All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Flags are in place, the parade lineup is set, bands are rehearsing, the road crew is organizing, volunteers are lined up, and the grand marshals are ready. The Niwot Community Associations's (NCA) signature event, the annual July 4th celebration in Niwot, is straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Hundreds are expected to turn out for a pancake breakfast, now named in honor of the late Niwot Market proprietor Bert Steele, in Cottonwood Square. But before it all starts, NCA volunteers and...
Justin Hirshfield is the well-loved head chef at 1914 House restaurant. As the upscale eatery in Niwot prepares to close, Hirschfield expressed his gratitude for people who helped him become the chef he is today and reflected on his tenure at the popular dinner venue. He shared thoughts on his future inside and outside of the kitchen. Hirshfield is the kind of person who treats you like a friend the moment you are introduced. He shares his life story freely and finds joy in his relationships....
Alison and Seth Steele, owners and operators of the Niwot Market, have been named as the Grand Marshals for the upcoming 4th of July Parade in Niwot. Not only do they continue to manage the Niwot Market, but they have been active volunteers for different community events as they carry on the legacy of their father, Bert Steele. "Their Niwot heritage and being involved in activities reflects over a century of families serving the Niwot community," said Kathy Koehler, one of the organizers of the...
Sales tax revenues for 2024 in Niwot continue to decline, based on data through February, with revenues down by 11% over the same period in 2023. Several funding requests were approved by the LID Advisory Committee (LID). Rock & Rails The 18th year of Rock & Rails, Niwot’s summer concert series, begins on Thursday, May 30, this year. The event takes place in Whistle Stop Park every Thursday night in June, July (except July 4th) and August, with 13 concerts total. Biff Warren, one of the three co-managers of the event, presented the funding r...
A tribute song written by local musician Kevin Dooley for Bert Steele is now available online in video format. Recorded on Feb. 7, 2024, at the Left Hand Grange, the video is a montage created by Niwot's Social Media Coordinator Kristina Rugg using content from the recording session and photos provided by the Steele family. Niwot Market owner Bert Steele passed away on August 7, 2023. In December 2023, Dooley composed a song in his honor to be played at the dedication of Steele's memorial bench...
Local musician Kevin Dooley was asked to perform at the dedication of a memorial bench outside of Niwot Market last December 16 in honor of Niwot Market owner Bert Steele. The guitarist singer-songwriter quickly accepted the invitation, and set to work writing a song in honor of his long-time friend, who passed away last August after a short illness. Six days later, Dooley performed the song, "Be More Like Bert," at the dedication, incorporating several of Steele's well-known words of wisdom,...
This past Saturday, March 23, the families of Niwot gathered together to eat breakfast, hunt for eggs, and enjoy a morning of fun in their community. Niwot has held a similar egg hunt event since 1981 close to Easter for local families to enjoy. Sponsored by the Niwot Community Connection (NCC), but specifically by Pat Murphy with The Niwot Group at Compass, Tara Littell and Ann Mills, it continues to be a fun community event hosted at Niwot High School. The Easter Egg Hunt is not just the hunt...
The Left Hand Grange became a recording studio Feb. 17 when local musician-songwriter Kevin Dooley along with a group of fellow musicians performed Dooley's original song titled "Be More Like Bert." The result is a joyful earworm of a tune with a very specific and also completely universal message. The song was inspired by Bert Steele, owner of the Niwot Market, whose kind heart and great wisdom touched many lives in the community. Steele's passing in August of 2023 has left a big hole in the...
As an unincorporated community, Niwot relies on Boulder County for day-to-day governance, and the two appointed advisory boards that directly affect Niwot are the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee (NLIDAC), and the Niwot Design Review Committee. The Niwot Design Review Committee is charged with reviewing development applications and proposed changes to properties in the Niwot Rural Community District I, which includes the Old Town business district. Some regulations apply to the entire district, while others apply only...
