What is normally a casual gathering place for veterans and neighbors became an elegant celebration of patriotism Thursday evening as the American Legion Foundation welcomed supporters to a Fourth of July fundraising gala benefiting American Legion Post 119.
The transformation began the moment guests arrived. The familiar outdoor garden and tavern became the setting for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as friends mingled beneath the summer sky before making their way into a dining room reimagined for the occasion by Harriet Woodard.
Overhead, sheer gold and navy chiffon drapes softened the ceiling, while chairs were wrapped in red, white, and blue fabric and tied with festive bows. Tables glowed with patriotic floral arrangements and oversized Uncle Sam hats, creating a scene that felt both elegant and unmistakably American. Replacing the Legion’s familiar disco ball was a dazzling crystal chandelier that quickly became the evening’s centerpiece.
The chandelier itself represented a labor of love. According to John Minier, who co-chaired the gala planning with Lesslie Glover, the pair spent nearly 12 hours assembling its 1,800 individual crystal pieces specifically for the event.
The evening’s formal program opened with the presentation of the colors by Estes Park Boy Scout Troop 8, whose long relationship with the Legion dates back to 1938, when the troop first made the post its home. The patriotic ceremony continued with a performance of the National Anthem led by Nelson Burke, Miranda Dillard, and Randy Welch.
In Minear’s remarks, he acknowledged several veterans in the room, including two Korean War vets, Jack Holmquist and Hugh McTeague. He also acknowledged the three fallen firefighters, Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson, who lost their lives last weekend fighting a wildfire on the Colorado-Utah border, and Sergeant Devin Seibel, who died on May 31st during a training exercise at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Seibel was with the Air Ambulance Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. Minier thanked Terry Rizzuti for his service to veterans in need and credited Rizzuti and his wife, Mary Banken, with helping to drive the renovations to the American Legion building.
Guests then enjoyed plated dinners featuring prime rib, salmon, or chicken as wine flowed and conversations filled the room. More than a dozen people went home with new treasures from a silent auction that offered overnight stays at the YMCA, dinner at Hunter’s Chop House, gift baskets filled with books from Macdonald Book Shop, specialty bath products, and dish towels with designs by artist Laura Davis.
Mark Rashad has also hand-built a custom guitar themed around the nation’s 25th anniversary and the state’s 150th for the Legion, which will be available later this summer as a fundraiser.
Speaking to a room filled with veterans, family members, and community supporters, outgoing American Legion Commander Dan Scace said the evening was about far more than raising money. Scace described Post 119 as “a wonderful sense of authentic American community” and credited years of volunteer leadership for transforming the Legion into a place that serves not only veterans but the entire Estes Valley.
After asking veterans, their families, and supporters to rise together, Scace looked around the packed room and said simply, “This is why and how we do what we do.” He closed by reminding guests that the Legion’s mission is summed up on the post’s challenge coin: “Honoring the past, serving the future.”
By the end of the evening, the gala had surpassed an initial $50,000 fundraising goal by more than $30,000, generating over $80,000 for the American Legion Foundation to support the operation and maintenance of American Legion Post 119.
While the post has long served as a gathering place for veterans, it has also evolved into one of Estes Park’s important community gathering spaces. Today, the building regularly hosts music events, civic meetings, nonprofit gatherings, celebrations, and public activities, making the fundraiser an investment not only in the veterans it serves but in a facility that has become an important part of the broader Estes Valley community.
Following dinner, as guests were invited into the bar area for cake and sparkling wine, tables were moved to make room for dancing as the big-band sound of the King of Swings entertained guests.
As the long three-day Independence Day weekend began, the evening offered more than an opportunity to raise money. It celebrated service, community, and the enduring role the American Legion continues to play in bringing people together under one roof.