noel brennan is across town at colorado mills with a look at how things are going on over there. noel, how's it going? >> reporter: well, christine, doors open at colorado mills at 6:00 tonight. we were lucky enough to get a parking spot. this lot behind me has filled up very fast. it's stayed full all evening. earlier we were at denver at the best buy as a couple hundred or so people lined up outside the store as it opened up. many skipping out on a traditiona >> reporter: to wait outside in a line. since when? >> since 8:00 this morning, i think. >> reporter: jeff was elected to be here by the rest of the

>> reporter: at least knowing what he was looking for. >> the smart gadgets, all the bells and whistles, tv. >> reporter: shouldn't be a problem, right next to his new friends. >> he just got a start up. >> reporter: conversation helps pass the hours. >> it was a nice camaraderie, once you establish your position. >> reporter: and so does a surprise visit from mom. >> reporter: just the support jeff needs to get him through the home stretch. >> i'm very proud of him. >> hopefully will get him a new tv. >> reporter: it just might be worth the wait. >> i'll be everybody's hero for about six seconds. >> reporter: so long as there's food left over. >> it's a 50/50 shot, but i was promised a drumstick for my efforts. >> reporter: we were hoping that jeff was able to get that

as for colorado mills, these stores are going to be open until 1:00 this morning. doesn't seem like this is letting up anytime soon. we see a steady stream of cars coming hear. a lot of thanksgiving day shoppers. >> hopefully jeff also got some pie. we're hoping you get some deals since you've been all over the place today. 10:00, it's open until 1:00 a.m. this is a tradition for a lot of families. >> definitely. i know we've got some at the station. hopefully, there's some leftovers. >> we've been saying you some pie if brian doesn't eat all of it. thanks so much, he's out there at colorado mills. >> i left a slice for him. we've heard once again this year, more people will search for deals online. tonight though, we're still seeing shoppers out there as we

it looks like most of you are going for the online shopping. 2/3 of you. i'm with you on that one. >> if you can do it in your pajamas pajamas and still get the deals. they found long lines outside of jcpenney early in the afternoon. that store opened at 3:00 today with special offers of $500 off for some who were there when the doors were opened. the lines stretched around the some shoppers say they weren't interesting in turkey or dinner today, and would rather be out looking for deals. the best buy was similar to what we saw here in denver. busy night out there, everybody trying to get a deal. >> we're looking back at our poll now and it's 50/50. happen of the people like to shop in stores, and the other half like to shop online. >> i want to know how you feel about it. i don't know why you would want

>> either that, or you drew the short straw like jeff did. >> i think it's tradition for many people. >> we want you to weigh in. >> so on any given day, you see denver's food trucks rolling around the town, today they had to come to a halt to celebrate what's called the city's first trucks-giving. they were certainly cooking this afternoon along with plenty of side dishes, ham, sweet potatoes, and deserts. 150 free meals were served for nose who would otherwise not have had a meal. 15 trucks combined, rolling kitchens to make this possible. >> thanksgiving for me and my family is huge. it's when we can give back to people who need it. i'm passed the whole commercial part of it. i want to give back.

almost every holiday. we want to give back and help out people who need it. >> the operators of today's fleets and food trucks say they hope next year will include even more food trucks. traffic backed up on i-70 at central park avenue because of a two car rollover hit and run crash. one person went to the hospital. no word on how that person is doing. denver police did find a missing car and arrested one rs all of those lanes are now back open. a woman who went missing on november 2 was found alive this afternoon. sherri papini was found 150 miles from home. she was able to flag down a driver and get help. investigators say she is being cared for at an undisclosed hospital.

investigation, then passed a lie detector test. police were also able to confirm he was at work when his wife went missing. the sheriff says they're looking for a dark suv driven by two armed women. some refugees in our state are just thankful to be in the land of the free. spent the night with nearly a thousand people, getting to know one of am traditions. >> this event is the african community center's 11th annual first thanksgiving. >> two months in. welcome. >> this is not the traditional thanksgiving meal. as an introduction to one of our american traditions. >> you can follow the line as it shifts around. >> it's crazy.

>> we have people from iraq, somalia, syria, berma. >> i'm from morocco. >> i've been part of this event for the last 8 years now. >> it's a process of integrating. >> thanksgiving, you've got to bring everybody together around the table. >> we'll have turkey, mashed things like anduba, or humice. >> many are so thankful to be in america, to be in denver. >> this is where we live. this is where our children are going to work. >> this is something we have to be part of. because we adopted america as

life. we didn't have a chance to live our life in our country. but we have opportunity to live here. >> they are welcome in their new community. >> thank you all for the support of the community. very nice food, and very nice people too. >> this is the 11th year for this event at denver's greek orthodox cathedral. many families return year after year, making this event their special thanksgiving traon we wanted to share a story of one of our own, and a journey that requires faith, and fearlessness. a season that has gotten off to a slow start. >> and get ready for a warm up. kathy will show you what to expect during the holiday weekend. >> and what are the broncos thankful for?

