All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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July 1st marked the opening of the Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show display of art with a Niwot theme in local stores and restaurants. The Niwot Cultural Arts Association and Osmosis Gallery sponsor the event every year, and this year marked a new high with 38 entries. Niwot's business district was a busy place on July's First Friday Art Walk, with artists creating art outdoors, a book signing at Inkberry Books, a classic car show outside Niwot Market, shop owners offering refreshments, and live...
Niwot's annual 4th of July Pancake Breakfast was back to pre-pandemic size this year, with long lines waiting to be served by volunteers and staff from the Niwot Market. The Pancake Breakfast is more than just pancakes - servings included pancakes, sausage, eggs, and Bert Steele's famous chile, with coffee and orange juice on the side. The net proceeds of the breakfast after costs are covered were donated to the Niwot Youth Sports Monarch Improvement Project. Tip jars were also available with...
Life is like running. Every step counts. For Ian and Gabi Anderson, a couple living in Gunbarrel, running the mile—about 1,500 steps—at the second annual Downhill Mile race on the Fourth of July was a celebration of life, being in the moment, and showing their tremendous gratitude. “We loved it!” said Ian, who along with his wife lost their Louisville home Dec. 30 in the Marshall Fire in Boulder County. “I placed 12th, and Gabi placed 49th. It was really fun. The pancake breakfast afterward...
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...
Nothing conjures up a deeper sense of patriotism and belonging to a community like a 4th of July parade, and Niwot's celebration has a way of elevating that hometown, apple pie feeling to the max. There are kids riding their streamer-adorned bikes, horse-mounted riders carrying flags, well-represented community organizations walking with their banners, all encased in a backdrop of majestic music. And of course there's the Grand Marshal riding in a spiffy convertible smiling and waving to the...
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 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...
Karen Quinn is kind. She is also modest, so she probably will not like being described in this way. A passionate gardener, talented photographer and deeply spiritual long-time resident of Niwot, Quinn also, by giving of herself and her talents, recently raised $1,600 for Ukrainians. We are sitting outside on a recent warm and sunny day on her patio, overlooking colorful gardens, alive with lupines and peonies and iris. Quinn is sharing her story over cups of tea and tasty homemade pumpkin...
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...
This year's Rock & Rails season kicked off–appropriately–with the high-energy funk music of Funkiphino. Niwot's free summer concert series runs every Thursday night, June through August, in Whistle Stop Park. As the recipient of the 2006 Governor's Award for Downtown Excellence for Best Promotional Event, Rock & Rails is well-attended, and much loved. Rock & Rails is sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and the Niwot Business Association, with funding from the Niwot Local Imp...
Rock & Rails is a well-loved, much-attended community event in Niwot's very own Whistle Stop Park. As the recipient of the 2006 Governor's Award for Downtown Excellence for Best Promotional Event, Rock & Rails benefits many who volunteer to make all the magic happen. The free summer concert series takes the stage at Niwot's Whistle Stop Park at 1st Avenue and Murray Street in historic downtown Niwot, Colorado, and is produced by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association in conjunction with the Niwot...
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...
Rock & Rails, Niwot's signature summer concert series, kicks off the 2022 season on June 2 with popular local guitarist Kevin Dooley opening for Funkiphino at Whistle Stop Park, located at the intersection of 1st Avenue and Murray Street. Satir DeMarco, who has booked the bands for Niwot's summer concert series since its start in 2006, announced the lineup. Funkiphino is a 13-member band, based out of Longmont, which performed in Washington, D.C. for the 55th Presidential Inaugural Ball in...
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...
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...
Colorado Landmark Realtors, based in Boulder County, was recognized by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® for its Marshall Fire recovery efforts. President and CEO Paul Boomsma announced the "Leading RE Good Things" award April 15 based on the company's "incredible efforts" in assisting Boulder County residents affected by the Marshall Fire in January of this year. This recognition was shared across 70 countries and over 150,000 real estate agents across the globe. In a press releas...
