Photo By Norman Shifflett | COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Thousands of Colorado Springs community members attend the...... read more read more
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Soldiers from Fort Carson helped prepare breakfast for thousands of community members at the annual Western Street Breakfast in downtown Colorado Springs June 20, 2024.
The service members volunteered to cook and serve nearly 1,100 pounds of pancake bater; 1,500 pounds of eggs and sausage; 80 gallons of syrup; 500 gallons of coffee; 7,500 pints of milk; and 2,500 pints of juice, according to the Western Street Breakfast committee.
Maj. Gen. David Doyle, the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, welcomed the crowd to the street breakfast and thanked them for their support of Fort Carson.
“We are really proud to be a part of this community; the Front Range community takes great care of us,” said Doyle. “It’s largely because of people like you, the families that support our Soldiers and who support our mission. You help us do our job, we can’t do what we do without your support.”
Approximately 60 Soldiers started setting up for the event at midnight so they could begin serving food at 5:30 a.m.
“I feel very honored that we get to come out here and support the community as well as interact with people who support what we do,” said Staff Sgt. Basmine Jenkins, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div. “Even though it was very rough last night, we had to make sure we got the meals right for everyone that was coming through this morning.”
The downtown Colorado Springs roads were blocked off and 1,100 bales of hay were placed for attendees to sit on while they ate breakfast and listened to live music from Exit West, Flying W. Wranglers along with a performance by the Sweetwater Native American Hoop Dancers.
Children participated in the Western dress-up contest, practiced roping skills on hay bales and visited the kiddie corral where they received free cowboy hats and bandanas.
Fort Carson has been supporting the street breakfast for 59 years and proceeds go back to the local service members and their Family members.
“We are glad to be here today supporting a community that we feel so grateful to be a part of,” said Col. Sean M. Brown, commander, U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson. “Fort Carson is so lucky to be a part of the Colorado Springs community, and this is just a little bit we can do to give back to this awesome town.”
The Western Street Breakfast kicks off the start of rodeo season throughout the Pikes Peak region.
Over 200 members of the Pikes Peak Range Riders left the breakfast site on horseback for their annual four-day ride around Pikes Peak. It is the 76th year the Pikes Peak Range Riders have made this ride to promote the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo.
The rodeo runs July 9-13 at the Norris-Penrose Event Center, with July 10 dedicated to honoring Fort Carson.
The rodeo, which has been a part of Colorado Springs history for 80 years, will feature steer wrestling, mutton busting, barrel racing, bull riding and more. Visit https://www.pikespeakorbust.org/ for more information.
| Date Taken: | 06.20.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2024 17:34 |
| Story ID: | 474835 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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