everything that has happened through the years, and she just has continued to work hard at (it). She works six days, used to work seven — now six days a week. I made her take a day off," Moscoso said.
The town of Evergreen recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, with Little Bear also hitting a major milestone of 50 years serving the community. General Manager Dan Skelly reflected on the importance of the customers and the local bands who have continued to show their support.
"Locals are our bread and butter, and they always have been. For 50 years, this place has been here. This place would not be here without the older locals that have been hanging out here forever, who are regulars," Skelly said.
The walls of the saloon are covered in dollar bills, license plates, and posters of performers who rocked out on stage. Skelly spoke about the legends who have performed, from B.B. King to Paul McCartney and Willie Nelson.
"It's been here for so long, and so many people have so many stories — that's one of the things. It's almost like a legacy. I have people coming in that say their parents used to hang out here and that's why they're here and I get that on a daily basis. And people come in and tell stories — I don't know how many people come in and say that they met their wives here, and they've been married for 40 years or whatever," Skelly said.
While this historic spot attracts both locals and first-time visitors, Skelly explained that just like other small businesses, there is still the challenge of coming back after 2020 with COVID-19.
"We've seen a little bit of change of pattern, and... we're just dealing with the same things that all other small businesses and other restaurants are doing," Skelly said. "We're just dealing with it the best we can and having fun doing it."
There was a common thread between all of these conversations, with each speaking on the community strength following the Evergreen High School shooting and how the town's collective response demonstrated the power of unity in times of tragedy.
"Even though things have happened, like the Evergreen High School shooting, we just want to welcome everybody with open arms and to know that it's just a small mountain community that will give anybody a hug," Moscoso said.
"We really are strong, we really are, and the people are incredible," Erlandson said. "It's the kind of town where you know a lot of people, but it's big enough. There's always more people to know and more people to connect with and interact with."
"There's just so much unique to it, from Little Bear downtown and all the businesses that call this place home and support each other. Most recently, even just that 'Evergreen Strong,' that identity, of who we are and coming together as a small community," Vander Veen said. "Even though we're unincorporated, we are a small community, small but mighty community, and so we really support each other."
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