Members of the all-volunteer organization spent much of Friday evening preparing for the fundraiser, which will be held from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds.

"It's our only fundraiser of the year," said Troop Capt. Jim Bryce. "It helps support the troop financially - the volunteers who go out rain or shine, inclement weather or not, to help someone in need."

Bryce said in the last year the troop has put in about 4,000 hours of community service.

In addition to providing local, state and national law-enforcement agencies with emergency assistance, the rangers help out in other ways.

This year, for example, they put on skis to assist the ski patrol at Durango Mountain Resort, worked on foot to keep onlookers a safe distance from the Main Avenue fire and, most recently, drove all-terrain vehicles to direct parking for the Beach Boys concert.

With a history dating back to 1861, the Colorado Mounted Rangers have six troops statewide. Durango's Troop D currently has 31 active rangers, including four women, and six retired rangers, Bryce said.

Not all of them are skilled horse riders. Nowadays, rangers use a variety of transportation modes, including four-wheel-drive vehicles, ATVs, motorcycles and mountain bikes.

"Depending on the situation, if we need to get into that backcountry that's when we take the horses in," Bryce said, adding that horses are often the "heavy movers" used to transport supplies for search-and-rescue teams.

Rangers Condy Gurule and Dave Harwood, both on hand at the fairgrounds Friday, agreed that people primarily join the group to serve the community.

"It's kind of a thrill to be able to be called out to help someone," said Harwood.

Even though the rangers can be found most anywhere helping out, beginning at 4 a.m. Sunday, they will be found preparing a feast for about 1,000 people. For $7, diners will be treated to an all-you-can-eat breakfast of ham and eggs, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, juice and coffee. Children younger than 6 can eat free.

"It takes all the rangers and their families working together to make it a success," said ranger Julie Ayers. "We appreciate the community coming to support us."

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