07/02/2026
Jamie snagged a quick photo with one of our firefighter heroes before they headed back to their day. 🚒❤️
There I was, tucked into my usual corner during a virtual City of Fort Collins Disability Advisory Board meeting, happily listening along when I noticed everyone else looking around with confused expressions.
I finally asked, "Does anyone else smell smoke?"
The response from my meeting was simply, "...I think you should go."
A few moments later, while our wonderful guests waited patiently outside, one of the firefighters invited me back in to show me the culprit.
Apparently our giant refrigerator had decided that, in honor of the Fourth of July, it wanted to celebrate early by producing its own sparkler show from the bottom. ✨🔥
While I appreciate enthusiasm... fireworks are banned this year!
This is one of those good-bad problems.
The good: It happened during the slowest part of our day, and our guests were incredibly kind and patient. Even better, we caught the smoke before it turned into a fire. Had it happened later in the day—or gone unnoticed—it could have been absolutely devastating.
The less magical part? Our beloved refrigerator—the gentle giant that keeps mountains of dairy, and deliciousness happily chilled—has officially retired.
If you've been thinking about stopping by, now is a wonderful time! Grab a coffee, treat yourself to rolled ice cream, bring a friend, or pick up a gift card. Every purchase helps our little community café recover from this unexpected expense and continue creating meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
As always, thank you for being the kind of community that shows up when things get a little smoky. We truly couldn't do this adventure without you. 💛✨
