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Articles from the December 13, 2023 edition


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  • Content and Comments

    Dec 13, 2023

    Do you know of a local event, interesting story or local person the Courier might be interested in covering? Do you have comments about what you have read in the Courier or suggestions to make? We would like to hear from you at [email protected]....

  • Photo of the Week

    Dec 13, 2023

  • Photo of the Week Could Be Yours

    Dec 13, 2023

    Calling all photographers, intentional or accidental! The Left Hand Valley Courier’s Photo of the Week feature is open to any area resident who personally photographs Niwot-Gunbarrel area sights, including people (with permission, of course), buildings, animals, birds, plants, flowers, events, or anything else. Naturally, there are a few rules to follow: • The photograph must be submitted in jpg format via email to [email protected] in high resolution. • Please include a caption describing the photo, your name, email address and phone numbe...

  • Bert's Bench dedication set for Dec. 16

    Special to the Courier|Dec 13, 2023

    Bert Steele was a beloved member of the Niwot community for over twenty years as the face of the Niwot Market in the Cottonwood Square shopping center. Steele, who died last summer after a short illness, was known for his friendly down-home demeanor, and made friends wherever he went. Steele and his family turned the Niwot Market into a successful business that also hosts several other small businesses within its doors. Steele was also involved in most of Niwot's many community events,...

  • Courier to become nonprofit corporation

    Special to the Courier|Dec 13, 2023

    As of January 1, 2024, the Left Hand Valley Courier will be owned and published by a Colorado nonprofit corporation. In an effort to continue to bring local news to residents and businesses of the Niwot-Gunbarrel area, the owners of Lefthand Valley Publishing, LLC, publisher of the Left Hand Valley Courier newspaper for over 26 years, have made plans to transfer the newspaper to a newly formed nonprofit corporation known as Left Hand Valley Courier. The new format will allow the Courier to seek public support from readers who realize the...

  • Diagonal underpass meeting set for Dec.13 at the Left Hand Grange

    Bruce Warren|Dec 13, 2023

    The Boulder County Public Works Department is hosting an open house at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 in Niwot, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The focus of the meeting is to present information on a proposed underpass from the planned Highway 119 (Diagonal HIghway) median-bikeway into Niwot on 2nd Avenue. County officials hope to gather feedback from the community on the location of the underpass and how it would connect bicyclists and pedestrians using the median bikeway to Niwot. The...

  • Let's Talk About...Holiday Planning

    Elise S. Marylander|Dec 13, 2023

    Ok. We are in the middle of that hectic time between Thanksgiving and New Year's where the vast number of tasks staring at you can be overwhelming. Tasks in addition to your normal life's tasks. It doesn't help anxiety levels when everywhere you go, someone asks, "So, are you ready for Christmas?" Do I look ready for Christmas? My hair is standing on end, and I have twenty notes with Christmas present ideas falling out of my purse. Let's streamline the process a bit. What makes the holiday...

  • Familiar Face - Sunshine at Classic Looks Salon

    Maria Karagianis|Dec 13, 2023

    Her name is simply Sunshine – and she totally exudes it. Sunshine provides manicures, pedicures and facials at Classic Looks in Niwot and is this week's Familiar Face. The owner of Classic Looks, Sheri Sutton, met and hired Sunshine in 2005, when Sunshine first moved to Colorado, and they have been together ever since. "Classic Looks is like my second family," Sunshine explained one recent day, sitting in the salon in Cottonwood Square. "I just love, love this place," she added with a smile. "...

  • Business Profile Farow

    Maria Karagianis|Dec 13, 2023

    The beginning of the Covid lock-down in 2020 was probably not the best time to consider opening a new restaurant in Niwot, but Lisa Balcom and her husband, Patrick Balcom, did so, and they are thriving since opening Farow in 2021 with 17 employees and a gourmet farm-to-table menu. And although finding experienced cooks has been tough, she said, "I love it here. It's beautiful. Definitely better than the Northeast." "What we've learned," she said, "is just keep going. Never give up. A situation...

  • Home on the Grange

    Vicky Dorvee|Dec 13, 2023

    Left Hand Grange's December agenda is loaded with community forums and community festivities. Holiday-themed windows painted by Niwot's own Denise Chamberlain are making the Grange extra merry and bright. Also, the Grange has announced some exciting news...new A/V technology is being installed, which will significantly enhance the Grange experience auditorily and visually. The new A/V system will make its first public appearance during the Grange's New Year's Eve party, and more information...

