Meet Brian Himmelman

Brian Himmelman is more than a State Farm Insurance agent. He has lived in the Evergreen area for over 30 years and understands the community. Having graduated from Evergreen High School, and after finishing his degree at Fort Lewis College in Durango, he returned to his home to build a business. He’s been married to his lovely wife for 21 years and his sons AJ and Tyler are now both attending college themselves.

Brian’s team provides the best solutions for everyday insurance needs and comprehensive financial planning. They proudly serve the communities of Evergreen, Conifer, Bailey, Pine and Fairplay by offering an extensive line of insurance and financial services. Whatever your insurance needs, Brian and his team will offer the information you need to make a solid decision.

In addition to building a solid and successful business, Brian believes in volunteering in the community. He is a member of Conifer Kiwanis, and sits on the Board of Directors for Blue Spruce Kiwanis and Mount Evans Hospice. He’s also embraced his love of baseball by coaching kids’ teams longtime in the Evergreen/Conifer area. Brian is continuing his “give back” mentality by once again sponsoring The Big Chili Cook-Off, giving of himself to support our volunteer firefighters. Thanks, Brian! We love that! You can learn more about what Brian Himmelman has to offer by checking his website here.

What Matters?

The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.  ~ Leo Rosten

Those are some powerful words. The truth is that what you do, even the small things, make a difference – especially when the small things of many people are added together. We need to live like what we do matters, because what we do … matters. Here at The Big Chili, we know this to be true. We appreciate every minute spent by our volunteers, every effort made to make the event better, every single contribution. Thank you.

Making it Happen

Thank you to a couple of sponsors – St. Anthony EMS and Bentek Energy – we loved having your involvement this year and appreciate your support of our local fire departments!

Thank you to Tommyknocker Brewery for your huge involvement and sponsorship. Tommyknocker cooked chili, had a vendor booth, and hosted our beer garden – all crowd pleasers!

Thanks, everyone.

First Responders

You don’t ever want to be in a situation where you need an emergency service worker to help you. But when you’re having an emergency that you can’t handle yourself, it is such a relief to have someone else take it into his or her capable hands. 

Some of you are aware that at The Big Chili Cook-Off, the Director (who had worked herself to the point of exhaustion the previous few days) became ill. The Big Chili Board of Directors and the Director of the Cook-Off would like to thank Evergreen first responders who offered medical assistance and transport to the hospital. They took care of her and it is greatly appreciated. 

Thankfully, she did not require use of the helicopter. But the picture is still fabulous!

Blue Spruce Kiwanis

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Everything Blue Spruce Kiwanis does is for this community – they volunteer here in a variety of organizations, and they are committed to the youth and schools of our mountain community. It is because of Blue Spruce Kiwanis consistency in volunteering throughout the community that so many people were willing to give back by volunteering for one of their biggest events ~ The Big Chili Cook-Off. 

 

Thank you Blue Spruce Kiwanis! And thank you to all the students from the local schools who volunteered at the event. You are a truly great group of kids!

Thanks Cactus Jacks

Thank You Cactus Jacks ~

You sponsored our *thank you* party for our volunteers, and we had a blast! You demonstrate what community spirit is all about, and we are thrilled to have you partnering with The Big Chili!

A BIG Thank You!

Today is a day for saying Thank You to the many smaller sponsors and volunteers that make The Big Chili Cook-Off happen.

 

Thank You to these businesses for providing the following:

 

Evergreen Discount Liquors ~ wine

Da Kind Soups ~ judges chili cups

Evergreen Shipping Depot ~ printing & posters

Evergreen Signs ~ signage

Zuni Signs ~ printing & installation of banners

Felde Associates ~ accounting services

Evergreen Rentals ~ jump castles & scaffolding for banners

Incognito Solutions ~ website

Mountain Connections ~ advertising

Hiwain Golf ~ golf passes for the auction

Eric Lars Bakke ~ photography

Tuscany Tavern ~ sponsorship + dinner for firefighters and Board

 

Thank You to these groups for providing volunteers for the event:

 

Early Edition Leads Group

Leads Group 3

Web-Women of Evergreen Businesses

Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity

Evergreen, Conifer and Platte Canyon High Schools

Drive Smart

Center for the Arts Evergreen

Blue Spruce Kiwanis

Bank of the West

Mutual of Omaha

Chase Bank Evergreen

and Thank You to the many individuals volunteering independently.

