The Black Forest Log Hall Runs on Potlucks, Line Dancers and a Donated Dump Truck
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
The Backyard Market's last Saturday of the season at Shoup and Black Forest roads is October 17. After that, almost everything on the Black Forest Community Club calendar through December 5 happens next door, in the log hall at 12530 Black Forest Road. The club says the building turns 100 in 2027. Look at what each event asks of the people who come. Octoberfest wants a side dish. Trunk-R-Treat wants a decorated vehicle. The Veterans Day gathering is a potluck, and line dancing runs on a suggested donation. That has been the deal since the hall went up. Neighbors bring what they have, and the building keeps going.
If you only stop by for the market, the Backyard Farm Shop at 6845 Shoup Road stays open all year. The rest of this season's community life is a short walk north, inside the logs. We covered the market's new parking fee earlier this year. This post is about the building that has hosted the forest's get-togethers for far longer.
The club's own history says it formed in the mid-1920s. At the time, about 30 families were spread across a roughly 420-square-mile area, and the little log schoolhouse on Shoup Road was too small for meetings. Black Forest Road was still called Templeton Gap Road. In 1924 the families decided to build a hall. Gertrude Burgess donated the land, and neighbors donated trees from their own property. The men cut the logs with axes and cross-cut saws. The women and children peeled the bark.
"By 1927 the walls were up, the roof was on, and the floor was done. A dance was held to celebrate, even though the doors and windows had yet to be installed."
That line comes from the club's history page. The club was chartered in 1929. That's why the drawing at the top of its website reads "Established 1929," even though the logs went up earlier.
The same pattern kept going for decades. Members built a north-side kitchen, cloakroom and restrooms in the early 1950s, and the hall got running water from a new well. In the 1960s, members voted to allow roller skating, so they took out the old stage and added a new stage and dressing rooms on the west end for the melodramas. They also put in a new hardwood floor. Members also used donated materials and their own labor to build a two-bay cement block fire station on county land at the corner. Dances, bingo and dinners in the hall helped pay for the fire department until it became tax-supported in 1976. Several groups got their start in the hall, including the Black Forest Fire Department, the Black Forest Saddle Club and the group that became the Black Forest Arts & Crafts Guild.
The 3 to 5 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, October 17, is the clearest example of how the hall keeps running. In the October newsletter, club director Steve White writes that the Munson family has been part of the club for generations. He says they still volunteer their time and equipment to keep the club in working order. Appetizers and beer follow the presentation.
The Monument Independent traced the family through old copies of the Black Forest News and The Columbine Herald. Paul and Dorothie Munson moved from a farm in Cass County, Indiana, around 1955 and bought the old Black Forest Store in 1959. By 1961 both were Community Club members, and Paul was a captain in the volunteer fire department. In August 1979, when volunteers replaced the hall's roof, the paper said their son Jack would bring his dump truck. The October plaque thanks a family that has been showing up with equipment for close to 50 years.
The newest work on the property was done the same way. Joe Hawkins of Hawkins Land Solutions built the new fence along the Black Forest Road side of the Backyard. He charged the club only for materials, which saved it several thousand dollars. The club's total cost came in just under $12,000. The fence is cement composite with the color mixed in, so it never needs staining. Board members picked a shade called Rawhide.
The fence is one of several upkeep projects listed in this year's newsletters. The club has added security cameras, replaced a cistern transfer pump, serviced the gas heaters, put in new fire extinguishers and smoke alarms, and regraded the Backyard. The September newsletter reported that the club had raised more than $3,000 toward a new digital sign.
Some of that money comes from the dance floor. Mack Sharp proposed a line-dancing program in January 2018. By July 2026, according to the September newsletter, Mack and Yong Sharp's group had given about $14,000 to the center. The beginner classes run weekly, welcome walk-ins and ask for a donation of at least $5 per class. Class times change, so check the calendar at bfcommunityclub.org before you go. Sharp's dancers also led the Harvest Hoe Down potluck on September 12, and the newsletter recommends proper footwear for next time. Family membership renewals are open now at $20.
Two items on that list have roots inside the hall. Black Rose started with a gathering there on April 8, 1994, and still holds concerts there on the second and fourth Fridays of most months. Its weekly jams have moved to venues around Colorado Springs, so the Friday concerts are the main Black Rose events left in the forest.
The Guild says it was established in 1965, and its PeakRadar listing calls this year's event the 62nd annual fall show. Vendors sell quilts, afghans, pottery, woodworking, stained glass, jams and jellies, and autumn-themed baked goods. Shoppers at the show help fund the Guild's scholarship. The scholarship was created in 2006 and is awarded to a graduating senior from a local high school who lives in the 80908 or 80831 ZIP code.
The club's Membership Committee, Christy Collins, Deb Heitman and Shelly Still, gives welcome packets to new homeowners in Black Forest. Each packet includes a list of local businesses, last updated in September 2026. The food and drink section works well as a guide for before or after a concert:
The Guild show is the busiest stretch of the season for the hall. It runs five straight days, and Thursday through Saturday it's open from 9 in the morning until 7 at night. A Wednesday evening visit gets you in during the opening hours, and Sunday's shorter hours close out the show at 2 p.m.
At Pulse Real Estate Group, we pay attention to the forest's calendar because the community's events shape how people live here. If you're settling in after a recent move, the Black Forest neighborhood page is a good place to start. If you're a longtime owner wondering what your acreage is worth before the hall turns 100, ask us for a free home valuation.
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