In August 1979, the Black Forest News told readers that volunteers would be replacing the roof on the Community Hall and that Jack Munson would bring his dump truck. Forty-seven years later, on Saturday, Oct. 17, the Black Forest Community Club will give the Munson family a plaque in that same hall. A club director wrote in the October newsletter that the family still volunteers its time and equipment to keep the building working.
The dump truck tells you how the building runs. The log hall at 12530 Black Forest Road was built by volunteers, it is still maintained by volunteers, and that is why so much of Black Forest's October through December happens at one corner.
Built by the people who would use it
The club's history page says the community decided to build a hall in 1924. Gertrude Burgess donated the land and residents donated the trees. Men cut and hauled the logs, and women and children peeled the bark. By 1927 the walls, roof and floor were up, and residents held a dance to celebrate before the doors and windows were even installed.
The club received its charter in 1929, two years after that first dance, and it says the hall turns 100 in 2027. The club has not announced any centennial plans yet. It is still doing what it did in 1927: asking neighbors to pitch in so the building stays useful.
The family that never stopped showing up
The Monument Independent's Oct. 2 article on the Munson plaque traced the family through issues of the Black Forest News and The Columbine Herald kept in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The pieces add up to a family history that is also a history of the club:
- About 1955: Paul and Dorothie Munson move their children to Black Forest from a farm in Cass County, Indiana.
- May 1956: The Columbine Herald lists "Mrs. Dorothy Munson" as its Black Forest reporter.
- February 1959: The Munsons, who had been running service stations, buy the old Black Forest Store.
- March 1960: Some 40 volunteer firefighters are at work within eight minutes of a fire off Shoup Road. That same month, "Mrs. Paul Munson" chaperones a dance for 60 to 70 teenagers at the Community Club.
- March 1962: Jack and two other men pull two horses out of an iced-over pond at Farwest Stables before the fire department arrives.
- August 1979: The dump truck and the new roof.
A 1961 Black Forest News profile listed both Munsons as Community Club members and Paul as a captain in the volunteer fire department. It also said of the couple:
Both are "very interested in the teenagers of the Forest."
The plaque presentation runs from 3 to 5 p.m., and appetizers and beer follow the ceremony.
The same habit, in 2026
The club's newest project followed the same pattern. The Backyard, the club's outdoor grounds, has a new fence along Black Forest Road. Joe Hawkins of Hawkins Land Solutions built it and charged only for materials, which the newsletter says saved the club several thousand dollars. The fence cost just under $12,000. It is a cement composite in a color called Rawhide, picked from four options at a board meeting.
Running on donated labor shows up in the prices too. Family dues are $20 a year. Renewals for 2027 open Oct. 1 and close Dec. 31, and renewing in that window keeps a member eligible to vote in the club's annual election. Under the bylaws, voting membership covers households inside the boundaries of the old Black Forest Preservation Plan. Households outside those boundaries can join as associate members for the same $20. The membership committee also gives new Black Forest homeowners a directory of 32 local churches, restaurants, shops, clinics and tradespeople, last updated in September.
What's on at the hall, October through December
The club calendar, the Black Rose Acoustic Society schedule and the Arts & Crafts Guild show all fit into one 10-week stretch at the same address. Two events from neighbors on Shoup Road fill in the rest of the Halloween week.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 9, 7 p.m. | Black Rose concert: Acoustic Eidolon | The hall |
| Sat., Oct. 10, 5 p.m. | Octoberfest | The hall |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. | Farmers market closing day | 6845 Shoup Road |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 3–5 p.m. | Munson family plaque | The hall |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m. | Board and officers meeting, open to members | The hall |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Black Rose concert: Colleen Orender | The hall |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 5–9 p.m. | Trick-or-Treat, $10 per car | La Foret, 6145 Shoup Road |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 3–5 p.m. | Trunk or Treat | The Backyard |
| Wed.–Sun., Nov. 4–8 | Arts & Crafts Guild Fall Show | The hall |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Black Rose concert: Stray Grass | The hall |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Veterans Day celebration | The hall |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Black Rose concert: Stillhouse Junkies | The hall |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 2–7 p.m. | Christmas market and Santa, tree lighting at 5 p.m. | The hall |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | Black Rose concert: Rocky Mountain Stocking Stuffers | The hall |
Octoberfest and the potlucks
At Octoberfest, the club provides the brats, sauerkraut and drinks, and guests bring a side or a dessert. The Nov. 14 Veterans Day celebration is also a potluck, with a band and a flag retirement ceremony led by Boy Scouts. The newsletter gives the date for that one but not the time.
Halloween week, three ways
The Backyard Market wraps up its Saturday farmers market on Oct. 17 with trick-or-treating at vendor booths and a dog costume contest. The market describes itself as the area's largest producers-only farmers market, with 70-plus vendors and only Colorado produce. On Oct. 30, La Foret Conference & Retreat Center hosts its trick-or-treat night with games, crafts and seasonal snacks and drinks, according to The Gazette's Halloween roundup. The club's Trunk or Treat on Halloween takes place in the Backyard, and anyone decorating a vehicle can start setting up at 1 p.m.
Two tenants nearly as old as the habit
Two groups have made the hall their regular venue for decades.
The Black Rose Acoustic Society first met at the Black Forest Community Center on April 8, 1994. The Gazette reported that its first concert at the hall came the following year. Its regular concerts fall on the second and fourth Fridays of most months, and it also runs jams and classes. The Oct. 9 show features Acoustic Eidolon, a cello and guitar duo. Tickets are $15, or $8 for members and students with ID, and children 12 and under get in free. The group notes that its schedule can change.
The Black Forest Arts & Crafts Guild was founded in 1965. According to a 2017 Gazette article, its show started as an art contest run by 11 Guild members, and that year's event was the 53rd annual, so this fall's show is in its seventh decade. The 2026 Fall Show runs Nov. 4 from 4 to 7 p.m., Nov. 5 through 7 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Since 2006, the Guild has awarded a scholarship to a graduating senior from the Black Forest and Peyton area. Members, the community and patrons of its spring and fall shows pay for it.
The pattern from 1927 holds here too. Neighbors make things, sell them in the log hall, and the money goes back to local kids.
Before the plaque
The club's October newsletter, edited by Carolyn Brown, runs eight pages and lists dates into December. It is posted on the club's newsletters page along with back issues to January 2025. You can pay dues on the club website or mail a check to P.O. Box 88034, Black Forest, CO 80908-8034. Line dancing and other classes are listed on the club's events calendar.
Many of the people at the hall on Oct. 17 have their own history in the forest, and some will have stories as long as the Munsons'. At The Johnson Team, we sell homes in Black Forest knowing that a log hall and the volunteers who keep it running are part of what buyers are getting. If you're thinking about selling your Black Forest property, we'll put together a marketing plan that tells that story. Get Your Free Home Marketing Plan.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
