2022 TRI-LAKES GUIDE: An introduction
There’s a word that’s featured prominently in each of the stories you’ll read in this magazine: community. The Tri-Lakes area isn’t just a geographic designation for a group of municipalities clustered around or near three lakes, it’s a tight-knit community of caring people that includes and supports a variety of businesses and nonprofit organizations.
In this annual magazine, we take you on a trip through portions of three of the Tri-Lakes area’s population centers: Black Forest, Monument and Palmer Lake.
In Black Forest, a one-room schoolhouse that opened in 1922 to serve the needs of the growing community is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. The Black Forest Old Log School, 100 years after being erected from the ponderosa pines that are native to the area, still serves the community with tours and open houses. The community staple will soon be feted during an upcoming Backyard Market at Black Forest. See story beginning on Page 29.
In Monument, we look at businesses that made the unlikely-seeming decision to open or expand during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. Turns out it was a wise gamble for the likes of A Better Hearing Center, Jarrito Loco, Lolley’s Ice Cream and Lori Lynn’s Cookies and Cream, all of which are running strong despite the uncertain times that surrounded their openings (or re-opening, in the case of Jarrito Loco). See story beginning on Page 9.
And in Palmer Lake, we survey a number of restaurants and shops that have found ways to stay alive and flourish, even in the most difficult and challenging times, due to their collective sense of community. Several business owners in this small town banded together during the challenges of the pandemic to help keep each other going and support each other. See story beginning on Page 17.
We’ve also included a calendar of some of the bigger events in the region for the remainder of 2022, to help you plan out your next few months.
The stories we showcase here highlight just some of the things that have happened in your community over the past year and into the future.
We hope you enjoy this, our annual supplement to The Tribune.
— Michelle Karas, Editor
A sign greets visitors to Second Street in downtown Monument Feb. 26.