two people were killed, four others injured during a football shooting in kentucky. hundreds of people were at the park for the annual juice bowl. the four people wounded have non-life-threatening injuries. the army national guard is pulling water from anywhere

from a family's private pond. they took so much water from this pond that it was nearly dry. they even scooped up the fish without getting permission. when the pond owners saw this, they decided to give, instead of get mad about it. they tried to refill the pond for the crews, using water hoses from their house. >> as long as they wanted to use water from here. anything we could do for help. >> it's a first for me. dry their pond out, but this situation, there's a lot of land up here on fire, and there's houses at stake. >> a colonel with the national guard says they're generosity helped save several cabins from the fire. the utility company offered to help pay for that water bill. pewter fire authority tweeted this fire west of la port off of west highway 14 this morning. fire officials say the wind knocked over a power line in the area, starting the fire,

fire was put out in some spots. no structures were threatened. this fire is now 100% contained. this is a day where cheerties have no shortage of volunteer -- charities have no shortages of volunteers looking to offer a helping hand. >> all the way from colorado springs. i apprecte schedules. on the north side of downtown denver, people simply showed up? this morning hoping to help. >> friends from college. friends from high school, cousins, aunts, uncles, they're all here to help out. >> reporter: this is the third year franky sanchez loaded up his food truck to hand out free meals. nearby, he's got other volunteers. >> to give back it's better than money, better than

incredibly complex issue. but there's nothing complicated at all, about helping someone right in front of you. >> it's definitely an eye opener for a lot of people, i think. i don't think a lot of people realize the daily struggles for someone in this situation. >> reporter: ashley volunteered to help feed people at samaritan house. they wanted to show us something else. this room isn't about thanksgiving. it's the clothing room. >> to offer just that small piece of dignity to an individual who may have no have control over these kinds of things. >> reporter: full of stuff that got cleaned and sorted and stocked all by volunteers. the other 364 days of the year. hundreds of people put in thousands of hours here, and it never ends. >> no shortage of opportunity. if you come down, i will put you to work, and so, this is the invitation. come on down, because we always need the help. >> reporter: help is still

really thank you, it's a feeling, truly, that unless you're doing it, you'll never have it. >> reporter: brandon ritterman, 9news. >> tis the season of giving, you can get in on the action by donating on colorado gives day, that's on november 26. >> right now on 9news.com, you can find out more information about how this works. you'll also find a link to help you can donate to. last year, $28 million was raised in a sincele day. that is more than $1 million an hour. it was a record setting year, and this year, we're hoping to do just the same. today, and in the days ahead, many of us will take stock of our lives. the blessings and the difficulties we've endured. this summer, we told you about the challenges of our cheryl preheim, and the challenges they faced, and why they feel

gratitude. >> the hospital's very own tv and radio station. so you had surgery here at the hospital. >> reporter: full circle. >> backwards forwards, okay. >> reporter: and thankful for it. >> you're going to do your best copy of the backwards version, okay. >> brave conquers fear. >> reporter: getting there is never easy. >> we were so happy that we were able to be here as a family. >> reporter: that often requires faith, family, and fearlessness. cheryl preheim and her family have made the turns with duke, josha, ella, and joseph. it all began simple enough, with a drawing by joshua for a t-shirt citizen. not long after, they learned joshua would need heart surgery. >> he said mom, i have a cramp in my heart.

became the family motto. baby joseph was born at children's hospital to take care of a kidney problem. >> little did we know, it wouldn't just be for joshua, it would be for joseph too. it means a lot that we can share this gift. >> i didn't think it would get this big. >> families come on down here, shirt. >> reporter: now joshua is sharing his t-shirt with all the patients here at children's hospital. >> what's your name? how old are you? >> 8. >> you're 8? i'm 8 too. >> reporter: boys and girls, and moms and dads. >> brave does conquer fear.

>> reporter: matty is 15 months old, and recently diagnosed with leukemia. kylie has been here before, she's fighting a lung infection. brendan is just beginning his stay. sam is going home. >> i think a lot of people need this because they need to be brave. >> reporter: bravery is never in short supply here. >> you guys on your birthday? >> reporter: it comes in bursts during the highs and the lows. >> i never thought i'd be in this spotion, but i think sometime we go through hard things in life to prepare us for the really hard things. so we're ready to fight it head on, and i think we're in the right place. ? [ music ] ? punish. >> reporter: full circle.

it just remindses us how lucky we are, how fortunate we are, and how grateful we are. >> reporter: it takes a while to get there, but it's always worth the trip. ? [ music ] ? >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> joshua, you're an inspiration to us all, buddy. a donor decided to make the shirts available to all patients. >> simply love that family. coming up next, we'll get you ready for one of the brightest traditions of the thanksgiving day weekend, it happens tomorrow in denver. and kathy saban will be here

can be busy for ski resorts. and this year, not as much terrain as normal is open. copper mountain says, thanks to recent snow, they'll get more terrain off their union station list, just in time for the rush. >> it's thanksgiving weekend. luckily, mother nature happen pitching in. we did pick up another 3 inches overnight. 2inches the night before that. so anything helps. helped beaver creek. they delayed their opening, but folks, they will be open for tomorrow after getting 8 inches of snow in recent days. saturday, powerball players might be picking up a few extra tickets. no one had all 6 numbers during last night's jackpot. saturday's will be worth at least $403 million. the last time someone hit the jackpot was back in mid- september. it's now the 9th largest prize in powerball history. when it comes to the

