John Scarffe, Coal Creek. After a year of operation, the Last Stand restaurant at 32138 Highway 72 in Coal Creek Canyon is not only still standing, but it is going strong. The restaurant and bar celebrated its one-year anniversary on February 16, 2019.

Owner Annette Lambeth said the actual date when the Last Stand first opened was February 4, 2018. She retired after 30 years as a school administrator, so this is her retirement hobby.

Specialties of the Last Stand include hamburgers, original Philly Cheesesteak and Primati Brothers style sandwiches. Lambeth said she is from Philadelphia, hence the Cheesesteak, and her husband is from Pittsburg, hence the Primati.

One of Lambeth’s cooks is from Philadelphia. “It has been successful. The canyon has been great to us and very supportive. We have direct TV and all the games on all the time. We fly the Bronco’s flag all the time.

“I want to thank the canyon for all their support, the feedback and being really good friends to us,” Lambeth said. “I want to say a huge thank you to John Novak who is the general manager. He’s a local person and lives in the canyon.

“He has been instrumental in supporting us, and the whole team has been outstanding,” she said.

Vanessa, an employee, started working at the Last Stand on Memorial Day weekend, after moving to the canyon in April from Illinois. Her boyfriend builds houses and got another job in this area.

Vanessa had never seen the mountains before, and she said it was breathtaking. The Last Stand can be hit or miss as far as busyness, but the locals keep them alive. During games, it gets loud but it’s fun, she said.

Canyon resident Dawn Williams said that the Last Stand is something everyone can enjoy, and they have been very busy. People come to watch games on the television, and they have had dinner parties here.

The Last Stand will stay open so they can finish watching the games, Williams said. One lady brought her craft club up. “It’s a community gathering place.”

Williams attended the anniversary as a representative of Canyon Cares of Coal Creek Canyon, which believes the community has a responsibility to help a neighbor going through a tough time and making the community stronger. Williams said the organization provided $18,000 to people in need in Coal Creek County, Gilpin County and Nederland.

Just recently, they delivered a chord of wood for a man in need. “It takes a lot of people to raise that kind of money,” Williams said. Canyon Cares has been an organization for ten years. As a fundraiser they sell license plate frames that say “Coal Creek” and “Gilpin.”

Canyon Cares provides financial assistance in response to community member requests for short-term crises funding such as housing, utilities, food and water, transportation and healthcare. For assistance, contact 720-515-1129, email canyoncares.org@gmail.com. For donations, make checks payable Canyon Cares of Coal Creek Canyon at P.O. Box 7392, Golden, CO, 80403.

(Originally published in the February 21, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)