In the fall of 1935, a German Shepherd named Dizzy worked his way up Sundance Mountain with a small pack strapped to his back. He carried hammers, electrical wire and light bulbs to crews of Palmer Lake volunteers who were building a star on a 58 percent slope. Dizzy belonged to Bert Sloan, and Sloan's Cafe was where the whole idea had been planned that June. A statue of Dizzy now stands on the Palmer Lake Village Green as a symbol of that all-volunteer effort.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, the town holds its 91st Annual Palmer Lake Chili Supper & Star Lighting, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. The volunteer fire department that has looked after the star since 1937 is now negotiating to become part of the Monument Fire District, so the most familiar night on the Tri-Lakes calendar happens while the group behind it works out what comes next.
Who Has Kept the Star Running Since 1937
The star was never a town project in the usual sense. B.E. Jack, regional manager of Mountain Utilities, suggested it in June 1935. Surveyor Byron Medlock designed the five points. Arthur Bradley, a local artist, let it go up on his land and later deeded the site to the Town of Palmer Lake in 1966. The town council chipped in $140 for materials, and volunteers carried everything else up the mountain over three months.
In 1937, the Palmer Lake Historical Society records, the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department became the star's custodian, and money for its upkeep was raised at an annual chili supper. The supper grew into a major community event and is traditionally held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The custody arrangement has lasted nearly 90 years, through two major rebuilds:
- 1976. Harry Krueger, a retired Army sergeant who bought a house at the foot of Sundance Mountain, led a Bicentennial project with retired Col. Carl Frederick Duffner. They replaced the wooden posts with galvanized steel, and a helicopter airlifted posts, wire and concrete to the site in three hours.
- 2002. Todd Bell, a member of the Palmer Lake Volunteer Fire Department, led a second community rebuild with the Historical Society, town officials and Tri-Lakes residents. They brought the star up to electrical code, made it possible to switch on remotely, and cut its power use by 25 percent.
- 2013. The Palmer Lake Historical Society nominated the star in 2012, and History Colorado unanimously added it to the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties in January 2013.
The firefighters have also chosen when the star shines outside of December. The Historical Society notes that in 2013 the department lit it for 20 straight evenings to honor the Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters who died in Arizona. The star belongs to the town, and the volunteer firefighters have been the ones looking after it.
What the Merger Talks Have Said About the Star
Palmer Lake's trustees spent much of this year looking at whether the town's fire department should join the Monument Fire District. At an August workshop, The Monument Independent reported, district Fire Chief Andy Kovacs named "loss of identity" as one of the two biggest obstacles to a yes vote, along with where a station would sit. Trustee Michael Beeson told him the town has an unusually close relationship with its firefighters and does not want to be pushed to the side.
Kovacs's answer went straight to December. According to The Monument Independent, he said the district would "keep the traditions," naming the Christmas Star, the chili supper and the pancake breakfast. He pointed to the Gleneagle events the district took on and kept running after its merger with the Wescott district.
The building matters as well. Palmer Lake's fire station has stood at Middle Glenway and Valley Crescent since 1937, the same year the department took charge of the star. The district's architects proposed a new station on the Elephant Rock property off Highway 105. The Monument Independent reported that trustees and Palmer Lake's fire chief said residents want a fire station inside the town. Kovacs listed a fire museum, a wildfire education center or a base for the district's mitigation crew as possible uses for the old building.
Where the Process Stands on Nov. 28
The supper takes place in the middle of the process. Here is the sequence so far:
- Aug. 27, 2026. The Board of Trustees voted unanimously to start formal merger negotiations with the Monument Fire District, schedule public outreach and draft an intergovernmental agreement and ballot language, Our Community News reported. At the time, the target was a special election in March 2027. The board also said the district had confirmed it could take on six full-time Palmer Lake firefighters.
- Nov. 3, 2026. Palmer Lake's general election ballot did not include a fire question. The Monument Independent reported that the proposal was being prepared for a later election.
