Maverick Life

Gentlemen, start your coffins for the Annual Emma Crawford Coffin Races. The 2022 Emma Crawford Coffin Races promise to be one of the eeriest – and comical – events you will ever witness. Held annually since 1995, the event has grown from just six teams to about70 coffin race teams and 12,000 spectators.

Halloween is almost here! But with COVID-19 and the fear of spreading it, Halloween is going to look very different this year. We will still have Boo at the Zoo, Haunted Lantern Tour at the Cave of the Winds, and a host of other incredible events, but we may not see as many little witches, princesses, and comic book heroes at our doors.

With Christmas around the corner, we thought we would share our favorite holiday memories and traditions. This year we want to celebrate with our family and friends but may have to limit ourselves to video chat and phone calls. Of course, this does not mean we will limit our traditions, but change them in subtle ways to support the health and safety of our community. And who knows? Maybe we will discover new traditions.

We have wonderful TMO Staff Thanksgiving memories and traditions and we wanted to share them with you. Happy Thanksgiving!

Maintaining a sense of yesterday while continuing to make great food and make memories for the younger generation is key to Cy's Drive In Restaurant which has been operating in the Springs since the 1940s. The current owner, Kathy Micci, who has operated it since 2005, continues to make shakes, malts and burgers that still bring that sense of fun and comfort.

Introducing new segments of the population to the joy of mountain biking is something that has always been close to the heart of Natalia Pulido since she arrived in Manitou Springs with her husband Manuel in 2016. Now teaching clinics for Colorado Mountain Biking Association (COMBA), their Latina Women's Program, Pulido hopes to inspire more Latinas to embrace this sport as she has.

Phantom Canyon Brewing Company has been a steward of Colorado Brewing since the early 1990s. But progress is about moving with the times, and understanding the evolving beer culture while continuing to be a place where memories are made. Charles McManus, current head brewer at Phantom Canyon who made the transition from Wynkoop Brewing in Denver, is focused on legacy, both of the brewery itself and also of his own path.

Improving trails and creating new ones, both for conservation, community connection, and outdoor enjoyment, is what drives Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates. For over 30 years, this non-profit organization has focused on creating and maintaining trails for mountain bikers through building relationships with local land management agencies including the City of Colorado Springs Parks Department, El Paso County Parks, the US Forest Service, the BLM, and Colorado State Parks.

Having been in the brewing business for nearly 25 years in Berlin, Philipp Brokamp has watched the brewing business in Berlin transform into a burgeoning craft scene. Comparing the similarities between a beer culture in Germany (specifically Berlin) and the evolving and robust brewing culture in Colorado comes back to consistent taste and forming an intrinsic community of beer lovers that can recognize quality and creativity.

Brewing beer in Berlin has evolved in recent memory because of the influx of craft brewers. Thorsten Schoppe, founder/master brewer of Schoppe Brau in the Kreuzberg section of East Berlin, understands the tastes of his customers.