6th Annual VetFest set for downtown Castle Rock on July 8

Proceeds go to the Veterans Monument Foundation

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It will be a day of food and drinks, live music and connection as Douglas County Veterans Monument Foundation hosts the 6th annual VetFest in Downtown Castle Rock.

Jarrod Wildman, who served in the Navy from 1994 to 1998, has been the chairman of the Douglas County Veterans Monument Foundation for three years and is excited for the community to come together.

“Most of us go through a year just doing our jobs and living our life and we don’t advertise we’re veterans, so it’s nice to meet other like minded people in the community and connect,” said Wildman.

With a goal to become a resource that directly supports veterans in Douglas County, the nonpro t foundation constructed and maintains a monument called Freedoms Keeper.

On the corner of 4th and Wilcox in Castle Rock, the monument sits on a granite pedestal with each of the six service seals and is a gathering place for veterans in Douglas County.

In addition, the foundation established a Veterans Assistance Grant Program, which provides nancial aid grants up to $2,000 to veterans who live in the county.

Local veterans can go to the Douglas County Veterans Monument Foundation website, dcvmf.org to apply for the grant.

“We help on average about 40 veterans a year,” said Wildman. e event is free admission and open to the public and there will be food trucks and over 20 vendors will be at the festival.

All of the proceeds go to the foundation to aid in nancial assistance according to Wildman.

“One hundred percent of the money stays in the county and goes to where the need is the most,” said Wildman. e event started ve years ago as a 5k race, however the race didn’t take o . e American Legion, a nonpro t organization, will be in attendance with their vendor to let people know that there is American Legion post in Castle Rock and there is another organization for veterans. e Douglas County Veterans Monument Foundation is looking for volunteers to help with the kids corner, checking IDs and setup and takedown. ose interested in volunteering can contact Amy Seigal at amy@dcvmf.org. e event will be held at Festival Park from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We had anywhere between 15 and 50 runners over the rst two years, but the party afterwards got bigger,” said Wildman. “And so the party grew and became more of what people were looking for.” is will be the rst year without a 5k, just the festival, where there will be live music, beer vendors and a special Veterans corner where the rst 100 veterans that check in will receive a swag bag with a thank you.

Along with various nonpro ts and veteran resources, the festival is family friendly as it includes a kid’s corner with Air Bounce Colorado’s bounce house and Luigi’s Game Truck.

“Let them know that we do support local veterans and give people a di erent place to go to - or an additional place to go to and an opportunity to come together,” said Mike McNairy, commander of the American Legion Post 1187 Castle Rock.

“What’s the most exciting to me is that it really is a day where veterans can come and be honored and connect with other veterans in the area,” said Wildman. “It’s a way for our citizens and community to come and show support to veterans, veteran causes and get information on other ways they can help.”