Elizabeth West area welcomes McDonald’s Not just a pretty face

Elizabeth Stampede

Royalty discuss life, goals, excitement for 2023

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

e 2023 Elizabeth Stampede

Rodeo Royalty — Queen Kyra Doud and Attendant Isabelle Piche — recently sat with the Elbert County News for a wide-ranging interview about who they are, their experience at the 2023 National Western

Stock Show, their excitement for the year as rodeo royalty, and their post-reign goals.

Sitting by the cozy re at the Idyllwilde Fika Co ee House in Parker on Jan. 28, Doud and Piche eagerly shared their thoughts on all things rodeo, royalty, and their passion for the Western way of life.

Here is the Q&A:

Where are you from and where do you go to school?

Kyra Doud: I am from Parker, Colorado. I used to live in Elizabeth, but I recently moved back to Parker. I’m 19 years old and I’m a freshman at Arapahoe Community College. I’m an anthropology major and I want to study biblical archaeology. It has always been a close thing to my heart.

Isabelle Piche: I live in Castle Pines, Colorado. I’ve had family out in Elizabeth, so I’m very familiar with the area. I go to school at Rock Canyon High School and I’m going to be a senior next year. I don’t want to go to college, but I am going to go into the re academy when I graduate. I am working on my EMT certi cation next year, so I’ll be a licensed EMT by December of 2024.

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

e much-anticipated and highly controversial McDonald’s opened in the Elizabeth West area on Jan. 26. e 24-hour location at 1950 Legacy Trail is the rst McDonald’s in Elbert County and one of only a few fastfood locations in the area.

e Elizabeth West McDonald’s was built in the company’s new contemporary style, o ering a minimalist aesthetic that promotes selfservice with walk-up ordering kiosks and a table-based ordering system.

Like many of the businesses in Elizabeth West, McDonald’s employs local residents, creating a stronger Elizabeth-based workforce. ey also employ several Elizabeth High School students, giving teens local after-school work opportunities.

“I like working here. All the people are really nice, especially the managers,” said Riley, a crew team member. “It has been really busy since we opened because people knew it was being built. We’ve had so many people come in already.”

One of the managers said in a Jan. 27 interview that the Elizabeth West McDonald’s crew is already bonding and is building relationships with the community.

“We’re doing really well so far.

Everyone on sta is really tight-knit already. It’s been a pretty good and