Miracle – Part III

Miracle Admist the Rubble – part 3 (continued from August 11th)

By Kristin Witt

The cloud of dust that had not completely settled from the South Tower was now growing at an enormous rate, as Jeff once again took shelter behind the building he now thought of as his safe harbor.  

     When the deafening roar lessened and the eerie silence of a graveyard overtook the streets Jeff Scarborough stepped out from behind the “shelter” building.  He was coated in several layers of gray dust, his breathing was shutting down from the oxygen deprived atmosphere and the particles of debris that he had actually pulled into his lungs, he was going into shock and he was utterly alone.  Nowhere to go and no idea how to get there, he looked up to discover yet another of the many unlikely miracles of the day.  The crew from his station that he had worked with enough times to think of them as family were suddenly there beside him and together they began the two hour trek to safety, plucking him from what might have been his own demise.

     It was two years before Jeff’s respiratory system cleared enough to call his breathing “normal” although he still struggles from time to time with a cough.  The day was physically debilitating enough that Jeff was not allowed to go down to Ground Zero in the aftermath, so NBC assigned him to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, covering the memorial services of the fallen firefighters, which were coming at three and four a day.  After a time, Jeff and his wife Alice decided it was enough and they moved to Conifer, Colorado, where they live today.

     At the heart of things Jeff wants readers to know that he is a musician, and he has moved on with his life.  He loves his music and the privilege he has of playing with some very talented people here in the mountains of Colorado.  The Scarborough’s found themselves embraced by the community, almost upon their arrival, and Jeff says that returning to his roots as a musician has gone a long way towards helping him heal.  

     We are honored to remember with Jeff and Alice Scarborough the horrific events of September 11, 2001, and grateful that they have chosen to share their story, especially as the Big Chili Cook-off approaches.  The Big Chili is all about thanking our mountain area Volunteer Firefighters, and this, the tenth anniversary of the event, happens to land on the tenth anniversary of the day our country was attacked by a terror we simply would never have believed.  In that attack, 343 firefighters lost their lives as they ran into the fray in hopes of saving others, and the Big Chili has the privilege of remembering them, and their sacrifice this September 11th.  When you join us at the Lake House on that Sunday you will enjoy Jeff’s band, the Bucktones, as well as Joe Bye and Friends who will be featured on our second stage at the entry gates.

     Jeff Scarborough graciously recounted for us the difficulty of that impossible day, and when he was done he showed us an award he received from NBC.  On it these words are inscribed.  

“In recognition of your bravery, judgment and leadership on September 11th, 2001.  

  Your actions helped save lives on a day that changed the lives of all Americans.”

“I’ve received much recognition for my work as a cameraman, including several Emmy Awards,” Jeff says solemnly, “but none of them hold a candle to this one.”

Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity

When we endeavor to put together an event like the Big Chili, we are taking on a mass of planning and logistics that require careful attention and a lot of man hours.  The day of the event comes together with the efforts of many volunteers, over 200, all people committed to helping our volunteer firefighters, and excited about being a part of this mammoth mountain celebration.   The Big Chili Board of Directors, all volunteers themselves, are pleased to welcome Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity to the mix for the event day.  Habitat will be filling the role of Hospitality Engineers on September 11^th, and their contribution will make the day better than ever before.  They will be there to help cooks, artists and attendees find their way to the right places, as well as see that things are moving along as they should, with all the details taken care of.  The Blue Spruce Kiwanis, hosts of the Big Chili, spend man hours and make cash donations to the Blue Spruce Habitat organization and are thrilled to have them coming alongside in the Big Chili effort.  We all do better when we work together.  Thank you, Blue Spruce Habitat for Humanity for doing what you do best and leading by example.

Legendary Spirit

As we approach the tenth anniversary of the September attacks on our country we are forced to remember a day that many of us would like to forget, yet we know that forgetting is not possible and the memories must serve a purpose.  The Big Chili is committed to remembering the people lost that day as they were simply sitting in their offices, starting out on a business trip, traveling to meet family, working in the building set aside for the purpose of protecting our country.  We are also fervent about honoring the ones who bravely walked directly into the mouth of disaster, knowing that the chance of being eaten alive was great, but unable to turn away from the need.  We think of the ones with sadness and pride who died that day, firefighters – many of them volunteers, and police officers, and thank once again, because we are truly grateful, the ones who survived to save another life.  Your bravery turned an attack that was meant to destroy us, into a day when we were reminded that we are Americans and the same tough devotion to the call that many have faced preserving our freedom, runs through the veins of the people who stepped up in a dark hour and gave us a glimmer of the victory to come.