All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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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...
A sweet Saturday is on tap as the Honey Bee Harvest Festival brings swarms of family-friendly activities, goodies and know-how to Niwot. The second-annual event expands on last year's festivities with a full schedule from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. downtown and in Cottonwood Square. "Seems like there are so many topics to share," co-organizer Victoria Keen said. "The more I learned, the more I was amazed." The fascinating story of bees will be shared through a speaker series at the Left Hand Grange....
Born in Kansas, educated at an Ivy League college in Massachusetts and having worked as a management consultant for 20 years at the Watergate Building in Washington, D.C., Leigh Suskin – owner of Farmers Insurance Agency in Cottonwood Square – is truly a Renaissance woman. Whether serving root beer floats at Niwot's "National Night Out" celebrating first responders, or studying for her Ph.D. in East/West psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, or raising her...
On Aug. 2, Gene Hayworth, Executive Director of the Niwot Jazz Festival, gave a wrap-up report to the Niwot Local Improvement District (LID), which provided funding for over half the cost of the free festival. The event, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association, marked its second year of bringing live jazz to Niwot. To measure the success of the festival, volunteers conducted an hourly attendance count and handed out surveys to gather information about those attending. Everyone who compl...
Kristian Dura is the owner of a new meditation/community center in Cottonwood Square in Niwot. The name of her business is Una Vida, which translates to "one life" in Spanish. Dura came up with the name when she was working at a retreat center in Argentina. While she was living there, her coworkers would repeat their mantra, "Your life, my life, one life," meaning, we all share the same human spirit no matter who we are or what background we come from. And so, Dura wanted to create a center...
Moments after meeting Elizabeth Amabile and Whitney Johannson, it already feels like you've known them for ages. With such love and empathy, these experienced and dedicated educators share about themselves and their aspirations for this new business and the kids, parents and siblings that can take a sigh of relief now that they have this marvelous resource. They finish each other's sentences–an unintentional demonstration of this collaborative and supportive environment. The two former c...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) and Niwot Business Association (NBA) have launched the fourth annual Veterans Day Banners Project to honor veterans with Niwot connections. Participants purchase a durable banner honoring an active duty member or veteran of the United States Armed Forces. Banners feature a picture of the honoree, the branch of service, rank and years of service. The banners are hung from poles on 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square during the weeks before and after Veterans...
Residents who've been fine-tuning their Latin ballroom dance moves in Cottonwood Square will have their chance to shine when Quemando takes the stage at this week's Rock & Rails. The band is well known in the area, having performed at the Niwot Jazz Festival in June. The band has also opened for acts like Sheryl Crow at Jazz Aspen Snowmass, and Oscar De Leon. We talked to Quemando's founder, Eric Schneider, to get a preview of this week's high-energy show. Q: Thanks for talking to me today. Can...
Mary Jo Wysocki, Manager of Winot Coffee in Cottonwood Square, just happened to arrive early to work at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, Aug. 6. She was opening the shop and was about to water the patio plants when she looked up to see smoke billowing from the recently mural-adorned external wall at Abo's Pizza. "It was just my intuition that told me to get in early. I knew I was the only one seeing the smoke and it was up to me to call 911 right away," she said. "I'd headed out of Winot late the...
The Conoco gas station in Cottonwood Square was recently purchased by Rajbir Dhillon from long-time owners Bo Fan and her husband, Victor Tseng. Dhillon got into the gas station business starting in 2004. "I was in New York and had sold my small business there," he said. "New York was a fun town but a super busy place. My wife and I didn't want to raise a family there. I had several friends in Denver and decided to look for businesses in the city, and I decided to buy my first gas station in...
First Friday Art Walk did not disappoint- a sky glowing with an orange sunset was the perfect backdrop for the Friday, Aug. 5 event. If you haven't strolled historic Niwot in search of unique, local art or new artists to appreciate, you're missing a lovely evening. On the first Friday of every month, Osmosis Art & Architecture hosts First Friday Art Walk in conjunction with the Niwot Cultural Arts Association on 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square. Niwot businesses and restaurants look forward t...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting Aug. 3 in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot Station conference room. The board bid farewell to Kim Hawksworth who stepped down as the NCA’s events planning director because she will be leaving Niwot. Kim has been a member of the board since 2015, and has served as events planning director since 2018. The board expressed their appreciation for the years of work that Kim put into what is one of the most important roles in the organization. The NCA sponsored the National N...
The Small Town Big Heart Marshall Fire Fund is into its last group of events in an effort to get to the $100,000 finish line. Headed by Niwot Business Association President Deb Fowler, the effort began shortly after the first of the year to show victims of the fire that other communities cared. "I couldn't be more delighted," Fowler said. "The support from the local businesses, some Niwot clubs and residents joining in, has been overwhelming and the next few events are going to be so much fun."...
