“500 homes lost so far… Time to get to work.”
Written by Sean Berigan
On August 7th, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm, the Dads of Castle Rock hosted their second annual lemonade stand take-over. Dozens of dads met at Parrish Park at 12:30pm and were assigned one of two predetermined routes to ensure no stand was missed to visit 30 lemonade stands with 60 to 70 kids in the community selling lemonade and other treats.
From the moment the kids saw the convoy of vehicles approaching their lemonade stands, you knew they were well prepared. As they went over their sales lines in their minds and straightened up their stands, there was no doubt that these kids meant business, and they all nailed it!
Presentation was on point. From the well-designed banners and cool menu’s, the selection was awesome. Strawberry lemonade, watermelon lemonade, sparkling lemonade, sugar free lemonade, and even Jell-O shots (for the adults!) The young entrepreneurs even sold baked goods ranging from cookies, brownies, blueberry lemon bars, and even a stand with hot dogs with all the fixings, including chili! This was one of my favorite stops!
For me, this was a great opportunity to see my community get together and do something special. It’s something I’ve never done in any other neighborhood I’ve ever lived in. To be a part of this was such an awesome and moving experience. Seeing my son Jase greet all of his new neighbors and hesitantly hand over his money for lemonade was what sealed the deal! I knew this was more than just lemonade and snacks. It was a great time for families to meet and interact with each other, and it was a valuable experience for these kids. And Jase can’t wait to do it again! Possibly open a stand of his own next time.
As a father who recently moved to Castle Rock a little over 4 months ago, this trip around town brought me to neighborhoods that I hadn’t previously been and having the opportunity to meet all the parents was an incredible way for me to meet other parents in the group and community. Knowing we have a common interest in our children’s future reinforces our decision to live and raise our children in Castle Rock.
Written by: Eric Hinkson
On Saturday, July 17, 2021, the Dads of Castle Rock (DoCR) held their first annual Bar-B-Que cookoff event to see who makes the best barbeque ribs in the Dads of Castle Rock (DoCR.). The event was free to the local community and families all around Castle Rock, Colorado and the surrounding areas were invited to come join the fun with cornhole, mini-put golf, a bounce house, good beer, a live band, karaoke and nearly all you can eat Bar-B-Que.
While most of the event goers relaxed, played games, listened to music, and socialized, the nine barbeque competitors, Shaun Roberts, Jason Whitted, Jason Brown, Allen Zearing, Dave Braidman, Mondo Villanueva, Aaron Krening, Brian Brooks, Christopher Edlin, and Brian Burke slaved away over their smokers. Each team started with two racks of pork ribs provided by DoCR to have a level playing field at the onset. Each grill master prepared the meats with their own oils, rubs, spices, sauces, smoking flavors, and timing to produce their own unique Bar-B-Que ribs.
When the smoke settled, the judges had nine different rib styles to taste from. It was a blind taste test, in that the judges did not know which ribs belonged to which grill master. It was a grueling competition, but the clear winners, by way of rib bone voting, was Christopher Edlin and Brian Burke. The winner’s spoils included a new Traeger Tailgater Pellet Grill donated by Moore Lumber to help take their Bar-B-Que game to the next level.
Throughout the competition and after, children of all ages laughed and played with each other all day long on the bounce house and games over the watchful eye of their parents, while enjoying live music from the band, “5 Minutes Late,” and spending time getting to know some of their neighbors – some old friends and some new.
As the sun set, an evening movie was put on for the kids while the adults continued to enjoy the band, DJ, and karaoke well into the night. It was a fun way to build strong community in our town and many are people are excitedly anticipating the next Bar-B-Que Cookoff.
Though the event’s primary goal was to provide a venue and occasion to build and stronger sense of community in our town, a casual donation collection bucket was set up next to the brewery stand. This generated over $700 for the DoCR benevolence fund.
Many thanks go out to the following people and organizations for their contribution to making this event a reality: Jonathon Douglas, owner of All Around Auto Care, and his staff for providing the location and facilities, Eric Christoph, owner of 105W Brewing Company, for supplying the beer, 5 Minutes Late for putting on an energizing show, Avery Kyle – DJ extraordinaire, Moore Lumber for donating the Traeger Tailgater Pellet Grill, Mitchell Sawin and Ryan Clement for cooking burgers, hotdogs and sausages for all guests, Rocky Myers for smoking, pulling, and serving pulled pork, Paul Myhill for making several gallons of his top notch macaroni salad, Nate Hoff and Anthony Stover for working the DoCR merchandise booth, Cody Vice for supplying theatre equipment for the kids movie, and Tanner Cole, Jason Bushey, and Mark Blickenstaff for organizing the event.
The Dads of Castle Rock hosted their first annual Halfway to Halloween event at the Castle View High School north parking lot on June 12th from 2pm to 7pm. 30 vendors, a mix between local families and businesses volunteered to pass out candy to the estimated 600-700 kids as they trick-or-treated in the summer heat.
The Halfway to Halloween was an idea from Tanner Cole, the Dads of Castle Rock Director of Events.
“We wanted to have a Trunk or Treat style, basically Halloween without the kids needing to wear their winter coats. Kids and their parents often put in so much time and effort into making their costumes only to have to wear coats over them because it’s so cold outside when they are Trick-or-Treating.”
Tanner Cole
All the venders who were there to pass out candy to the kids were amazing. The decorations on their vehicles and trunks were all spectacular, and they all brought an incredible amount of energy to ensure the kids had fun. The IREA Lineman, the dragster, the classic cars, and the bounce houses were an incredible addition to the already incredible vendor line up.
Local food trucks Wada Rice Company, Passport Burger, and Kona Ice were on site providing everyone with delicious food and shaved ice to help cool everyone down.
The planning for the Halfway to Halloween event started in the middle of February, and countless hours were spent working through all of the logistics, permits, planning, and organizing so the event would be a success.
“We definitely made an impact in the community, as many parents thanked us for putting this on.
Nate Hoff, Dads of Castle Rock Director of Merchandise
Having pride in our community goes beyond saying good things about it and posting about events and fundraisers on social media. It’s about taking action to do what we can to ensure that we take care of our community the same way we take care of each other.
“I just want to say that I am grateful for everyone’s support, the positive thoughts and prayers from our family and friends, and for Brandon and Cody for doing this for us.”
Everything that happens with the Dads of Castle Rock, from small small projects to full blown fundraisers and events, must start somewhere. An average event takes anywhere from two to eight months to plan, coordinate, and put in motion.
“We are glad that we are still able to help the community with the generosity of those who donated clothes to the Closet.” Jason Bushey
“The DoCR have paved a road that at one time felt impossible to walk and inserted palpable joy and happiness for our entire family!”
For seven hours, the dads and ranchers dug as hard and as fast as they could through the unyielding blizzard until the horse was finally freed.