All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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This month's Inkberry Books pick is "The Swan Song" by Kaye Graham, and illustrated by Shelly Hehenberger. It's a beautiful children's book with a lovely, poetic afterward by Nikki Giovanni. "The Swan Song" is part creation narrative and part love story. The reader begins in a world where most birds look the same, and then a magical being comes in the picture. She is cloaked in the rainbow and begins granting birds different wishes. Most wish to be certain colors-that's why the jay is blue and t...
The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop, primarily a children's bookstore, will be closing its doors on Dec. 9, two-and-a-half years after it opened in the former "Niwot Tribune" building on Second Avenue in Niwot. The bookshop, affectionately dubbed TWJ, has been a warm, welcoming place for community members and authors alike. It showcased local authors and diverse perspectives, and catered to young readers and those young at heart. The owners cited a failure to meet financial goals as leading to the...
I don't typically gravitate toward Western books, nor do I usually select collected works, but I was pleasantly surprised by Wallace Stegner's "Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs." Notably, this was also Inkberry Books' book of the month for November. It's not a particularly long book-it clocks in at just under 230 pages-but somehow it still feels a bit heavy. Divided into three parts, "Where the Bluebird Sings" is a collection of sixteen essays, many of which have been previously...
My mother teases me that I don’t cry during movies—whether feel-good ones or purposefully sad ones. “You didn’t even cry during “Toy Story!” she’ll joke. For the record, readers, I did shed a few tears when Andy donated Woody, Buzz and the gang to that little girl. But she isn’t entirely wrong, I don’t cry with movies or books very often at all. So it was a surprise to find myself with massive crocodile-tears rolling down my cheeks upon finishing “Dora–Doreen,” by Sophia Tova Stone. It was even...
It feels like it's been a while since I've gotten a fiction selection from Inkberry Books-and I'm so happy it was historical fiction, which is one of my favorite genres. Cindy Burkart Maynard's "Esperanza's Way" was an absolute delight. It's the 13th century and the story takes place between what would eventually become Spain and Italy. Esperanza is a poor orphan with a gift: she has uncanny intuition, which comes in handy in her work as a herbalist/healer. Moreover, she's not just poor...
When I first received James Mitchell's "Musical Chairs: A 76-Year-Old's Quest to Learn Every Instrument in the Orchestra," I honestly wasn't sure how well I would like it. I'm no musician, so I don't have that in common with the author, and I would have never imagined that the musical journey of learning 11 instruments would be a story that I'd find so engaging. Full disclosure, I had to look up how many individual instruments are in an orchestra, and the internet said "at least 15." So, for...
I haven't spent much time in the South-sure, I've been to Disney World and I had what felt like an eternity-long layover in Georgia-but after reading Chris Chandler's book "Stay Sweet: Tales of Quirky Southern Love," I almost feel as though I've lived there. The beauty of this book is its raw honesty. It's part-memoir, part-historical text, and part-personal musings on life, family, and love. Through a series of vignettes, Chandler shares moments throughout her life, many concerning her maternal...
More than 20 years after he graduated from Niwot High School, Phillip Yates can still be found roaming around Niwot. Now, he's usually spotted with a camera, taking photos along the way. Yates enjoys the community and he enjoys the outdoors-which is perfect for him since he's the Senior Communications Manager for the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department. After graduating from Niwot High School in 1999, Yates attended the University of Colorado Boulder where he studied...
Since Martin Handford's popular "Where's Waldo?" seek and find books came to bookshelves in the late 1980s, they have sold more than 80 million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. The publishers have brought this iconic character to life by partnering with a few hundred independent bookstores nationwide. This year, Niwot's own The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop (TWJ) was selected to be one of those special bookstores, and the TWJ team recruited more than 15 other local...
It was 2010, and after her Niwot High School graduation and a summer slinging burgers, Catherine "Katie" Marylander began her first semester at the University of Colorado Boulder, as an undeclared student. After hearing some of her peers talking about applying for the School of Journalism (now the College of Media, Communication and Information) the Niwot High School grad was struck with inspiration-advertising seemed like the perfect way to combine a passion for writing with tangible business...
