AUGUST 9, 2018
IT’S IN THE BAGS Cornhole’s popularity on the rise in metro area P8
75 CENTS
ELBERT COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Zone would allow new uses for property Some fear outcome of proposed change in affected portions of county BY TABATHA STEWART SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Mattie Hatchcock paints a horse during the Aug. 1 Buckaroo Day at Eagle’s Nest Ranch. Buckaroo Day is focused on providing a time for first responders, veterans and their families to spend time with horses at the equine therapy ranch. TOM MUNDS
Ranch a place for wounds to heal Nonprofit Elizabeth facility offers free equine therapy BY TOM MUNDS TMUNDS@OURCOLORADONEWS.COM
Suzy MacKenzie’s passion has always been helping people so, after 40 years in the mission field, she moved to Elizabeth and founded the Eagle’s Nest Equine Therapy Ranch. “We are a nonprofit organization supported entirely by donations,”
she said. “We always welcome anyone who wants to visit us, plus we schedule one day a month during the spring and summer for first responders, veterans and their children. That monthly event is called Buckaroo Day.” Aug. 1 was Buckaroo Day at the ranch, and more than 50 adults and children took part in a variety of activities. For example, while one young boy got acquainted with a horse, several other children painted the coat of another horse, while nearby children
were taking part in stick horse races. Shannon Simpson watched her daughter Mattie Hatchcock paint a horse. “I brought my daughter out today because the ranch is kind enough to sponsor a first responders day” the Adams County firefighter-paramedic said. “I think this day is special because it is a great way to get outdoors and bond with my daughter on a different level.” SEE RANCH, P9
PERIODICAL
DID YOU KNOW ... INSIDE
From the moment man first pounded stakes into the ground and declared that piece of property his, land disputes, and the right to use private property for whatever the landowner wanted, have been a point of contention between landowners and neighbors. As the population grew and more people became landowners, communities emerged, and eventually oversight agencies were born within towns, cities and counties, with elected officials tasked with the difficult decisions of balancing landowners’ rights with growth and development. Today, Elbert County, which encompasses nearly 2,000 square miles on the Great Plains southeast of Denver, is on the cusp of development that many in the county believe will be beneficial, while others believe it will destroy the rural county with unchecked development. SEE ZONE, P10
The Town of Elizabeth was founded in 1855 as a saw mill camp and was incorporated in 1890. Source: Town of Elizabeth
VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 6 | SPORTS: PAGE 8
ElbertCountyNews.net
VOLUME 123 | ISSUE 28