Niwot's weekly Dancing Under the Stars event was full of high energy and huge smiles Friday, July 22. Dancers boogied to diverse sounds spanning music from the 1920s to the 1950s. When you think of swing dances, you might think of the Charleston, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, Hand Jive and Jitterbug, but there are hundreds more which make up the genre. Swing dancing is experiencing a resurgence, with popular swing dance classes and social dancing at the Avalon and Boulder Swing Dance in Boulder and...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly board meeting on July 6th in the Mountain View Fire Rescue Niwot station conference room. There were two guests from Niwot Youth Sports (NYS), a local non-profit that has launched a new project to make improvements to the Hangge Fields at Monarch Park. There will be several improvements to the fields, but most importantly, a new building to replace the shipping containers and port-a-potties that are currently on site. Fundraising...
Friday night, July 8, was very hot and humid, but it didn't stop the dancers, a huge group of people who gathered at Cottonwood Square Shopping Center to learn the waltz. Dancing Under the Stars is a free dance event that takes place Friday nights all summer. Last Friday was Ballroom Dancing night; dancers were treated to a free lesson on the key steps for dancing the waltz. The lesson started at 7 p.m. and a big circle of dancers moved cautiously on the makeshift dance floor. Initially, the...
Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of stories on the four artists painting murals on walls in the Cottonwood Square Shopping Center-Jerry Sinor Building mural project, curated by Street Wise Arts. Chief Niwot, leader of the Southern Arapaho tribe, is remembered for many honorable attributes - his bravery and wisdom, his mastery of multiple languages, and his great guidance and diplomacy. But most importantly, Chief Niwot is remembered for aspirations that his tribe could exist peacefu...
Businesses, community groups, and others handed out candy, flowers, flyers, books, t-shirts, and other mementos as the Niwot Community Association's Annual 4th of July Parade got off to a rousing start, with a full slate of entries for the first time since 2019. The parade lined up on Meadowdale Drive for the first time, and kicked off the festivities at 11:00 a.m. with the Color Guard and Scout Troop 161 leading the way. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band performed the Star Span...
Get ready for fun summer nights, because Dancing Under the Stars has returned. Opening night took place on June 24, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Cottonwood Square Shopping Center. If you have not heard of Dancing Under the Stars, it is a free dance event that takes place every Friday through Sept. 23, except on Labor Day weekend. Dancing Under the Stars originated in Boulder in 1982, organized by Tom Materson at the UMC Rooftop Terrace. The event later moved to Dushanbe Tea House, then to Niwot...
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...
This is the first in a series of stories on the four artists painting walls in the Cottonwood Shopping Center-Jerry Sinor Building mural project. Artist, activist and author Danielle SeeWalker's mural is striking, colorful, compelling, and nearly the size of a standard billboard. It took SeeWalker four full days in 90+ degree heat, and additional hours here and there to complete the 495 square-foot mural she's named "What Once Was." It beautifies the southern exterior wall of Abo's Pizza, next...
Jazz fans, put on your fedora, because the Niwot Jazz Festival is happening on Saturday, June 25, from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Janis Siegel, Grammy award-winner and band member of the Manhattan Transfer, is the featured performer of the day. All the entertainment will take place at Cottonwood Square. Six other individual artists and bands will be performing: Hot Tomatoes Dance Orchestra from 3-4:15 p.m.; Andres Orco (solo guitar) from 4:15-4:45 p.m.; Three Tenors with Rich Chiaraluce, Pete Lewis, and...
The monthly Niwot Business Association meeting, hosted by Pat Murphy and the Niwot Group-Compass June 14 at their offices at 7916 Niwot Road, included a lively discussion of food trucks and other mobile vendors in Niwot. NBA president Eric Bergeson of Niwot Wheel Works noted that the topic had come up at the NBA Executive Committee meeting and at the Niwot Future League (NFL) meeting recently. The main issues discussed were whether food trucks and other mobile vendors should pay a fee to the...
Niwot's historic connection to Native Americans will take on a new look with the installation of four murals in Cottonwood Square shopping center. The Niwot Local Improvement District advisory committee recommended approval of a funding request from the owners of Cottonwood Square and the Jerry Sinor Building that provides for the LID to cover 75% of the $12,900 cost of the murals. The request was approved June 7 by LID members Eric Bergeson, Mary Coonce, Jeff Knight and Scott Firle. The...