Local musician Kevin Dooley was asked to perform six days before the Bert Steele memorial bench dedication ceremony. He responded, "I would be honored to do that. Bert was a dear friend and it would mean a lot to me to be there." Steele, the owner of Niwot Market and beloved community supporter, passed away suddenly last August after a short illness. A special bench surrounded by flagstones with many of Steele's philosophical sayings was unveiled at the memorial dedication in front of the...
On Saturday, Dec. 16, some 200 Niwotians gathered in front of the Niwot Market for the unveiling of a bench dedicated to the memory of beloved community member Bert Steele. It was a touching final farewell to Steele, who died Aug. 7, 2023, after a short illness. Born on Oct. 16, 1950, Steele founded Niwot Market in 2002. A hard worker and passionate business owner, he cultivated a commercial space that has become truly integral to the community of Niwot. Niwot Market is frequently at the center...
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,...
The Nov. 15 issue of the Courier stated that any excess donations above the cost of Bert’s Bench in front of Niwot Market “will be donated to Bert's Memorial Wrestling Scholarship at Niwot High School.” The GoFundMe page for the Robert M. Steele Memorial Scholarship Fund does not limit the scholarships to Niwot High School, stating, “All donations collected will go to a college or trade school-bound High School wrestler who demonstrates humility, acts of kindness and commitment to hard work, as Bert did, in the Fort Collins and/or Niwot,...
The Niwot community was shocked and saddened by the death of Niwot Market owner Bert Steele following a short illness last summer. A wrestling scholarship at Niwot High School was established in his memory at the request of his family, but many in the community looked for an opportunity to create a permanent visual memorial to beloved businessman and philanthropist, who for over 20 years, quietly got to know his customers and supported every event and project in Niwot, with little to no...
An informal committee met with Alison Steele and Seth Steele last week to plan a memorial to their late father, Bert Steele, Niwot Market owner who died last summer after a short illness. The committee was organized by Vicky Dorvee, and included Selene Luna, Deb Fowler, Karen Edwards, Kamla Chopra, and Biff Warren. Everyone was in agreement that a proposed memorial bench with a red Chevrolet tailgate would be an appropriate remembrance of the man who was a beloved fixture in the community for the past 20 years. Steele was known for driving a...
The Niwot Market is alive and well, and, "Open for Business." In the weeks following the passing of Bert Steele, the face of the Niwot Market for over 20 years, many customers have asked whether the Niwot Market will continue. The answer, according to Bert Steele's daughter Alison Steele, and his son, Seth Steele, is a resounding "Yes." Though their father's passing after a short illness was unexpected, Alison and Seth Steele and other family members are not going anywhere. "I've been asked by...
Karen Ragland, Niwot's St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) school board representative, joined the Niwot Community Association's (NCA) September board meeting to hold a conversation with members and the public about the banners on the football field fence, an upcoming bond measure, and property valuation and taxes. NCA board members have previously spoken with Niwot High School (NHS) principal Eric Rauschkolb about the advertising banners on the football field fence facing Niwot Road, which...
On Aug 19, singer, songwriter, and teacher Martin Marks, music director at The Niwot Gig (https://theniwotgig.com/), released his new music video and single, "All The Dad She Has." Working with producer Chris Laney, who lives in Sweden, Marks has been coordinating the mastering and mixing of the single long-distance. Laney, a childhood friend and fellow musician, reached out to Marks after hearing an audiobook recording of a podcast Marks produced. The podcast charts Marks' adventures in...
The Niwot community turned out to honor the life and memory of Bert Steele Saturday, Aug. 26, in Cottonwood Square shopping center. What was originally planned to be a "thank you" to the Niwot community for supporting local retail businesses, and helping the merchants survive the pandemic shutdown, morphed into a tribute to the late Bert Steele, who brought The Niwot Market to life over 20 years ago. Stacy Szydiek, co-owner of The Niwot Tavern, spearheaded the effort to put the afternoon and eve...
Robert "Bert" Merrill Steele Oct. 16, 1950 - Aug. 7, 2023 Robert "Bert" Merrill Steele passed away peacefully on August 7, 2023, in Niwot, Colorado, at the age of 72. Born on October 16, 1950, in Fort Collins, Colorado, he leaves behind a legacy that will forever be cherished by his family, friends, and community. A true grocer at heart, Bert found comfort and joy in his work and his community. He held a deep affection for his family, his roots, and a hard day's work that came along with...