- Oct. 28, 2026. At a budget workshop, election planning set the TABOR ballot question on Monument Fire District annexation for a November 2027 election, with an optional spring special election kept only for annexation boundary updates, according to Our Community News.
The same Oct. 28 workshop described the town projecting to end 2026 about $974,333 in the red. The fire department restructuring under discussion would have it share a single supervisor with the police department and eliminate part-time firefighter pay. Both organizations told the August workshop that what residents hear before a vote will decide it. Kovacs committed to town halls, presentations and a question-and-answer campaign.
Under that schedule, Palmer Lake voters would not decide on annexation before November 2027. The 91st supper could be one of the last under the arrangement that began in 1937, or one of many more.
The Same Firefighters Show Up in December, Too
The fire department's role doesn't end on Nov. 28. The stone fireplace at the center of Palmer Lake's other long-running tradition was built in 1936 by Palmer Lake volunteer firefighters.
That fireplace is where the 93rd annual Yule Log celebration ends. The Gazette reports a potluck at 6 p.m. on Dec. 9, followed by the Yule Log Hunt starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13, at Palmer Lake Town Hall. At the potluck, volunteers cut a U- or V-shaped notch into a pine log 8 to 12 feet long and tie on red ribbon. On hunt day, hundreds of people in red and green capes set out from Town Hall at a trumpet blast to find it in the woods. Whoever finds the log rides it back.
Back at Town Hall, volunteers cut the log in half with the same two-man saw that cut the town's first Yule Log on Dec. 23, 1933. One half burns in the firefighters' fireplace, and the other half is saved for next year. The finder gets the first cup of wassail. Niall Byrne has been master of ceremonies for two decades and told The Gazette the organizers "always try to keep the celebration as close as possible to the first event." Gary and Patricia Atkins are presenting this year's event through the Palmer Lake Historical Society, which expects 250 to 400 people.
Tish Torweihe, the Historical Society's administrative assistant, told The Gazette what to bring: "Just don't forget to bring a dish and wear a cape, OK?" The society takes questions at 719-559-0837.
The Tri-Lakes Holiday Calendar, Nov. 28 to Dec. 13
Monument's downtown fills in the weekends between the two Palmer Lake events, and the season starts and ends on the same mountain.
| Date | Event | Where | What to bring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | 91st Annual Palmer Lake Chili Supper & Star Lighting, 4:30 to 8 p.m. | Palmer Lake | An appetite. The supper has long helped pay for the star's upkeep |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Shop Small Business Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Downtown Monument | A shopping list |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Small Town Christmas, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Santa, Mrs. Claus, reindeer, hay rides and crafts | Downtown Monument | Kids and warm layers |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Monument's Annual Tree Lighting, with food trucks, live entertainment and Santa lighting the trees | Limbach Park | Nonperishable food for Tri-Lakes Cares |
| Wed., Dec. 9 | 93rd annual Palmer Lake Potluck, 6 p.m. | Palmer Lake Town Hall | A dish to share |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Yule Log Hunt, from 1 p.m. | Palmer Lake Town Hall | A cape |
The Tri-Lakes Chamber lists Shop Small Saturday for the Saturday after Thanksgiving and Small Town Christmas for the first Saturday in December. That puts Shop Small on the same day as the star lighting this year, so you can spend the afternoon on Second Street and drive up Highway 105 to Palmer Lake for supper. The star is easy to see from the road. When it's lit, it can be seen from Interstate 25 and from Larkspur to Colorado Springs, and the Historical Society calls it the largest outdoor illuminated star in the world.
The star comes on Nov. 28 at the 91st chili supper, a fundraiser tied to the department that took charge of the star in 1937. The fire district hoping to take over that department has said publicly that the star and the supper would continue.
Our family has been part of the Pikes Peak region since 1992, and the Palmer Lake Star has been part of every one of those Decembers. If you're weighing a move to Monument or Palmer Lake and want to talk through how the town's services and upcoming ballot questions fit your plans, The Daniels Team is happy to help. Schedule a Free Consultation and we'll walk you through it.