Life is better when you dance...so get your dancing shoes on. Dancing Under the Stars is back and the season is now extended! Starting Friday, June 24 at 7 p.m., Dancing Under The Stars will kick off its third season in Niwot. Located outside some of Cottonwood Squares independent stores, restaurants, pubs and coffee shops, this coveted event continues all summer long, with plenty of free parking in the shopping center and surrounding areas. Dancing Under the Stars started in Boulder, offering...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) Board returned to the Mountain View Fire Protection District conference room for its monthly meeting on June 1st. It had not been possible to meet at that location since early in the pandemic. The annual Niwot Cleanup Day was held on an unusually chilly May 21st. Organized by Board member John Barto, this event allows NCA members to drop off a variety of types of household and yard materials at the temporary site set up for the event in the Niwot High School parking lot. It is free for NCA members, which...
Tom Wilke Up-a-Creek-Robotics "A robot is a machine that can perform tasks," explains Tom Wilke, taking a sip of his drink outside at lunch in Niwot's Cottonwood Square. "A self-driving Tesla, for example, is a robot." Wilke is a retired mechanical engineer and adjunct professor at CU Boulder, who is also a mountain climber and author and chairman of the board of Boulder Meals on Wheels. But what we're talking about this particular day is a huge victory he shared as a mentor to...
Now in its 11th year, the Niwot Cultural Arts Association’s 2022 Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show is just around the corner. All entries are due by Monday, June 13. Each entry must feature Niwot in some way and will be used by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) to market and show the uniqueness of Niwot. The cost to enter is $30, with $15 charged for a second entry. Anne Postle, owner of Osmosis Art and Architecture and originator of the event, said, “Entries have already started to come in. It’s going to be a really good year.” Recentl...
Niwot's "Around the World Day", on Saturday, May 14, integrated dozens of cultures at this special event, back for its second year after a Covid-inspired debut in 2021. Twenty-three countries were represented by 32 local businesses through live music, specialty food and drinks, crafts, and costumes. Pedestrians were charmed by the Vikings' weapons display in "Scandinavia" on Second Avenue; bands and solo artists performing with African drums, celtic instruments, accordions, Spanish guitars, and...
The Niwot Local Improvement District (LID) approved five funding requests at its regular meeting May 3, including funding for three popular community events. Scott Firle chaired the meeting, with advisory board members Lisa Rivard, Cornelia Sawle, Bruce Rabeler, Jeff Knight, Heidi Storz and Keith Waters also in attendance, along with Boulder County liaison Mark Ruzzin. The Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA) and the Niwot Business Association (NBA), co-managers of the Rock & Rails summer...
The Niwot Community Association’s (NCA) monthly meeting on Wednesday, May 4, covered a multitude of timely issues and events ranging from the latest on the Boulder Library District to the organization’s array of upcoming events. Boulder Library District update The NCA has been keeping close tabs on the possibility that a Boulder Public Library District could potentially include Niwot in its scope. In late April, the Boulder City Council declared it saw “no path forward to reconcile with the Boulder County Commissioners on a library resol...
Born in the Bronx and having traveled the world, Kathy Trauner, now a long-time Colorado resident, turned a great idea into reality last year for Niwot residents feeling trapped by Covid. The owner of Fly Away Home gift and art shop in Cottonwood Square, Trauner inaugurated "Around the World Day," a creative event which will return here May 14. Inspired by the wish to bring international experiences to Niwot residents when travel was restricted, the event invites all businesses on 2nd Avenue...
For the third time, Bootstrap Brewing Company's Wreak Havoc Imperial Red took home a bronze medal at this year's World Beer Cup in the strong red ale category. Beloved in our area, the south Longmont brewery is owned by Niwot residents Leslie and Steve Kazceus, and was previously located on the back side of Cottonwood Square, at the site that now houses Fritz Family Brewers. When asked about the win, Leslie Kazceus was as excited as she was succinct. "We're so stoked about this," she responded....
Following the huge success of last year's inaugural Around the World Day, the event will return for a second year on May 14th. The day was created based on an idea from Fly Away Home store owner Kathy Trauner during COVID when everyone was missing traveling abroad. She was inspired by the idea of brining international experiences to Niwot when travel away from other countries to Niwot was restricted. All businesses in downtown Niwot on 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square are invited to "dress up...
Right now, those of us at Leigh Suskin Farmers Insurance Agency in Cottonwood Square spend the majority of our time reviewing policies and making changes to ensure that our policyholders are prepared for and protected. As insurance agents, our job is to educate and provide advice. We are a resource for Niwotians regardless of which company you use. Things have changed, and this is our new reality. The Marshall Fire was first reported at 10:30 a.m. on December 30, 2021, and by 11:00 p.m. it had consumed 1,100 homes. No longer are we safe from...
This past Sunday, there was another change in a well known Niwot-based business. Mala Bo Fan, owner of Fan's Conoco gas station, sold the popular Cottonwood Square-based fueling stop. It will be the second local filling station for the new owner, Rajbar Dhillon, who also owns Hershey's gas station in Boulder. On her first day of non-ownership, Fan was still at the shop, helping brothers of the new owner to become acclimated to what was there. She showed a familiar exuberance, kindness and high e...