  • Book review: "The Swan Song"

    Hannah Stewart|Dec 13, 2023

    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...

  • Courier Cookbook - Snickerdoodles

    Barto Snickerdoodles|Dec 13, 2023

    Submitted by the Barto family The Left Hand Valley Courier is debuting a new feature: "Courier Cookbook" where we highlight your favorite recipes. This week is Snickerdoodles. Next week, following up on the cookie theme, is your best Christmas cookie recipe. Submit them to [email protected]@lhvc.com and yours might be featured next we...

  • Niwot florist provides flowers for the TV show "Married at First Sight"

    Deborah Cameron|Dec 13, 2023

    While Niwot has long enjoyed the beautiful flower arrangements from Sarah Cioni and Belle Terre Floral, the local florist has recently been in a larger spotlight. Belle Terre provided the flowers for weddings in Season 17 of Lifetime's television show, "Married at First Sight." Cioni was referred to the show's team by the owner of the venue where the weddings would be filmed. "About the second week of January, I got an email from someone on the show team asking me if I would be interested in...

  • Holiday Market success

    Staff Report|Dec 13, 2023

  • NHS Art Showcase included elementary and middle school artists

    Jessica Checkas|Dec 13, 2023

    Niwot High School’s Second Annual Art Showcase was a big success Dec. 4-6. The show was hosted by the Niwot High School Booster Music Performance and Art which is affiliated with the Niwot High School Boosters, Inc., and sponsored by the Boulder School of Fine Art. The show displayed art from both students at Niwot High School as well as from younger art students at Burlington Elementary School and Sunset Middle School. The show was started a year ago to help display the achievements of local arts students which often has been overlooked due to...

  • Window decorating results

    Staff Report|Dec 13, 2023

    The results of the 2023 Niwot Window Decorating Competition are in. You voted for your favorite business window decorations from Nov. 24 through Dec. 9, and the lucky winners are: First place - Few of a Kind Vintage and Mercantile Second place - Niwot Inn & Spa Third place - Porchfront Homes The lively competition was sponsored by the Niwot Business Association. Congratulations to all of the participants....

  • Niwot and Silver Creek team-up for Longmont Lights Parade

    Special to the Courier|Dec 13, 2023

    The annual Longmont Lights Parade was held on Saturday, Dec. 9, on Main Street in Longmont. Niwot High School and Silver Creek High School have both been participating in this parade for many years but in 2014, the two schools started to team up as a super-band for this particular parade. The increase in cross-school band cohesion among St. Vrain Valley schools has been remarkable. "Since we are a combined band and don't wear our typical marching uniforms," said Wade Hendricks, Director of...

  • LID funds proposals and disbursements

    Bruce Warren|Dec 13, 2023

    The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee approved two funding proposals from the Niwot Business Association (NBA) at its Dec. 5 meeting. Chuck Klueber presented a request for funding to clean up the area along Niwot Road where Eddie Running Wolf's iconic tree carvings have been removed for restoration. The application requested $862 toward the total cost of $1,062, based on a bid from Niwot arborist company We Love Trees. The NBA and the Niwot Cultural Arts Association each...

  • Kids and the General Dentist

    Dr. Peter Zwickey|Dec 13, 2023

    As general dentists, we are routinely asked by mom and dad, “When should my child first see a dentist?” Or even more commonly, “My child still has baby teeth, why would they need a dentist this young?” The short and sweet answer is, “Whenever they have their first tooth fully erupted in their mouth.” This can be as early as when the child is one year old! Are we generally concerned with dental disease on a single tooth in a one-year-old? No. But it is crucial to the child to establish a dental home, and to become familiar and comfortable...

  • This little band goes to the market

    Special to the Courier|Dec 13, 2023

    The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band performed a set of holiday tunes at The Wheel House as part of the Niwot Holiday Market event Saturday, Dec. 9, then took the show on the road to the Denver Christkindlmarket on Sunday, Dec. 10. "A Can-Can Christmas" and "Conga Line Christmas Parade" brought out young dancers at both performances....

