It takes considerable time and dedication to become a thread in a community’s collective fabric — something that Cassie Grow has known something about since she was just a little girl. “One of the ways my parents raised me was to give back where you can — and if you don’t have the financial means to do that, then you give back with your time,” Grow said. Grow was the proverbial Cañon City kid and participated in high school in JROTC, marching band, and color guard.
Her most vibrant memories during her youth stem from participating in community-organized events, such as Veterans Day festivities, Salvation Army food drives, and Blossom Festival Parades. Grow graduated from Cañon City High School in 1996 and accepted a job with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department, where she remained as a master control officer/detention deputy until 2002 when she took a job in corrections. Although many people define their life, and subsequent attributes, according to their job, Grow has gone beyond the daily stresses of her career and is an integral thread to the Fremont County community.
Her long list of community-driven efforts may read like a laundry list because of its length and complexity, but it’s worth detailing some of her favorites here. Since the tragic death of Fremont County Sheriff’s Deputy and close friend of Grow’s, Jason Schwartz, on Sept. 28, 2001, she has been an active member of C.
O.P.S.
(Concerns of Police Survivors) alongside Schwartz’s wife, Sheryl. Together, the ladies coordinate support and resources for families in southern Colorado who have lost beloved family members in the line of duty. “We help organize funeral processions .
.. and also present the family with a gift,” Grow said.
“The C.O.P.
S. organization will also escort the family of the fallen officer to Washington D.C.
the following year when the officer’s name is added to the Law Enforcement Memorial Wall.” In 2021, Grow was also instrumental in getting Senate Joint Resolution 21-20 passed, which unanimously designated the overpass of Colo. 115 that crosses over U.
S. 50 as the Deputy Sheriff Jason Schwartz Memorial Bridge. Yearly, on Sept.
28, she coordinates with Fremont County dispatch and the sheriff’s department to air a moment of silence in honor of Schwartz’s sacrifice. Grow’s love of law enforcement is deeply rooted as she has also participated in countless fundraising efforts. For example, she’s worked with the Florence Elks Lodge to obtain a handicap-accessible van for injured Florence Police Corporal Toby Bethel, has coordinated donations and silent auctions for police fundraising, and also regularly participates, behind the scenes, in Shop with a Cop and Coffee with a Cop festivities.
“If you can give back, where you can, that’s the epitome of being a good citizen,” she said. “If you want to live in and make a specific community your home, you need to do what you can to give back to it to make it better and to let your community shine where it can.” The role that Grow is likely best known for is her decade-long service on the board of the Blossom Festival.
“You have your specific big holidays in your family...
in my family, Blossom is another holiday,” she said. “We knew my brothers would be home twice a year — on Christmas and Blossom.” Like many Cañon City-grown adults, Grow began attending the Blossom Festival as an infant, but her formal participation began in 2013 when she began volunteering.
In 2014, she took on the daunting task of the Parade Chair — a position that she admits is stressful but absolutely worth the headache. “There is no better feeling than when you stand at the beginning of the parade and you have the law enforcement turn on their lights and sirens as they get ready to head down Main Street,” she said. “When you see the smiling faces, it makes it all worth it.
” In 2016, Grow took on the additional role of Blossom Board President and has since attacked the role with fervor and passion for her community. She works alongside a team of fellow volunteers to organize the largest community-run school music competition in the state but also works tirelessly to bring numerous vendors and artisans to the area along with the beloved rodeo and carnival. The Blossom Festival also courses through the veins of her children, demonstrated by her daughter’s triumph as the 2020 Blossom Queen, and the family regularly volunteers at the event together.
When asked why the festival means so much to her, Grow’s reply was heartrending. “I don’t know if I’ve ever missed a Blossom in my entire life,” she said. “But on May 6, 1995, Blossom weekend, there was a terrible accident that claimed the lives of.
..four teenagers.
..and they were my friends.
..I was really close with one of them, Robby Watson, and he’s one of the reasons I continue to do it for.
” The community was rocked to its foundations by the devastating loss of four young lives and, although almost 30 years have passed, Grow holds their memories close to her heart as she strives to cultivate a fun and safe Blossom Festival for Fremont County generations to come. “Robby absolutely loved Blossom and, when I got involved with Blossom, his mom said, ‘It’s beautiful that you’ve taken this weekend that was such a tragedy and you still try to keep it fun and safe,'” she recalled. “Instead of dwelling on the sadness, we can take that energy and put it into better pursuits.
” Grow’s community-minded spirit doesn’t stop at the Blossom Festival, however. She has also served as an instrumental organizer of The Chocolate Walk (2014-2020) and was on the board of the City of Cañon City’s Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2023. “She teaches us all something about being a community servant,” said close friend and fellow volunteer Tonya Wolf.
“She’s really an inspirational person.” Though the long list of “behind the scenes” activities that Grow is involved in is too long to list here, she also finds time for her beloved family, including her husband, Michael, children Matthew and Isibeala, and two granddaughters. She enjoys “Summer Sundays” with her granddaughters, traveling to places around the world with Michael and currently looks forward to a trip with her mother, Sandy Atencio, and Isibeal to Ireland in September.
She’s also traveled to Germany, France, Budapest, and Austria, which provide a fresh perspective from little Canon City. “I love adventuring [and] seeing different cultures and experiencing that part of life is interesting to me and I like to see how other cultures celebrate different things,” she said. When it comes to activities in Fremont County, however, be sure to take a look behind the scenes as, chances are, Grow will be busy working away to make Cañon City special.
.