thanksgiving day can bring. temperatures were in the 60s for the holiday and made it up to 70 that weekend. last year, it snowed in denver on thanksgiving for the first time since 2007. it was only about an inch in the city while there was an inch in the mountains. basically, we it above 25 deee and we understanded up in the low single digits. still, people put on their layers, and headed out to the denver city council building. it was one of the three coldest light the lights in the past 20 years. it will be much warmer this year. yes, they will be helping downtown denver light the lights on friday. the city and county building all happening between 13th and

6:30. if you can't make it, you can watch live on 9news. we do want to switch gears and check in with kathy saban. we're with our work family tonight. >> not so bad. >> me too. it has been such a fun evening with you all. i think we're all grateful that the wind has finally died down. that was kind of our weather word for the day. it was pretty, but it was awfully chilly out there. getting ready for the turkey ot walk with the family. moms and dads working hard, getting that meal ready for everybody. some folks out enjoying the day, playing a game of football, or volleyball, taking the dog for a walk. once the wind went down it was a beautiful day. a little bit of light snow to help skiers in their efforts this afternoon as well. 49degrees in denver. while that feels cold, colder than it has been for some

the year. it will be chilly to start tomorrow morning. those out shopping need a cket. 28degrees at 6:00 a.m., with temperatures around freezing at 8:00 a.m. we'll jump to almost 40 by 9:00 a.m. 29degrees at the airport at this hour. winds picking up a little bit east of town. still calm here outside the studios with 28 degrees here in the city. i hope you enjoyed a beautiful day with your family. it is so lovely in denver tonight. the storm system is off to the east. 74 mile-per-hour gusts reported near wheat ridge, rocky flats. winds over 60 in dillon. winds have begun to uncrease, with cotton wood pass and kenosha pass. high pressure coming our way from the west. that pressure gradient beginning to ease, so the wind is also beginning to die down, with high pressure settling

the stormtrack to the north. even with this next system moving onshore, a lot of that presip and energy goes up and over the top of colorado, and we watch our system roll into the midwest. it shouldn't impact travel too much. temperatures tomorrow will be 10 degrees warmer as a matter of fact, and really the snow forecast for those traveling, heading into the weekend. we'll be about 10 degrees warmer tomorrow, close to 60 both friday and saturday. tonight,with clear skies, cooling, it's going to be cold. 5 in gunnison, 6 in leadville, and 18 in the pueblo area. high temperatures tomorrow will be much colder. in the foothills, you won't have that nasty blowing snow to deal with. a nice drive up to grand lake tomorrow, and the roads will be in better shape for you as

cold, with less wind, our low 23. sun up tomorrow about 7:00. a chilly start to your day. shoppers take those jackets, those out exercising, working off the turkey, you will need to layer up as well. by the afternoon, you may be out in shorts, with less wind, and a sunny day, it's going to feel warmer than 59. i had snow in on sunday for the broncos game. took that out. the system delayed a bit, and splittin colder with flurries monday night, and light snow tuesday. look at the 9 day planner. we do have light the lights tomorrow night. cu plays saturday. broncos play in town sunday. then of course the parade of lights a week from tomorrow. oh, and what says colorado like a little bison on front range? so many of you sharing wonderful colorado views this beautiful thanksgiving day. with so thank you for that.

field, temperatures will be mild. once the sun sets, all bets are off. when the broncos take the field on sunday, it looks dry now and cool. much its really not too bad for this time of the year. christine, and ryan, we certainly have seen colder weather than that. you know, sometimes nbc likes that. see a big broncos game with a big snowstorm. it makes for good tv. >> it looks nice, except everyone is freezing. >> a little bit of extra would be nice. >> our local sportscasters like rod, they do not like that.

super bowl l. enough said.

but they're greedy. they want more. back-to-back titles is the goal. but besides football. whatare the players thankful for? >> i'm thankful for everybody. just being here. my family, teammates. just my health. i'm thankful for so much. we would have to be a 30 minute show if you gave you guys >> everything. thankful for. my family, my friends, yo guys, my coaches. my >> thankful to be healthy. what else should the broncos be thankful for? mike has that covered in his notebook. ? [ music ] ? >> reporter: give thanks broncos fans that you're not rooting cleveland browns. it's all right to be spoiled around here.

and the broncos are in playoff contension. give thanks too, that one of mr. b's final decisions before he surrendered day-to-day operations was to hire john elway as general manager. the broncos have played 100 games since elway took charge. they have won 71 kubiak is 22-7. don't moan, but give thanks that the broncos play another prime time game this sunday night against the chiefs. it's the 16th prime time home game since 2011, the most in the nfl. the broncos are 14-2, by the way in hose big games under the lights. finally, i give thanks to you, the broncos fans. you have sold out 384 home