The Winter Park & Fraser Chamber announced the 2024 Citizen of the Year and the recipient of the Legacy Award during its annual dinner Nov. 8.

Maura and Dave McKnight were named Citizens of the Year “for their selfless dedication to the community,” according to the Chamber. The McKnights own Tabernash Tavern and Rocky Mountain Catastrophe.

Maura McKnight has been involved with the Open Lands, Rivers and Trails Advisory Committee and with Headwaters Trails Alliance. Dave McKnight has served on the Fraser Valley Recreation District’s board and the Winter Park & Fraser Chamber board of directors. The couple has also supported many nonprofits and projects over the years, according to the chamber.

Also Nov. 8, Walter A. ‘Buz’ Koelbel Jr., the founder of Rendezvous Colorado, was honored posthumously with the Legacy Award.

Koelbel, who died in September 2024, made a mark across Colorado through many developments, including in the Fraser Valley, according to the chamber. As president of the real estate development firm Koelbel and Co., he is best known for the Rendezvous development in Winter Park, which includes homes, open space, the Rendezvous event center and Hideaway Park.

Dana Keller, vice president of sales and marketing for the company, wrote that Koelbel found the Fraser Valley a beautiful oasis for mountain living.

“Buz relied on the simple fact that under all, lies the land, and we must protect it and use it wisely,” Keller said. “This belief has always ensured that each Koelbel and Co. community is built to respect the land and use the natural beauty of lakes, nature preserves or views as amenities. Buz once said, ‘We know we are custodians of the land for but a brief time, but our legacy lives on for generations to come.'”