"The opportunity for making permanent records is fast passing away." That was how The Columbine Herald urged Palmer Lake to show up on Sept. 28, 1956, for a meeting in the Palmer Lake School auditorium. The plan was to start a historical society. Its main job would be to publish a history of the town that had been sitting in manuscript for 14 years. Members voted in bylaws on Oct. 18, and the Palmer Lake Historical Society counts that date as its founding.
Seventy years later, the society's work shows up all over town. It is in the Yule Log Hunt, the fountain in the lake, the bronze dog on the Village Green, the state listing behind the Star, and the museum under the library. The other half of Palmer Lake's holiday season belongs to a second volunteer group, the Volunteer Fire Department, which has looked after the Star since 1937. Between them, these two groups cover most of the town's calendar from now until mid-December.
A Week That Starts With the Fire Department
The season opens Monday, Oct. 5, with a Celebration of Life and Star Lighting for Richard "Curly" Kuehster. Kuehster died Sept. 28 at 73. He was born in Denver, owned a business in downtown Castle Rock for 50 years, served as Palmer Lake's volunteer fire chief and sat on the Town Council. Our Community News reported that his council term ran from 2013 to 2018, including time as Mayor Pro Tem. His obituary lists the Celebration of Life at noon at Town Hall.
Lighting the Star in October fits his history. The department he led has kept the Star on Sundance Mountain for nearly nine decades, and each year's Chili Supper helps pay for its upkeep.
Ten Volunteers and a Town's Memory
The Historical Society has 86 memberships. According to the Monument Independent, about 10 of those members do the actual work. They serve as officers and directors, staff the museum as docents, organize the collections, run the monthly programs and produce the yearly Tri-Lakes history calendar. Asked what the society needs most, secretary Patricia Atkins put volunteers first, followed by members, donations, program attendance and museum visitors.
The leadership has deep family roots. The museum director, Roger Davis, is the grandson of Marian McIntyre McDonough, the society's first president. McDonough wrote Western novels for teenagers and read the town history aloud to neighbors in the fall of 1956 to raise money for printing it. The 2026 board is led by president Jeannine Engel and vice president Diane Kokes.
Much of what the society has done over 70 years is now part of the town itself:
- 1998: It gave the town the fountain in the lake, a replica of one that stood there around 1900.
- 2006: For its 50th anniversary, it commissioned a bronze of Dizzy, the German shepherd who carried supplies for the volunteers building the Star in 1935. Donna Arndt's sculpture was dedicated on the Village Green on Oct. 21, 2006.
- 2013: The Star joined the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties on a nomination written by board member Jack Anthony. The state approved it unanimously.
- 2017: It refurbished the town's 1891 jail for the third time. As far as the society knows, the jail held one prisoner, who tried to burn through the window frame with a candle. The char marks are still visible.
- 2019: Town Hall, built around 1914, was added to the State Register on Sept. 20, 2019.
The museum has a date of its own today. The Lucretia Vaile Library and Museum building was dedicated on Oct. 4, 1981, 45 years ago. It was paid for with Vaile's $46,000 bequest, county money and society funds. The museum takes up the lower level of the Pikes Peak Library District branch at 66 Lower Glenway St. It is free and open Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Its best-known exhibit is "Old Disappearance," a mountain lion shot in 1922.
The Anniversary Night, and a Flag Going on Display
The society marks its 70th on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. Doors open at 6:30. The event is free and open to the public. It takes the place of the regular October program. Board members will cover the society's founders, publications and collections and the history of the town flag, followed by cake and refreshments.
The flag is the one item from the evening that stays out for good. Palmer Lake's flag was made in 1976 for the bicentennial celebration held jointly with Monument. Matie Tribble won the design contest, and Patricia Schmidt and June Beachy sewed it. After the presentation, it goes on display in Town Hall.
Membership costs $20 a year for an individual, $30 for a family and $10 for a student. Anyone who joins before the end of December is also covered through 2027. Joining is done through the society's membership page.
The Rest of October Around Town
Between the memorial and the holidays, the town calendar stays busy:
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Through Oct. 17 | "Driving Miss Daisy," Funky Little Theater Company | Listed on the Town calendar |
| Sundays through Oct. 25 | Palmer Lake Farmers Market | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., behind Calvert's Mini Market, 4 CO-105 Unit C |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Palmer Lake .5K | 10:30 a.m., a 546-yard loop around the south end of the lake with a donut stop |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | "The Honest Cheat Show" | Magic show, tickets through the Town |
| Fri., Oct. 30 | Trunk or Treat | 5 to 7 p.m. |
The .5K finishes with an after-party at O'Malley's Steak Pub, 104 Highway 105. For breakfast or lunch on Highway 105, Lake & Lantern Café, founded by Racquel Garcia, is at 84-2 CO-105. In July the Monument Independent reported that the owners plan to add dinner, so check current hours before going.
The Star in Late November
The Star's annual Chili Supper is traditionally held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Last year's was the 90th, on Nov. 29, 2025, at Town Hall, together with the Star Lighting. As of early October, the Town had not posted a 2026 date. Following the tradition, it would fall on Nov. 28, but that date is unconfirmed. The Town notes that the Star stays lit every night for the holidays, from the Saturday after Thanksgiving through December.
The Yule Log Season, in Three Dates
The Yule Log is the society's most direct link to its own founders. Lucretia Vaile, one of the seven directors elected in 1956, brought the ceremony to Palmer Lake with Evalena Macy, pastor of the Little Log Church. The society dates the celebration to 1934, when the two women obtained a splinter from the Lake Placid, New York, Yule log. The first event was held in a local home. Our Community News has given 1933 as the start year.
This year's schedule, all at Palmer Lake Town Hall:
- Thursday, Nov. 19, 7 to 9 p.m.: The society's monthly program covers the history of the Yule Log and how it came to town.
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 6 to 9 p.m.: The annual Yule Log Potluck, held on the Wednesday before the hunt.
- Sunday, Dec. 13, 1 to 4 p.m.: The Yule Log Hunt.
The hunt follows a long-standing format. Hunters in red and green capes search the woods near town for a hidden log. The person who finds it rides it back while the others pull it to Town Hall. There the log is split, with half burned and half saved for next year. The finder gets the first wassail, and everyone gets wassail and cookies before the Christmas carols. Last year's Town flyer said participants could wear their own red cape or bring a few dollars to rent one. The 2026 listing doesn't give a price or registration details.
The Historical Society plans the Nov. 19 program, the potluck and the hunt. The volunteer firefighters keep the Star lit, a job Kuehster's department has held since 1937.
Many Palmer Lake homes sit within a short walk of these landmarks, from the Village Green to the 1914 Town Hall. If you'd like to talk through a property close to that history, or what owning one here involves, Michael Turner and the team know this town well and are glad to help. Book an Appointment whenever you're ready.
