Rebuilding continues at Flying W Ranch

The Flying W Ranch in Colorado Springs has been around since 1953, but is in its fourth summer of being affected by the Waldo Canyon fire on June 26, 2012.

Russ Wolfe founded the ranch to provide authentic Western food and Western-style entertainment on a working cattle ranch.

The fire of 2012 destroyed the ranch, and workers began rebuilding last year, with plans to reopen on a limited basis this summer.

The ranch held a special dinner and a Western show last Saturday to celebrate its 64th anniversary.

Aaron Winter, the ranch’s general manager, said the special event “went well” and he expects to make an announcement soon about the ranch’s future.

The ranch normally is open from Memorial Day weekend through late September, and is known for providing hearty chuckwagon suppers and a western stage show to as many as 1,000 people nightly.

Volunteers have spent many hours addressing erosion and flooding issues in the wake of the fire.

The ranch is above the Mountain Shadows neighborhood on the western edge of Colorado Springs where nearly 350 homes were destroyed by the fire.