I joke with my friends that World War Two stories "find me." Somehow, if I'm in a bookshop looking for a new read, there's a good chance that at least one of the books I'm drawn to takes place during this period of world history-but usually, I find myself reading fiction. That's why "Fogg in the Cockpit" was such an exciting recommendation from Inkberry Books. Richard and Janet Fogg's WWII story is a real one: that of Richard's father, Howard Fogg. Howard Fogg was a fighter pilot, railroad...
In 1987, Jerry and Marsha Slepicka bought a lot and, as per county regulation, had to keep it mowed. So they bought a tractor, and that original 1946 John Deere B turned into a somewhat unexpected hobby (collecting tractors) and a tradition: an annual tractor collection show. This year, the show will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, at the Slepickas' property, 6675 N. 79th Street in Niwot. Visitors will have the opportunity to walk around, check out the vintage farm...
"Everything I learned, I learned in Jason Watkins' technical theater classes," said Niwot High School grad Jason Marylander. After graduating from Niwot High School in 2008, Marylander enrolled at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, as a computer science major. But when he realized that he didn't enjoy programming, he returned to his roots in theater. It was, in his words, a "bold choice" given the perceived lack of jobs at the time, but luck was on Marylander's side. He moved to Los...
He may not have finished high school in Niwot, but that doesn't stop Zeb Baker from considering himself a Cougar. While enrolled at Niwot High School from his freshman through junior year in the early 90s, Baker made a mark on the NHS community: he served as freshman and sophomore class president, as well as student body president as a junior. He was the student representative on the newly-formed Niwot High School Education Foundations. On top of that, he managed the boys' basketball and footbal...
Last Saturday, hundreds of people flocked to Niwot High School for the annual pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt, sponsored by The Niwot Group. This is the 44th edition of the event, and it's back to its pre-COVID popularity. Pat Murphy of The Niwot Group - Compass has organized and orchestrated the community event for over 40 years. Murphy estimated that there were nearly 1,000 people who attended Saturday's festivities. "In one group I counted 200 kids," she said. The egg hunt was divided...
Some of my friends have called me a "keeper of stories," and as much as I take pride in that title, I don't feel as though I've lived enough to be a keeper of my own stories yet. Instead, I collect others', and at opportune times might whip one out-there's something about finding a spark of adventure in seemingly pedestrian accounts of daily life, and it's those stories I find most intriguing. That's why I enjoyed local author and former journalist Stan Nicholas' account of his early years in...
In 2019, with only 24 hours until takeoff, Korean War veteran Dick Hall, now 92, had a decision to make. That year, he had been accepted to the Honor Flight, which honors veterans by taking them on a two-day, all expenses paid trip to Washington D.C. where they visit memorials and build camaraderie. But tragedy and depression had also wreaked havoc on Hall that year, since he had recently lost his wife and other loved ones. "I didn't do anything, I had just given up," Hall said. "And I thought i...
Last week, four middle students from Sunset Middle School participated in the 2023 Colorado Middle All State Choir concert, along with students from across the state. In this highly competitive performance-reportedly more than 1,000 students auditioned and approximately 400 were accepted-this was a key opportunity for young singers, and one Sunset takes seriously. "It is a huge honor to come and have this experience," said choir teacher Anna Hansil. "They've worked really hard and they should...
This year is the start of a new type of performance for Sunset Middle School students. Instead of a typical music concert or art show, the fine arts departments coordinated and organized a showcase dubbed Open Mic Night. Students from the various choirs, band, orchestra, drama and even visual arts classes came together Feb. 13 to perform and show their work to their friends and families. With approximately 120 student performances, many students were in more than one performance group, or...
The pandemic inspired many people to pick up new hobbies, and it inspired others to further develop their passions into something greater. For Niwot senior Dakota Allison and junior Jasper Allison, the pandemic focused them on their musical training and they decided to form a band: Voltage 85. "Jasper and I have been doing music our whole lives," Dakota said. "We started off in 2020, just us jamming with another guitarist and it took off from there." The Allison siblings first received training...
