Mancos community leader and colorful personality Athalie “Mac” Neely will celebrate her 100th birthday Wednesday.
The Mancos Marshal’s Office has arranged for firetrucks from departments throughout the Four Corners region to participate in a car parade at The Valley Inn on Jan. 27, beginning at 1 p.m. Neely, a resident at The Valley Inn, will be seated on the portico outside as a safety measure against the coronavirus.
Mayor Queenie Barz will officially proclaim Jan. 27 as “Mac Neely Day” in Mancos.
Before coming to Mancos, Neely was a registered nurse and a restaurant owner, among other things.
Neely arrived in Mancos in 1995 as a member of AmeriCorps. Her grant-writing abilities resulted in Great Outdoors Colorado funding for the Mancos River Walk.
Neely was president of the Mancos Chamber of Commerce in 2001 and 2003 and was named Mancos Citizen of the Year in 2011.
Local art gallery owner Kelly Kilgore is glad she met Neely when she first moved to Mancos.
“She’s led an incredible life,” said Kilgore. “She’s a sweetheart. We all just love her.”
Neely, a lifelong Girl Scout, stays in touch with scouts she has influenced to this day. She also wrote a regular column for The Journal.
The Valley Inn is in Mancos at 211 E. Third Alley.
anicotera @the-journal.com