By Jeffrey V. Smith
GOLD HILL
Celebrate the 141st year of the historic two-room Gold Hill School during its annual Fall Fiesta Fundraiser, Nov. 12, at the Gold Hill Inn. Third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students wait on diners who can enjoy a taco buffet dinner, fantastic raffle prizes, unique local silent auction, and music by Blue Mountain Jam. All money raised by the event goes to providing funds for the school’s enrichment events.

The Gold Hill School offers an incredible and unique education and has touched thousands of lives of students, parents and the broader community,” organizer Jennifer Lansky said. “Against all odds, the Gold Hill School has remained in continual operation since it first opened in the fall of 1873 as a one-room log schoolhouse.”

The school narrowly survived being destroyed by a wind driven wildfire in November 1894 when the entire town was saved by a dramatic change of wind and the onset of a snowstorm. In 2010, the school also survived the Four Mile fire where numerous houses were lost in the area. Although its enrollment has fluctuated wildly from one student to eighty in its 141 years of operation, the Gold Hill School is the longest continually operating school in Colorado and remains a tremendous source of pride and community for the town of Gold Hill.

According to Lansky, all the money raised by this event goes to providing funds for the school’s enrichment events like field trips, visiting artists, outdoor education and a school play. It also helps provide support for low-income students to participate in fee-based activities including field trips to museums, ice skating lessons, raising bees and making honey, a camping trip, ecological hikes, and a ski program.

Dinner is served from 5-7 p.m., and music continues until 9 p.m. Dinner tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for kids under 12. Dinner and raffle tickets can be purchased at the door. Raffle tickets, which are $10 each and good for prizes including over $200 in Boulder restaurant gift certificates, items or gift cards from Athleta, Boulder Book Store, Gold Hill Store, Into the Wind, Colorado Athletic Club, Puddle Car Wash, Nite-Ize, Marroccos, University Bicycles, movie tickets and more. Ticket holders do not need to be present to win.

For anyone who can’t make it to the event and would like to purchase raffle tickets or make a donation, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/gold-hill-school-fall-fiesta-tickets-13554518931. Also, checks can be made out to Mountain Meddlers and sent to The Gold Hill School at 890 Main Street, Boulder, CO 80302.

For more information, contact Lansky at 303-442-2709 or e-mail jbottar@yahoo.com.

Originally published in the November 2014 issue of MMAC Monthly