First Sip, a restaurant week-like event for mixologists and other beverage purveyors, is coming to Boulder April 28 to May 1. You may have noticed all of the social media chatter and advertising about it. There are classes, tastings and events that, together, are designed to introduce area residents to new drinks, expand their knowledge of what might be in their glass, expose them to delightful and challenging food-beverage pairings, or all of the above. A Niwot restaurant has fully embraced...
"I like stuff I can learn from," said Dawn Dunlap, a waitress at the Garden Gate Cafe who has been working at her job in Niwot for the past eight years. Before that, she had been a waitress in Lyons but she lost that job when the town flooded in 2013. "I love it here," she said, with a bright smile. "People in Niwot are so kind." We were sitting at an outside cafe table one recent afternoon, shortly after her 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. work-day had ended. She didn't look fatigued in the least. Talking abo...
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...
Cottonwood Square, the Niwot Sculpture Park, and Second Avenue were buzzing with activity at the First Friday Artwalk on the first day of April. Various businesses offered refreshments, and many hosted artists and musicians. While some displayed artwork–like The Wandering Jellyfish Bookshop showcasing local illustrator Jessica Lanan–others, like Belle Terre, had creative art stations. Walking through the town, one could see people painting still lifes and landscapes, while local musicians per...
In celebration of 25 years, the Courier staff thought it would be fun to give a brief summary of articles from Volume 1, Issue Number 1 of the Left Hand Valley Courier, published April 1, 1997: - Niwot celebrated the recording of the town plat 122 years prior on March 30, 1875. - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church added 5,000 square feet to its building. - Niwot High School was celebrating 25 years of educating local high school students. - Niwot Elementary School sent a team to Odyssey of...
Top of the mornin' to ya, laddies. I hope you're excited for Saint Patrick's Day, because a festival is coming up, known as Lucky Niwot Day. It will take place on March 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square. Among the lively festivi include live music, Irish dancing (outside of Blessings Day Spa at Cottonwood Square), a magic show and brunch at the Niwot Wheel Works, an Irish poetry reading and green tea service at Inkberry Books, free carriage rides (wait on second...
A second summer concert series and signs for Niwot's new public parking lot were just two of the pending issues before the advisory committee to the Niwot Local Improvement District at its monthly meeting on March 1. The group also met its likely future representative from the Niwot Community Association, heard a year-end revenue report from treasurer Bruce Rabeler, and put the finishing touches on its update to the Niwot five-year strategic plan. Treasurer's Report Boosted by robust earnings...
This is not an April Fool's "announcement.".... The Left Hand Valley Courier will mark 25 years of serving the Niwot-Gunbarrel community on Friday, April 1, with an Open House from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the courtyard outside the offices of Warren, Carlson & Moore, LLP, Attorneys located in Cottonwood Square. The community is invited to join the founders and current staff of the newspaper for a celebration outside the law office, where the staff meets once a week to plan each edition of the weekly newspaper. The Courier is the only independently...
On Feb. 26, the Italian restaurant Ciminini's (300 2nd Ave.) hosted a fundraising event for the Marshall Fire victims. Customers paid $25 per ticket to enjoy a lovely Saturday morning, while listening to a live cello performance. All food and drinks came with the ticket, which included the choice of pancakes, French toast, cottage cheese parfait with avocado toast, scrambled eggs, sausages and hams, a pastry basket, specialty coffee, and of course, hot cocoa. A silent auction was held at the...
Two years after the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns sent a shock through the local economy, Niwot isn't just back in business, it's booming. Over the past 12 months, shoppers, diners, and retailers have been flocking to Cottonwood Square and 2nd Avenue, driving sales tax revenues to all-time highs while driving the commercial vacancy rate to an all-time low. Part of this growth is due to an economy that is on the rebound from a slowdown in 2020, plus the easing of many pandemic restrictions....
The Niwot Gig held a grand opening Saturday, Feb. 19, at the newly remodeled space behind Fan's Chinese Restaurant in Cottonwood Square, with owners Martin Marks and Alana Marks on hand to welcome the community. They were joined by their soon-to-be 11-year-old daughter, Odette, an accomplished musician in her own right. Popcorn, pumpkin bread and poppy-seed bread were part of the celebration, along with coffee and hot chocolate from Winot Coffee to wash it down. Music director Martin Marks, who...
Kristian Dura is the future owner of a meditation/community center in Cottonwood Square. The name of her business is Una Vida, which translates to “one life” in Spanish. Dura came up with the name when she was working at a retreat center in Argentina. While she was living there, her coworkers would repeat their mantra: “your life, my life, one life.” Meaning, we all share the same human spirit no matter who we are or what background we come from. And so, Dura wanted to create a center (similar to the one in Argentina) where Front Range natives...