Niwot recently lost two men who left incredibly large shoes to fill. Both men died unexpectedly in their early 70s, while still very much active in their businesses. Art Stapp was Stapp Interstate Toyota, once located in south Longmont, and now located east of town off I-25. Bert Steele was The Niwot Market, in Niwot’s Cottonwood Square Shopping Center. Though their businesses were very different, each, in his own way, left an indelible mark on our community. There were many similarities, though you might not think so at first glance. Both ran...
Hundreds of people turned out for the Celebration of Life for Bert Steele on Aug. 20 at the Knaus Farm on Nimbus Road, with a bluegrass band providing background music both before and after remarks and remembrances by family and friends. The much-loved principal owner of The Niwot Market died Aug. 7 after a short illness. But the tributes to Steele, focusing on how he treated people and how he served the community, haven't ended. On Saturday, Aug. 26, Bluegrass for Bert will be held in...
Robert "Bert" Merrill Steele Oct. 16, 1950 - Aug. 7, 2023 Robert "Bert" Merrill Steele passed away peacefully on August 7, 2023, in Niwot, Colorado, at the age of 72. Born on October 16, 1950, in Fort Collins, Colorado, he leaves behind a legacy that will forever be cherished by his family, friends, and community. A true grocer at heart, Bert found comfort and joy in his work and his community. He held a deep affection for his family, his roots, and a hard day's work that came along with...
The Niwot Tavern is hosting a music festival at Cottonwood Square on Aug. 26 from 2-9 p.m., in honor of Bert Steele, co-owner of Niwot Market, who died Aug. 7 after a short illness. The free event, "Bluegrass for Bert," is funded by the owners of Niwot Tavern, with financial assistance from the Niwot Local Improvement District and the Niwot Business Association. "The whole event is for Bert, because he's the heart of Niwot," said Stacy Szydlek, co-owner of the Niwot Tavern. Szydlek and Tara...
Bert Steele (72), owner of Niwot Market, died Aug. 7 after a brief illness. Steele opened Niwot Market in Cottonwood Square over 20 years ago, and was involved in many community activities, including hosting the 4th of July pancake breakfast, providing breakfast for Pat Murphy’s annual Easter Egg Hunt, and sponsoring a Classic Car Show on Friday nights in the summer. A Celebration of Life will be held later....
Busy is certainly one way to describe Alison Steele, this week's recipient of the Left Hand Laurel award. The mother of a 16-month-old little girl named Elizabeth, who often comes to work with her mother, Alison, 42, is also co-owner, with her father and brother, of the Niwot Market. Alison Steele runs the grocery department doing all the ordering, stocking the shelves, working with distributors, unloading the trucks and "doing all the financials," as she puts it. The market at Cottonwood...
Niwot Market's own Bert Steele has been hosting a local car show since 2020 that helped keep restaurants alive during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the restaurants near the Niwot Market struggled to stay in business during the height of the coronavirus, Steele felt there had to be something that someone could do to bring attention to Niwot's businesses and bring people together. Steele worked with multiple other business owners and prominent community members to brainstorm ideas on how to...
One of the most beautiful things about the holiday season is that it is the season of giving. One prominent local business at the forefront of promoting holiday giving is the Niwot Market, which has always conducted winter charity drives and other fundraising events throughout the year. The Niwot Market has held food drives and sponsored toys for tots during the holidays for years, but this year the focus was different. "This year we did "Rise Against Suicide," which raised money for children...
The new parking lot in Niwot was officially dedicated in a brief ceremony Dec. 2, with Niwot Business Association president Eric Bergeson presiding. Bergeson noted that the project had been long in the works and thanked all those who saw it through to completion. While the parking lot has been open for several months, glitches with the functioning of the two charging stations delayed the official ribbon cutting. Bergeson also noted that approval has already been obtained for expansion of the...
