John Scarffe, Nederland. Peak to Peak area residents and their dogs packed the Knotted Root Brewery, 250 N. Caribou Street in Nederland, to unveil a special new brew during a fund-raising event on October 3 from 4 to 8 p.m. A portion of the proceeds for sale of the beer will go to the new nonprofit Mountain Paws Pet Care Fund. 

Five local residents, including Gilpin County residents Ginger Baer and Sandy Hollingsworth, are forming the nonprofit to raise funds to help take care of pets who have a sudden onset of a critical need, to help the owners and to prevent euthanasia or surrender. They are applying for 501(c)(3) status and plan to cover the Boulder County Mountain area, Gilpin County and Coal Creek Canyon. 

“This is a whole community effort,” Baer said. It has been very well received from the people I’ve talked to. She is affiliated with Dani Dillon at the Nederland Veterinary Hospital, and Roxanne McConnell with the Peak to Peak Animal Hospital, so she is collaborating with the two hospitals. “It truly is a community effort.”

The group began creating the fund this spring to serve the Peak to Peak region. To complete the application for 501(c)(3) status and officially become a Colorado charitable association, so donations are tax deductible, they must pay a $250 fee. The nonprofit also wants to have a website, which costs money to build and maintain, Baer said. 

On September 7, 2019, at a fund-raising event for Nederland’s Carousel of Happiness, Knotted Root owners Chris Marchio and Chris Klein put up an auction item for a hands-on brewing experience. 

Sandy Hollingsworth put up a bid for the brewing experience and won the bid for the nonprofit organization. “We have no other nonprofit for animal care,” Hollingsworth said. “We love animals, and we love the land.”  She also believes that it’s important to support small businesses in the area, and this supports Knotted Root Brewery.

Baer and Hollingsworth gathered with the owner and employees of Knotted Root Brewery on Friday, September 13, 2019, to start brewing the special beer. Hollingsworth said this is going to be a really dark beer, and employee Jordan said it will be a sweet, dark beer with hints of chocolate and honey. This is the first dark beer the brewery has made.

At the end of the day, the group decided to name the charity beer in honor of Eddie Money who passed on September 13. The name is “Take Me Home Tonight.”

Beginning at the fund-raising event on October 3, they will have the special brew throughout the month as long as it lasts. Amy Wineberg, who was helping at the event, said the nonprofit has received support from people in the area as well as from other counties.

“Everything just came together. It needs to happen, and now we can tap into other funds,” Wineberg said.

Baer asked Knotted Root employees if it was usually this busy on Thursday nights, and they said not usually. Results of the funds raised through the special brew will not be available until all the beer has been sold.

In the meantime, to make a donation to the Mountain Paws Pet Care Fund, send an email to Mountainpawspetcare@gmail.com.

(Originally published in the October 10, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)