Lee’s light shines in Paradise now...

Last week, this community lost one of its most cheerful, courageous residents, Leila Hudgins.
Most will remember her as the friendly, cheerful and gracious owner/greeter/hostess/cook/etc. at the former Gold Tooth Annie’s Restaurant that operated about 10 years ago on Ohio Ave. in Fountain, just west of City Hall.

“Lee” as most of us knew her, made everyone who walked into the door of her restaurant feel so welcomed and wanted there. (Not to mention her cooking was out-of-this-world. A God-given talent indeed!)
She and her husband, Mike, operated the restaurant for several years, much to the delight of the local community.

Then, some years ago, she was severely injured in a fall from her horse. After which, she would be diagnosed with leukemia, undergo a bone marrow transplant and be faced with even more medical situations that likely would have caused most of us to give up, lose faith, dwell on the dark side of it all... But not Leila Hudgins. Instead, (as was testified to at her memorial service Saturday), she embraced each new day with a cheery “Hi there” to her husband Michael, and warm greetings to all others she encountered, despite the terrible physical conditions she had to live with.

At the memorial service it was mentioned she had always wanted to be a teacher, and as Mike pointed out- she was. Just not the contemporary classroom type... Instead, Leila taught us many lessons in optimism, humility, courage, faith and so much more... she showed us in living and dying that no matter what one is faced with, we can truly greet each new day with a smile and make the best of it- if we so choose.
Help us celebrate our 50th...

On a different subject, I wanted to mention the News staff hopes to see you all at the Fountain Downtown Events Association’s (FDEA) Blast Dance this Saturday evening (6-10 p.m.)  in the Fountain City Hall Plaza/Main Street.

We will be kicking off our celebration of this newspaper’s 50th anniversary at the dance by giving out free anniversary cake (while supplies last), at our booth; and you can enter our contest for chances to win family-friendly summer outing prizes and more. (See related ad on printed page 13.)

Prior to the dance will be the annual Thunder in the Valley car show benefitting Fountain Valley Dollars for Scholars, a tremendous local program in which scholarships are presented to Fountain Valley area graduates each year. A volunteer-run organization, I can’t say enough about the dedicated men and women of Dollars for Scholars who give of themselves to make such a positive difference in the lives of our leaders of tomorrow. And, isn’t it nice that the Thunder in the Valley car show folks have- for a second year- decided to give their proceeds to this worthwhile program. The car show activities actually start with a cruise on Friday night - see ad on page 12.

This newspaper has been a proud sponsor of FDEA events since the group’s inception, just as we continue to be so very honored to be associated with the Dollars for Scholars program. These are just two fine examples of the many local “treasures” that our community is blessed with!

 This newspaper’s co-founder, the late Carl H. Wiese (my stepfather), was involved in the formation of the Dollars for Scholars group many years ago... Like him, we continue to believe in doing all we can to support the good that is taking place in our community. That’s why I am so proud to have been involved in the formation of the Fountain Downtown Events Association, too.

 The FDEA is a group of local volunteers dedicated to bringing about family-friendly activities for our community. And the fact that admission is still free to these events- makes this a perfect opportunity to bring the family out for a night of fun.

With rising fuel and travel costs, many are understandably opting to stay at home, or closer to home this summer. I say make the best of it and get to know your own community better...

We have numerous local “treasures” that you might not know about- come on out to the car show and the blast dance for starters... you might make some new friends! If you haven’t been there yet- a local “must-see” is the beautiful Fountain Creek Nature Center, too!

Also, another terrific (low-cost) family-friendly event is the El Paso County Fair July 19-26 in Calhan. (See related story in this issue and Commissioner Hisey’s related column.)

PATTY'S ARCHIVES
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