The Niwot Business Association meeting at the Niwot United Methodist Church on Nov. 8 focused on saving energy, reducing costs and recycling. Pastor Emily Kintzel welcomed the NBA members and she and Janet Gates provided a brief history of the church, which was founded in 1870, and formerly occupied the building which is now the offices of Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot. Jim Dorvee, President of Left Hand Grange No. 9, was the featured speaker, sharing his experience trying to maximize energy savings for the Grange building in Niwot....
When you buy a business, you expect a reasonable number of "hiccups." But owners, Tara Shaheen and Stacy Szydlek, who were part of Niwot Tavern restaurant staff, got more than they bargained for. "We bought the restaurant in January of 2020," said Shaheen. "In February, there was a fire in the kitchen and in March, well you know, everything shut down." But despite some tough going, the restaurant has not only survived, but thrived. Szydlek said that the former owners, Tony Santelli and Bob Russe...
Revenues of the Niwot Local Improvement District keep climbing, with the latest report showing $24,878.21 collected in May from the LID’s 1% sales tax, which was more than 25% higher than May 2021 collections. Overall, the year-to-date collections are up by 18.29% over the same period a year ago. Treasurer Bruce Rabeler reported that the LID’s reserve fund at the end of 2021 was estimated to be $307,356. By previous resolution, the LID has a policy of keeping a reserve amount of at least $60,000 to guard against a downturn in the economy. The f...
You may know Seth Steele as the guy who cuts your turkey slices and pork-based needs at the Niwot Market-the same guy who's been a part of the family business since high school and has worked his way up from the produce aisle to becoming the manager of the meat department. Or you may think of him as the son of Bert Steele, owner of the Niwot Market, or the brother of Alison Steele, who coordinates volunteers for the Niwot Business Association (NBA) while also working at the Niwot Market. But...
This year, 4th of July festivities kick off in Cottonwood Square at 7:30 a.m. with a Pancake Breakfast at the Niwot Market. In addition to pancakes, sausage and eggs, topped with Bert Steele’s famous green chile, will be part of the fare. The annual event is hosted by Niwot Market and the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and typically feeds at least 500 to 600 hungry Niwotians and area residents eager to celebrate the birth of their nation. Tips will be collected to benefit the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms in their efforts to send care p...
The Friday night summer car shows outside of Niwot Market return Friday, May 27. Bert Steele, owner of Niwot Market, will park his classic red pickup in the parking lot, and invites other car enthusiasts to display their classic vehicles from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. In the past, the event has attracted vehicles and their owners from various communities in Colorado. The public is invited to inspect the vehicles, listen to the stories behind the vehicles, and reminisce. Vehicle owners can pick up a...
The long-awaited return of Niwot's very own Easter Egg Hunt, hosted by Pat Murphy and team (Tara Littell, Ann Mills and Todd Goad) from The Niwot Group at Compass, with help from the Niwot Market crew and the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms, was a huge success. The weather was perfect on the morning of April 16th for the 41st Annual Easter Egg Hunt event at Niwot High School with Colorado's blue skies above, crisp spring temperatures, with lots of smiles and fun. The Easter Egg Hunt historically...
Cimmini's was packed last Tuesday for the monthly Niwot Business Association meeting. It might have had something to do with the refreshments provided by the popular Italian restaurant, and it might have had something to do with the speaker for the evening. NBA president Eric Bergeson began by welcoming new NBA members, including Lisa Nesper with Cross Country Mortgage in Niwot Square and Kristin Dura with Una Vida in Cottonwood Square. Bergeson then shifted to announcements and a number of...
Bert Steele of Niwot Market was a bit flabbergasted by friends and patrons with a surprise party in honor of the market's 20th anniversary. Joined by his son Seth, while new mom daughter Alison missed the party, Steele thought there was an emergency at the store when he was called from his meal to return to the store Saturday afternoon. Complete with cake and champagne, Steele toasted all who were there by saying," This is a great town and we're really happy to be here." All of Niwot is "really...
