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| Charles Trogdon stands
near a small piece of the Christmas lights display
at this home in Vallecito. The decorations take about
a month to set up and require around five miles of
extension cords and will be included as part of the
Dec. 14 Christmas at Vallecito celebration./Photo
by Dustin Bradford. |
The challenging year
of 2002 is finally coming to a close, and few local residents
are likely happier than those in Vallecito. Although their
community sustained the brunt of the damage from the Missionary
Ridge Fire and ensuing floods, it has drawn together with
determination to press on, the latest testament being
a first-time event called “Christmas at Vallecito.”
“No one person or organization
is actually sponsoring it; we just did it as a community
effort,” said Susan Frazier, event chairwoman and
Vallecito resident.
 Christmas
at Vallecito will take place Saturday, Dec. 14, from noon
to 10 p.m. All proceeds will go toward restoration in
the valley, such as rebuilding the trail around the lake
and reseeding.
Ron Bevil, who owns Durango Resort
on Vallecito Lake, said it is important to have the event
to “let people know we’re still here, and
we weren’t hit by a nuclear bomb.”
He said the entire area suffered as
a result of the fires, and that his resort only did about
5 percent of its normal business last summer.
“It was a horrible, horrible
summer for us; it was rough for everybody,” Bevil
said.
Pat Armstrong, co-owner of the Bear
Paw Lodge, agreed.
“It was a difficult summer for
us, but working together and all the help we received
from people in the Four Corners was overwhelming,”
Armstrong said.
She said that although the event will
raise money for Vallecito’s restoration, it also
is a way to give something back to the larger community.
“We just want everybody to come
and enjoy themselves,” she said.
Most of all, Bevil said he became
involved with Christmas at Vallecito for the sake of the
children. Many of the activities are geared toward families,
he said, including Mr. and Mrs. Claus, who will be joined
by a few elves at the “Santa House” in the
Kodiak Cabin in front of the Bear Paw Lodge from 4 to
8 p.m. Children will be able to sit on Santa’s lap
and receive a free gift. Polaroid photos with Santa will
be available for a few dollars.
Across the street there will be a
bake sale at the “town square,” where a decorated
gazebo will host carolers. Hot chocolate, coffee, cider,
funnel cakes, cookies and possibly soup will be available
for purchase in the adjacent caboose. Additionally, the
Rocky Mountain General Store will host an arts and antiques
fair from noon to 6 p.m. along with a gift-wrap station.
There also will be snacks and events
at the Wit’s End Guest Ranch, on the north side
of the lake, where children can “make and take”
arts and crafts while adults bid on around 40 items at
a silent auction upstairs. Fly fishermen will want to
sneak out to the Orvis fishing lodge on the property to
vie for a special auction item: a T3 fishing rod. Again,
all proceeds will go toward restoration of the valley.
There’s also an additional activity
at the Wit’s End.
“If we get snow, we’ll
have sleigh rides; if we don’t have snow, we’ll
have hay rides,” said Debbie Row, retail sales manager
at the ranch.
As night falls, there will be a special
sit-down dinner at the ranch, featuring discounted entrees
made by head chef, Peter B. Holder, who used to cook for
Queen Elizabeth II. Reservations are not required.
But wait – there’s more.
Eating isn’t the only nighttime activity by a long
shot (though food also will be available at places like
Virginia’s, Lake Vallecito Country Market and Buffalo
Gap). A number of brave souls are opening their doors
to visitors for a tour of homes; tickets will be available
at the Rocky Mountain General Store.
There’s free stuff too, like
a living nativity that will feature very brave souls posing
outside the Vallecito Church from 5 to 8 p.m. So far,
manger animals include llamas and sheep.
But perhaps the biggest draw will
be the Christmas lights festooned on nearly every home
in Vallecito. The locals’ favorite seems to be the
home of Charles and Ann Trogdon, who have been decorating
their home and yard for 20 years. These days, their decorations
take about a month to set up and require around 5 miles
of extension cords, Charles said.
“My wife and I kind of went
berserk with it,” he said. “La Plata Electric
gets a new pickup truck from me after I pay my bill,”
he joked.
But he is serious about the people
who write to them each year to tell them how their display
touched their lives. For example, one couple who visited
with a daughter with terminal leukemia now writes them
every year and makes a donation to cancer research in
the Trogdons’ names. And that is what makes all
the hard work worthwhile.
“Those are the reasons
we do the Christmas lights,” Charles said.
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