By Shannon Lukens.
Happy Thanksgiving Day!
You’ll see happy runners and walkers, some dressed as turkeys, in this morning’s Steamboat Springs 5K Turkey Trot. It starts at 9:30 a.m. at Steamboat Springs High School. The Turkey Trot is a benefit for the SSHS Track & Field and Cross Country programs. If you are turkey trotting, please bring a donation to the LiftUp Food bank.
The annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner is from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 27. The Thanksgiving Day dinner is coordinated each year by United Way of the Yampa Valley, with help from local businesses and community members. This meal is free, thanks to community volunteers and food donations. The Thanksgiving dinner is open to seniors, students, seasonal workers, visitors, and those who don’t want to cook. Everyone!
In 2024, there were 500 attendees, 700 meals served, and 284 volunteers.
- More details are at UnitedWayoftheYampaValley.org
- Details on Thanksgiving Dinner
- Link to Volunteer
- Link to Donate Food
St. Michael’s Church in Craig is hosting a Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving meal from 2:45-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. Grab-n-Go boxes are also available until five p.m.
You have hopefully arrived at your destination for Thanksgiving Day today, but be prepared for heavy mountain traffic through the weekend, especially Sunday when snow is in the forecast.
Make sure you have a full tank of gas and your windshield wiper fluid is topped off. Have an emergency kit. Slow down for the weather conditions. Don’t pass snowplows on the right. And check road conditions at COtrip.org
More on the Story — Tips for handling heavy holiday traffic, if you have to travel
The Western Resilience Center is asking for original artwork from local artists for an exhibition called Insight: Art for Climate Action 2026. The theme will emphasize climate action through visual storytelling, inspiring thoughtful conversations and positive change. Each participating artist will receive 25% of the sale price from their artwork and the remaining proceeds benefit the Western Resilience Center. Submissions are due by Feb. 1. More information is at WesternResilience.org
To participate and learn more about Insight, visit westernresilience.org/events/insight-art-for-climate-action/ or email Jill Bergman at jill.bergman@westernresilience.org with any questions.
Executive Director of Undiscovered Earth and Prescription for the Arts, Dagny McKinley, has been invited to speak at the Colorado Cooperation Fall Conference December 5th in Pueblo as part of a panel on the high rates of suicide in Colorado.
Prescription for the Arts is the first social prescribing program in the state of Colorado, meaning the program gives mental health professionals the opportunity to prescribe arts experiences instead of or in additional to traditional pills. McKinley aims to stress that the arts can be used as a tool to help people who struggle with isolation, depression and anxiety. One of the larger goals of Prescription for the Arts is to have mental health prescribed arts experiences covered under regular health insurance. McKinley has had exploratory conversations with individuals at Kaiser Permanente about that possibility.
Check out what’s happening in the Yampa Valley on the Community Calendar on our website.
For the KRAI Time, Temp, and Weather Hotline, call 970-824-1918.