As the Niwot Market approaches its 20th anniversary this month, its owner Bert Steele admits, "I still work more than I have to." Yet it's apparent he loves his work, which he's been doing since the age of eight. That's when Steele first started bagging groceries at his parents' grocery store in Fort Collins. A modest, self-deprecating man, involved in many community activities from helping to organize a pancake breakfast for Niwot's 4th of July celebration, to sponsoring Friday antique car...
Congratulations to the Steele family of Niwot Market on the recent addition of two new members, babies born to Bert's daughters and Seth's sisters, Alison Steele Kraft and her husband Peter, and Sara Wollesen and her husband Brandon. From Niwot Market's Facebook page: "The Niwot Market family got bigger this week. Bert gained two granddaughters on February 17, 45 minutes apart. Elizabeth Steele Kraft and Emery Merrill Wollesen. They also share the same birthday as their great - grandmother's,...
To paraphrase Forrest Gump's mama, a trip to the grocery store these days is like a box of chocolates-you never know what you're going to get because several items on your list are probably out of stock. The reasons for this are myriad, and mostly (but not entirely) downstream from the pandemic, but it can be summed up as bottlenecks at all points along the food supply chain--from the source, to vendors, to distributors, and at the store level. In Colorado and other parts of the U.S., this...
Niwot realtor Pat Murphy presented the 2021 Golden Hammer Award to long-time Niwot volunteer Julie Breyer at the Great Pumpkin Party Oct. 30. In presenting the award, Murphy noted that Breyer was first employed as a waitress at Rev Taylor's Restaurant shortly after moving to Niwot in 1986. She later became a third-grade teacher at Niwot Elementary School, where she currently teaches. Breyer has also been a volunteer for many organizations in Niwot, including the Niwot Community Association,...
On Aug. 14, Niwot Market co-owner Alison Steele married fiancee Peter Kraft in an outdoor ceremony at her uncle Mike Knaus' farm in Niwot. Alison's father, Bert Steele, did the honors in walking the bride down the aisle. From left Bert Steele, Sara Wollesen, Seth Steele, Alison Steele, Julie Steele, and twin sister Emily Dunn....
Niwot's downtown was packed on Friday, July 30 – at 4:00 a.m. Over 200 fans of Niwot High grad Elise Cranny packed Niwot Wheel Works to witness Cranny's Olympic debut as part of the USA track team. Cranny did not disappoint her fans, finishing fourth in the second heat of the 5,000-meter prelims to qualify for the finals. The first five runners in each heat qualified for the finals, plus the five next-best times. Cranny's heat began at 4:26 a.m. Mountain Time, but the downtown vibe was what y...
The summer tradition of Friday Night Dinner at Niwot Market was halted in 2020 due to the pandemic, but Bert Steele has brought them back in 2021, albeit on a monthly rather than weekly basis. The dinners are served on the Market's front patio, and feature multiple courses, prepared using fresh ingredients from the shelves. The cost is $25 per plate for adults, and $13 for kids. Unfortunately, the next date, Aug. 6, is already sold out, but there are still spots available in September. For more...
Bert Steele doesn't consider himself a "car guy," but he definitely appreciates the classics. So when the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled many of Niwot's traditional summer events, including his famed Friday night dinners at the Market, he partnered with Pat Murphy and the Niwot Tavern to bring a socially distanced alternative to town, and the new tradition of Friday night car shows was born. Fast-forward a year and the cars and crowds are still coming to Niwot Market's parking lot in Cottonwood...
Everyone knows about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which provides getaways to critically ill patients, but Broomfield mom Ann Townsend realized that caregivers of those patients face challenges of their own. So in 2018 she founded the Grant-A-Dream Foundation and started helping families across Colorado refresh and reconnect. "Even if caregivers get time to take a vacation, they're exhausted, they don't want to put the time into even putting it together, or they don't know how to do it. And,...
The Niwot Business Association, known informally as the NBA, is the organization that gets most things done in Niwot's business district. While the Niwot Community Association (NCA) addresses matters of community-wide interest, the NBA has taken the lead on business-related matters. The two organizations often work together on projects of mutual interest, such as the Veteran's Banner Project last fall. But the NBA, whose 150-plus dues-paying members often live in NIwot as well as work there, is...
