Volunteer Weekend is a long standing tradition at Shadowcliff. It is not just a time to connect, serve with intention, and meet new and old friends. It is a homecoming.
Some travelled two days to arrive at Shadowcliff to help clean, repair, create, construct, and much more!  It was a great turn-out for a packed Volunteer Weekend. The place was alive with hugs from long-term friends and lively chatter among new ones. In May, and especially the last weekend of May, we enjoyed each and every person who came to bless us. Â
Volunteer Weekend culminated with almost 50 volunteers! Staff jumped in with the volunteers, led by Volunteer Coordinator, Duncan Foss, Maintenance Managers Dave Clagget and Trevor Gardner. Â The air was filled with friendly banter, sounds of paint brushes, drills spinning, wood chipping and many marmot chirps. Our guest kitchen deck was beautifully replaced with 2 extra feet to spare; allowing for small tables and chairs to be placed and enjoyed.
Former Directors Bob Mann and lovely wife Judith took quickly to the legacy garden, located in the center of the circle. So much progress was made! Still more to do! Ellen Stein Wallace and husband Luther brought and replaced solar lights along the driveway and property. What a valuable addition that replenishes light on the paths! Thank You!
Trails were cleaned up following the deep snows of winter. And fallen trees were repurposed into trail mulch through a wood chipper to create clean, safe paths between the buildings. Paths were updated with new mulch and some updates were made in the cabins. Operations Manager Meg Kennedy lead the charge with task organization and implementation. Board Chair Kelly Yarbrough arrived earlier in the week and hit the ground running by helping with prepping all the cleaning supplies and more.
Grand Lake Community Connections & Saturday Night Program
We were very lucky to have the incredible Skelly Warren for the weekend. As former Shadowcliff GM, Board Director, and Founder of Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater, Skelly shared historical stories of Shadowcliff and the Grand Lake community.  He then joined in a trip to the Grand Lake Community House where Skelly recounted the rich history of the local theater — and where Shadowcliff Events and Activities Scott Merchant now stewards local events and productions.
Grand Lake connections continued in a special evening celebration on Saturday. This year’s Theme was “Shadowcliff: Stories and Songs of Love and Kindness”. The program opened with a heartfelt message from Grand Lake town trustee Christina Bergquist. Scott created a collage of recorded and live stories. Tears flowed as stories were shared and songs were sung. Elder members sharing from near and far, some on video! Former Board Director Mary Silwance shared an inspiring poem presentation on video. Â Other guests, former leaders, and current leaders, shared the special moments.
Long-time friends of Shadowcliff Geoff and Kate Elliot joined the house band for the celebration. Bruce Phillips, Shadowcliff Office Manager premiered a composition titled “Within You”. Scott also composed a Shadowcliff Anthem “We are Shadowcliff”. It was a night of fun, love, sharing and remembrance.
Blaine was introduced as executive director, and spoke a bit about the vision of Shadowcliff. He and the board directors met to plan and begin implementing a sustainable future for Shadowcliff. Stay tuned for update on how the board and staff are leading Shadowcliff into a bright season.
The celebration video of Saturday evening is being edited and will be available in the next weeks to come. There is also a livestream video of the event on our Facebook page. Volunteer weekend is proof that Shadowcliff is not only a place, it is its vast and diverse community of people!