The Pet Association has been the local human society in Estes Park for 50 years. For 30 of those years, Carolyn Fairbanks has been loving and placing pets in good homes. Since she died in February, her longtime friend and volunteer, Crystal, has been keeping the association running. Crystal is on the show today this week to fill us in on what the Pet Association does for our animals and our community.

Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PetAssociationofEP. They need volunteers!

Wendy and Jan moved to Estes in January 2020 and experienced about six weeks of normal before the pandemic hit. They’re new residents to Estes Park but not new to Estes Park at all. Wendy has been coming here for over 50 years and Jan has been living in Estes for about 35 years, pinching himself now every morning when he wakes up and realizes that he lives here now. Their house is decked out with furnishings from stores all over town -- it's like a cabin designer showcase, as you can see illustrated with the greeting over their mantle. We hope you enjoy getting to know them a bit more.

Paula and Ryan Hale have a health and wellness practice on the third floor of The Church Shops. Ryan is a counselor and Paula provides massage therapy in this beautiful, sunny spot. They talk about the services they provide and about how their own family has learned to thrive in the pandemic by "normalizing" and getting things into context. And watching Marvel movies....

Stay in touch with them on Facebook or contact them directly:

Contact Ryan about a counseling appointment at 970-215-4030 or [email protected].

Contact Paula for massage at 720-235-2408 or [email protected].

Mark and Meredith Powell just moved in, enrolled their three kids into Estes Park schools and then got to work getting the inn ready for reopening this summer as Seven Keys Lodge. They aren't sure if it will be May or June, but you can guarantee there will be a chance for you to come and check it out. Join us for this episode to learn more about where they come from, the Outlaws & Legends music festival they created in Texas and their love of history, which makes them the perfect family to inherit the legacy of the Baldpate Inn from Lois Smith and family.

You can keep up with the Seven Keys Lodge online, on Facebook or on Instagram.

Rick met Val their sophomore year of high school and knew he "needed to lock this one down." Val made him wait and they married when she was 21. Counting high school, they have been together 38 years, sharpening one another and taking turns living the dream. Their daughter goes to college this year, so they will be busy franchising You Need Pie and starting a new donut shop! This will be a fun one, kicking off our February series of love stories in Estes Park. 

Amy has been in the coffee business for a long time and endured several natural disasters. She talks in this interview about how her team maintains an attitude of joy as they spread kindness in their work. Her brand values are apparent to everyone who walks in the door. In the spirit of resiliency that the EVRC promotes, Amy is a pro.

Did you know that the same company, Delaware North, owns both the Ridgeline Hotel and Trendz, an upscale shop on Elkhorn? Walt moved to Estes Park to run the Ridgeline in the middle of the pandemic, having previously worked at several other Delaware North properties. Learn a little bit about Walt, where he comes from and how Estes Park compares to other gateway towns and national parks he has had the pleasure to experience throughout his career.

Rob's story resembles a global trend in the midst of this pandemic. The gift of COVID, if there is one, is that it is providing time, space and capacity for entrepreneurship and innovation. Level Red has put the brakes on the flow of business, for restaurants more than many. In the unfortunate circumstance that his neighbor folded in the early days of the pandemic, Rob jumped on the opportunity to lease the space and start a new venture. Listen to hear more about Rob's vision for Seasoned - An American Bistro - and Stella's Place next door.

It's not easy to remain flexible as the COVID dial rises and falls, but contingency planning is the new reality of running a business in a pandemic. Melissa Strong shares in this week's episode how she stays flexible in running Bird and Jim during a pandemic. Her staff is fiercely loyal and operates as a team, even when they need to back off the hours and even file unemployment... again. I asked Melissa how she manages the decision process of how to staff, what to order and when to run an ad. "We have to laugh," she says. We're all in the same place, so we hope you will feel right at home and in good company with Melissa in this conversation.