People packed Cottonwood Square and Second Avenue last Saturday for the Let's Wine About Winter event, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association with partial funding provided by the Niwot Local Improvement District. After a two-year hiatus, the tasting event attracted more than 30 shops, businesses and restaurants who participated in the event, as well as over 400 participants. "We haven't had it since 2019, and we just love the event," business owner Holly D'apolito said. "It brings...
The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop was crowded the last Saturday in January. Twenty two teens squeezed around the table, onto the couches, and on any other available seat in order to learn from young adult (YA) author Ellen O'Clover. O'Clover made her professional debut this year with the YA novel Seven Degrees of Ro Devereux, in which a high school senior creates a mobile app that went viral. There's romance, humor and more in this tale, but she wanted to do more than talk about her new novel...
When I first received a copy of The Power of Mind: A Tibetan Monk's Guide to Finding Freedom in Every Challenge by Khentrul Rinpoche, I was excited to see what was in store. I've always been interested in spiritualism and philosophy, and more recently, I began my own meditation practice and completed my yoga teacher training. So there were some concepts-like purity of our actions to do no harm-that were familiar to me already. Similarly, Rinpoche's recurring topic of the power of language spoke...
The Niwot Market is at the heart of Niwot, and its team is central to the community's success. Whether it's the people running the pop-up shops or the core staff, it is a place of community. Terry Purcell and Emily Herrmann are two of Niwot Market's team members who help give the market its heart. Purcell was raised in Colorado Springs and Herrmann in Boulder, but with time, they both found themselves in Niwot. Purcell came, in part, because of bike racing, and Herrmann for something new, but...
Sarah Cioni didn't set out to be a florist - she wanted to be a shopkeeper. She founded The Painted Primrose Floral Studio in 2001 and eventually began selling flower arrangements out of the Niwot Market. Now, she's returning to those beginnings and taking over the floral section within the Market. "A lot of us in the industry say that the flowers found us," Cioni said. "There's a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you make a flower arrangement." The new floral area will include pre-made...
In 1956, Robert Hersh lost his two front teeth just before Christmastime. Now, 66 years later, his granddaughter Ella is missing those same teeth. Hersh made his local paper in Westchester, New York, alongside two of his Woodside School peers, and the family has held onto a copy of the clipping. When Ella, an 8-year-old student at Niwot Elementary School, noticed her teeth were loose, the family was excited. "When Ella was missing her two front teeth, both of my parents sent me photos of [the...
Sometimes I feel like a "fake" Coloradan because I've never gone skiing. But after reading Abbott Fay's A History of Skiing in Colorado provided by Inkberry Books, I have to say that I am more intrigued by the sport. I was fascinated by the book's anecdotes, such as how Mount Werner and Hughes' Run got their names–Buddy Werner was caught in an avalanche in 1964, and Berrien Hughes suffered the first non-avalanche skiing death in 1939. But I mostly enjoyed the book's archival photos. Most p...
Four Sunset Middle School students and nine Niwot High School students have been selected to perform in the Spring 2023 Colorado All State choirs. Charlotte Stauch, Bryce Grayless, Athil Henderson and Camryn Bell, eighth grade students at Sunset Middle School, will participate in the Colorado Middle School All State Choir, a two-day event held at the Denver Convention Center on Mar. 9 and 10. Stauch and Grayless are in the Triplo Choir, which is made up of soprano and alto voices. Henderson and...
For the past two weekends Niwot celebrated Christmas in style. A Holiday Market provided shoppers the opportunity to buy local goods and mingle, and throughout town, a theater troupe entertained with a live, nomadic rendition of The Nutcracker. The Spark, a nonprofit Boulder theater group, put a unique spin on the Christmas classic by creating a "theme park-style performance opportunity." Their program, "Tales on the Trails," emerged from the COVID lockdown and resulted in outdoor walking...
For the second weekend in a row, Niwot celebrated the holidays with a town-wide market. Local vendors, local musicians, treat-tasting opportunities, crafts and more were found throughout town....
It was well below freezing Friday night when a somber crowd gathered at the Niwot Children's Park. People huddled under the canopy near the reading tree, some had flowers, others were passing out candles. They had gathered to celebrate the life of Peter Guthrie Bonn-Elchoness. Peter was a senior at Niwot High School and an avid fencer. He passed away unexpectedly Nov. 12, 2022. To celebrate his life and the way he touched so many lives, his friends, peers and others gathered to remember him....