  • NHS Junior Kennah Brackett selected for All State Jazz Choir

    Gene Hayworth|Dec 13, 2023

    Niwot High School junior Kennah Brackett has been selected to participate in the Colorado All State Jazz Choir (ASJC), which is open to students in the 11th and 12th grades. Brackett is the first NHS student to be chosen for this honor. According to Laura Walters, Choral Music Director at NHS, Brackett worked hard to prepare herself for the initial audition. "She had to prepare two solos as well as several scales," Walters said, "all performed in a swung/jazz style. For one of the solos, she...

  • Niwot High School Clubs - Spotlight on the Best Buddies Club

    Camryn Bell|Dec 13, 2023

    Niwot High School is host to over 60 student-run clubs, and one stand-out is the Best Buddies club. In the words of Claire Jensen, vice-president of Best Buddies, "Best Buddies is a global organization that is devoted to promoting the friendships between students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and students without. We promote activism, acceptance, and education all while having lots of fun. Our club specifically focuses on one-to-one friendships between students outside...

  • Student Athlete of the Week Jackson Carano

    Jack Carlough|Dec 13, 2023

    As one of only two seniors on this year's Niwot High School boys basketball team, Jackson Carano prides himself on being a leader. The third-year varsity forward has his own personal goals, but nothing compares to the value he puts on overall unity. "The biggest thing I've taken away is the importance of team building," Carano said. "As a team captain this year, that's one of the biggest things that I've wanted to focus on. I think we're doing it pretty well. It's building each other up as a...

  • Niwot Elementary School abuzz with spelling excitement

    Kestrel Glick and Sienna Shear and Graham Ottem|Dec 13, 2023

    By Kestrel Glick, Sienna Shear, and Graham Ottem (NES fifth-grade students) "Contemptible" was the winning word as Cooper Edwards, a fifth-grader, outlasted ten other competitors to win the 14th Annual Niwot Elementary School Spelling Bee on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. Fourth-grader Henry Himmerick took second, followed closely by fifth-grader Grayson Michael, who finished third. The bee was watched by all second-grade through fifth-grade students, who supported their schoolmates vigorously with...

  • NHS girls basketball drops two games

    Bruce Warren|Dec 13, 2023

    The Niwot girls basketball team had a tough week, but if the team's last three quarters are any indication, things are looking up for the 2-3 Cougars. On Dec. 5, Niwot traveled to Roosevelt High School to take on the Roughriders, but came out on the short end of a 71-17 score. The Cougars had trouble generating any offense as sophomore Ella Zechman led the team in scoring with five points. Junior Evelyn Melis added four points and no other player had more than two points. Rose Pacheco, the...

  • NHS wrestling team wrestling for traction

    Savvy Rafkin|Dec 13, 2023

    In the world of high school sports, triumphs and setbacks are an inevitable part of the journey. The Niwot High School wrestling team faced challenges in the first three duals of the season, resulting in a 0-2 record to start the year. Breaking into the regular season, the Cougars dropped their dual against Timnath High School on Dec. 6 in a 48-30 loss. Despite the team's defeat, several athletes performed well. Sergio Rodriguez at 132 pounds pinned his opponent at 4:57, adding 6 points to...

  • Underclassmen producing results for Niwot High girls swim team

    Jack Carlough|Dec 13, 2023

    Several young talents on the Niwot High School girls swim team are finding success early this season despite their inexperience. In the Cougars' 207-106 dual meet victory over Erie High School on Wednesday, Dec. 6, four underclassmen managed a first-place finish. Sophomore Emmy Hostelley won the 100-yard freestyle (1 minute, 4.65 seconds), freshman Camilla Wier-Bigelow's endurance proved best in the 500 freestyle (6:10.24), sophomore Lila Repsher led the 100 backstroke (1:11.11), and sophomore...

  • Niwot High boys basketball falls to 3-2 after tough week

    Isaac Stephens|Dec 13, 2023

    The Niwot High School boys basketball team started hot with a 3-0 start to the season before a tough second week. The Cougars took on Roosevelt High School and Silver Creek High School, falling in both games. Niwot started the week on Tuesday against the Roosevelt Roughriders, playing their first away game of the year. The Roughriders gave Niwot its first loss of the year, outscoring the Cougars 48-40. Walker Bounds, NHS boys basketball coach said, “I was encouraged by the team sticking together after a tough loss. They are a tight-knit g...