Over 60 Fort Carson Soldiers volunteer to prepare breakfast for thousands of community members at the annual Western Heritage Street Breakfast in downtown Colorado Springs, June 17, 2026.
The Soldiers started setting up for the event at midnight so they could begin serving food at 5:30 a.m. This year service members cooked and served nearly 1,100 pounds of pancake batter; 1,500 pounds of eggs; 10,000 sausage patties; 88 gallons of syrup; 500 gallons of coffee; 7,500 pints of milk; and 2,500 pints of juice, according to the Western Street Breakfast committee.
Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Ellis, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, addressed the crowd and thanked them for their support.
“We may work on Fort Carson, but we live in the Colorado Springs community,” said Ellis. “Thank you for being so welcoming to our service members and we really enjoy being part of this community.”
The first street breakfast took place in 1936 and served about 35 people out of an old chuck wagon in front of Joe Reich’s Swiss Chalet. Since 1942 the street breakfast has been an annual event that supports the local military and their Families.
In the 1970s the street breakfast started growing too large for local groups to handle so they asked Fort Carson if they could help. Fort Carson has been participating in the event for nearly 60 years.
For some attendees it was their first time experiencing the street breakfast.
“We wanted to do something as a family, and we haven’t done this yet, so we decided to come,” said Dana Tinoco, community member. “I see a lot of people excited to see the Soldiers out here helping the community celebrate its Western heritage and it is fun.”
Master Sgt. Rebekah Reyes, culinary specialist, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf Div., said the event brings the military and community together and helps them understand each other better.
“It gets us to interact with community members outside of Fort Carson,” said Reyes. “When we come out here, they see what we do, and they ask us questions to learn more about us and the military.”
Children participated in the Western dress-up contest, practiced roping skills on hay bales and visited the kiddie coral where they received free cowboy hats and bandanas.
The downtown Colorado Springs roads were blocked off, and 1,100 bales of hay were placed for attendees to sit on while they ate breakfast, listened to live music from Exit West and Flying W Wranglers and watched a performance by the Sweetwater Native American Hoop Dancers.
Over 200 members of the Pikes Peak Range Riders left the breakfast site on horseback for their annual four-day ride around Pikes Peak, continuing a tradition dating back to 1950.
The Western Street Breakfast kicks off the start of rodeo season throughout the Pikes Peak region.
The National Finals Rodeo Open at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo runs July 14-18 at the Norris-Penrose Event Center, with July 15 dedicated to honoring Fort Carson.