I don't read memoirs very often, which is a shame because they are so unique and interesting. That's certainly the case with Kelly Daniels' book Cloudbreak, California. What is perhaps most unique about it is the way it's organized. There's a sense of chronological order--the first chapter begins with Daniels reflecting on his childhood--but as the story progresses, we revisit the past alongside him. For example, there's this excellent part where Daniels is describing a sojourn into a...
Throughout October, 100 households (including three from out of state) participated in the 2022 Niwot Pumpkin Walk. The goal was to kickstart holiday shopping and explore retail businesses in the downtown area. Participants visited various businesses in Cottonwood Square and along Second Avenue in Niwot to get their Pumpkin Passport stamped and a gift from participating businesses. If they made a purchase from at least four different stores and showed their receipts, they were entered in a drawing for a special prize. “It’s been great see...
Terry Purcell, of the Niwot Market, lives car-free by choice. With a community like Niwot, commuting is easy with a bicycle, but recently, someone stole his. "People say, 'Hey, I don't see your bike,' and they worry because I'm in here working," he said. "Even though I wasn't trying to make a big deal about it, word started getting around." That's where Eve Lempriere enters the story. A cyclist herself, she reached out to other cyclists and people around Niwot, asking for their help to get...
Approximately 30 people gathered in the auditorium at the Longmont Museum for the second installment of the Media Matters series on Oct. 30. This segment, titled "Media Matters Part II: The Local Scene," was a followup to a panel on Oct. 9. That program featured panelists with experience working for larger newspapers who looked at how journalism has changed in recent years, and included Maria Karagianis, former reporter for the Boston Globe who now writes for the Courier. Part two focused on...
After 25 years as a kindergarten teacher in Boulder, Mindy Upton changed industries and moved to Niwot. She just opened up a craft space called Blue Sky Craft Studio on Niwot Road and it's already drawing attention. "This space came up and it was just perfect," said Upton. "I've always loved Niwot and felt so at home here." She describes the transition from kindergarten to studio as "epic." She has had to downsize from two classrooms and a barn to one studio, but she has brought the most...
Last week’s book review, Hidden Buddha: Lama Rinzen in the Hungry Ghost Realm, was officially released Tuesday. To celebrate, author Jim Ringel, Inkberry Books and Una Vida Meditation & Movement are hosting a joint celebration at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. This is the second in the Lama Rinzen Mystery series, and the first book, 49 Buddhas, won awards for Best Visionary Fiction, Best Religious Fiction and Best Cross Genre Fiction. What sets the series apart, says Ringel, is that his mysteries often lead to more questions and the solutions a...
Thanks so much to Inkberry Books for this great recommendation from Jim Ringel. This is the second installment of the Lama Rinzen mystery series and Hidden Buddha: Lama Rinzen in the Hungry Ghost Realm is quite the adventure. We start with Lama Rinzen just being reborn into a new life and a new body, this time, that of a woman who's also a locum tenens physician and on her way to the mysterious and isolated town of Alameda. It's very much one of those small towns that may not be unwelcoming to...
This book is not a casual read. It is a quick one, sitting at just over 100 pages, but it definitely shouldn't be rushed. This month, Inkberry Books lent me Danae Shanti's book Wise Inside, and I honestly didn't know what to make of it at first. Initially, especially based on the cover, I thought it would be some chakra-inner-self type of book, and there are elements of that. Reading the first few chapters, I had the impression that it was more on the self-help side of literature, and there are...
Railroads are like the veins going to and from the heart of the country. In years past, they were numerous, a near constant; today, they almost seem like something from the past. Similarly, as there are increasingly more talks about sustainable energy, conversations about the use of coal seem to be on the decline. Local historian Larry Dorsey is coming to Niwot’s Left Hand Grange on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the rich history of the area, especially as it relates to coal mining and railroads. His upcoming lecture, entitled “Black...
