The Black Forest Community Club is 90 years old this year. It has been the site for many events over the years, including the annual Black Forest festival. This year, the theme of the festival, which will be held Aug. 10, is ìBlack Forest strong, 90 years.îShari Conley, event coordinator and member of the community club, said the festival is a community service event, and profits go to local charities and nonprofit organizations in the community. ìMy family attended the festival for years while my kids were growing up, and I help keep the festival going now, because I feel like a part of Black Forest and Black Forest feels like a part of us on this day,î Conley said.The festival is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will kick off with a pancake breakfast, sponsored by R&R Coffee Cafe, at the community center, from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m., with the outhouse race starting about 11:40 a.m.Black Forest Brewing Co., Black Forest ward, The Chicken Coop, Log Depot, R&R Coffee Cafe and the tooth fairy outhouse from Colorado Dental Ceramics will participate in the outhouse race.In keeping with the 90-year theme, activities and games will celebrate the Black Forest heritage. Conley said children can opt to work with wood crafts for a cost between $2 and $4. The Black Forest LDS youth group will be running free childrenís games inside from 12 to 3 p.m. There will be a pony express game and a horse trough from the Big R store for water games.Alpaca breeders and artisans will be available to answer questions, give demonstrations on sheering, spinning wool, dyeing fiber and selling their products, Conley said. She said the chicken races will be back because they were a big hit last year.Twisted Pines Farm; High Altitude Rhubarb ñ Organic Farm and Nursery; Farm Instead LLC and the Black Forest Garden Club/Getting Well Together group will be on-site to talk about hydroponics, high-altitude gardening, etc. The garden club will demo a simple hand pump to use as a backup watering method in the forest.Eric Greene will demonstrate the saw mill. Cheyenne Willis, from Roots Chainsaw Art LLC, will demonstrate chainsaw artistry; Conley said he is donating his time and labor to create a design on one of the trees on the property. She said they are excited to see his design, but they did request that he include an Abertís squirrel since they are unique to the area. Conley said music will be provided all day by The Bros, Pine Creek High School Fusion; the United States Air Force Academy Wild Blue Country Band will play from 12 to 3 p.m.As always, the festival includes plenty of arts and crafts vendors.
