December 17, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The AdAmAn Club
Preparing for 94th Climb
Colorado Springs, Colorado December 17, 2015----------
Preparations for the 94th climb of the AdAmAn Club are in full swing. Since 1922, the AdAmAn club has made its annual winter trek to the
summit of Pikes Peak to fire a midnight blast of fireworks to help the Pikes
Peak Region ring in the New Year. The club started when Fred Barr (who built Barr Trail) and four of his adventurous
friends (Fred Morath, Ed Morath, Willis Magee and Harry Standley) made a New Year’s Eve trek to the summit. That night they set fire to
some of the Cog Railway’s surplus railroad ties. Upon their return to the
Springs, they discovered that many had seen their fire.
The resulting buzz inspired them to start
what has become a long standing tradition for the Pikes Peak region.
After deciding to add only one member a year, the “Frozen Five” named their
group the “AdAmAn Club” (Ad - A - mAn with the A's capitalized to depict mountains). Following that tradition,
the club is proud to announce it has selected Dr. Scott Smetana as its 98th member. Scott grew up on a farm in Plainville, Kansas. Many trips were taken to Colorado to visit family and the Rocky Mountains. After high school, Scott attended the University of Kansas where he played varsity football. He graduated with honors and was chosen for the academic all Big-8 Football team. He attended Medical School at the University of Kansas in Kansas City where he met and married his wife Penny. Scott is an Ophthalmologist with the Eye Associates of Colorado Springs and has satellite offices in Leadville and Buena Vista.
Scott has climbed with The AdAmAn Club
four times as a guest. For a more detailed bio see:
http://www.adaman.org/Members/scottsmetana.aspx
Dedication
This year's climb is dedicated in memory of AdAmAn member Dr. Al Pierce who passed away November 27, 2015 at the age of 99. Dr. Al was much loved and respected by the Club. For more about Dr. Al, please visit:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gazette/obituary.aspx?n=alson-ford-pierce&pid=176874267
2015 has been an eventful year for the AdAmAn Club and we would like to once again thank the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation for inducting the Club into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame. For more on this honor, visit the Sports Corp's website:
http://coloradospringssports.org/index.php/events/sports-hall-of-fame12
The club will leave the Barr trailhead
at 9:00 am on December 30 with Scott
breaking trail. The team of climbers will spend the night at Barr Camp and then
summit the peak the next afternoon. As part of a long tradition, they will
exchange mirror flashes with Colorado Springs from timberline. The flashing will
start around 10:30 am, weather permitting.
In honor of the Frozen Five, the club will shoot off five fireworks at 9:00 pm.
Then, at the stroke of midnight, and weather permitting, the club will greet the
New Year with a spectacular fireworks display from the 14,115-foot summit.
Those interested can learn more about the club, including its history and a list
of its members, on the web at http://www.adaman.org. The club's archives are held by the
Pioneer Museum.