The Garden Gate Cafe's dining room was packed Friday, Aug. 14 for Brisket & Bingo, a fundraising event hosted by The Garden Gate Cafe, A Few of a Kind Vintage + Mercantile and Deborah Fowler - DRF Real Estate to benefit Niwot's Marshall Fire Fund. "It was fun, the numbers were good, people seemed to enjoy themselves and the food," said Steve Gaibler, owner of the Garden Gate. "I think it's really important to give back to the community." The event consisted of six bingo games and a silent...
Saturday was sunny, with few clouds in the sky, little to no breeze and full of camaraderie. For the Second Annual Honeybee Harvest Festival, Second Avenue and Cottonwood Square were crowded with vendors and pedestrians, all there to celebrate and learn about bees. Bees are central to the food we eat and the natural environment all around. The Second Annual Honeybee Harvest Festival showcases all the bees’ contributions to the world in an event with a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. “It’s been really, really beautiful,” said Butterfly Pavilio...
When Gina Piffarerio first joined 4H, she likely didn't expect to find herself one day at the Westminster Dog Show. This past June, that's just where she and her rottweiler found themselves at the prestigious event in New York. Piffarerio and TCB's Professor Minerva McGonagall, better known as Maggie, competed for the title of best of breed at the 2022 Westminster Dog Show. It was a tight competition with 30 dogs all scrambling to win in five different categories, but Piffarerio and Maggie held...
People continuously wandered in and out of the historic Niwot Tribune building on Second Avenue, now home to The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop, as the business celebrated its first anniversary, and the community showed up in support. The bookshop, which largely caters to children's literature, opened last summer in historic downtown Niwot. To celebrate its one-year anniversary, co-owners Carissa Mina and Jerilyn Patterson organized a day-long event Aug. 13 with multiple activities for patrons to...
The turning signal clicked and the sound of tires rolling on pavement sounded in the background as Nalani made her way to a meeting. But inside the car, she was on the phone talking about why she loves music. Raised in Niwot, Nalani is a professional bassist, based in Nashville, Tenn. Growing up around music and with excellent mentors, she became determined to keep music in her life and has been enjoying an ever-blossoming career. "It's been really busy," Nalani said. This week, she has been...
I almost forgot how much I enjoy short stories. There's something so special and ephemeral about them that you don't really get with novels. So when Inkberry Books recommended Greg Sanders' collection of short stories "The Suffering of Lesser Mammals," I was pleasantly reminded. A short collection at just under 150 pages and 13 stories, "Mammals" is both unique and intriguing. Each story mixes the concepts and feel of "The Twilight Zone", "Doctor Who" or fairy tales. For example, in "Prague's Ch...
It was the early 2000s and six men thought of forming a band. That day, Last Men On Earth (LMOE) was born–even though it was one coin flip away from being called "Kamel Toe." One of those men was Michael Holubec. A born and raised Niwotian, he's stuck around the area and performs with LMOE as often as possible. "We were all a little older, we all had kids, we wanted to do [professional music] on our terms," said Holubec. "It's cool to do something in your spare time with your friends." As a y...
Kristin Henry is a character. She's enthusiastic and excited to talk about everything from music to musicals, to her new favorite movie (Everything Everywhere All At Once). She sat down at a table for two in the Old Oak Coffeehouse, mug in hand and a smile on her face. Right away, she began talking about Boulder County and how excited she was to talk about music. Originally from Philadelphia, Henry was a classically trained singer who then moved to Colorado to attend graduate school at the...
One might say that the jewelry business is in Jan Kahl's blood. Her father was a jeweler in Boulder and she eventually took up the mantle; now she and her son run Niwot Jewelry and Gifts on 2nd Avenue and have for the past twenty-six years. "This is a fun business," Kahl said with a smile. "When people are buying jewelry or getting something fixed, it's a happy occasion." In addition to selling and designing an array of jewelry-everything from sterling silver to platinum-the shop also...
This month's Inkberry Books Review is special for a couple of reasons. First, it's very timely considering current events; Black Earth by Jens Mühling is a nonfiction account of the author's journey through Ukraine. Second, the book was translated from German by Inkberry's very own Gene Hayworth. Nonfiction is a tricky genre-some books feel more like academic materials and others are entertaining. The most entertaining tend to be memoirs or works in which the imagery is so vivid, that it reads...