Niwot is renowned for its strong community and generous fundraising efforts. So the NBA (Niwot Business Association) and NCAA (Niwot Cultural Arts Association) were able to incorporate two fundraising elements into the Niwot Around the World day on May 14, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Each business participating in the day by "dressing up" as a country will have a collection box for Ukraine - the money collect will go towards the purchase of the sculpture, Kore That Awakening, sculpted by Ukranian artist Egor Zigura in his Ukrainian...
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...
On Saturday, April 23, Niwot celebrated the post-Covid ribbon-cutting ceremony at Kru Scott Meier's Haystack Muay Thai & Kickboxing studio on the north end of the former Excel Electric building in Niwot. Niwot Business Association Economic Development Director Catherine McHale and NBA President Eric Bergeson were on hand to officially welcome the business to Niwot, in a ceremony conducted long after the business opened, due to previous gathering restrictions. Meier explained that the Haystack na...
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...
Editor's Note: Historian Anne Dyni wrote a series of articles for the Left Hand Valley Courier. The series will be reprinted from time to time. Left Hand Men's Club First published February 2005 In 1960, Niwot was functioning much as it had for decades, except that the town newspaper had ceased publication and the train no longer stopped for passengers and freight. Real estate activity was slow, however, and the few businesses remaining in town were barely getting by. Niwot was still very much...
The Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) met April 6 at the Niwot Inn to consider two funding requests, both of which were approved. LID Chair Scott Firle welcomed Jeff Knight to his first meeting as a member of the committee. Knight was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners as the Niwot Community Association representative on the nine-member advisory board. He replaced longtime LID member and former chair Laura Skaggs. Mark Ruzzin, liaison to the LID from the...
Jeff Knight, a Niwot resident since 2005, was appointed to the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) by the Boulder County Commissioners. Knight was designated by the Niwot Community Association (NCA) as its nominee for the NCA representative position on the nine-member committee, which considers funding requests for sales tax dollars for projects and events which benefit the business district in Niwot. Knight, who resides in the Burgundy Park subdivision, also serves on the...
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...
There's no place in Colorado quite like Niwot, and, with its high quality schools, close-knit community, and bucolic setting, no better place to live, local resident Pat Murphy contends. That was true in 1976 when she was an up-and-coming realtor selling residential lots in Morton Heights, and remains true 46 years later, even as her beloved town has more than doubled in size. Through it all, the now-seasoned real estate professional has been a tireless advocate for the little enclave outside...
Sarah Campbell has always had a passion for fashion and community. Over the years, she has tried on a variety of career hats. Locally, she participated in the Little Holiday Shops and even a previous iteration of The Little Shop. As of Jan. 1, 2022, she became The Little Shop's official owner and is thrilled about the reopening. "It's wonderful, and we just reopened two weeks ago," she said smiling. "We completely redid the flooring, [there's] a new coat of paint, new furniture [and] we've had...
The Niwot Local Improvement District’s advisory committee may be without a Niwot Community Association representative for at least the next few months, after the Boulder Board of County Commissioners office was unable to appoint a candidate for the open position during the latest recruitment period. According to county liaison Mark Ruzzin, both a small number of applications and other priorities in the BOCC office contributed to the inability to seat a new member. “The commissioners, as you can...
The popular weekly concert series Rock & Rails is returning to Niwot's Whistle Stop Park for 13 shows in 2022, and organizers are gearing up for another great summer of live music and family fun on Thursday nights. "We're looking forward to another successful season," co-manager Bruce Warren of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association said. "We're adding some new local talent for opening acts along with the return of popular favorites." Along with Warren, Dan Hawk of Edward Jones and Vicki Maurer of...
Outside of the Cougar cheer squad, you probably won't find a student with more unabashed school spirit than Niwot junior Ryan Gray. Whether it's cheering on the home team at a state tournament, or spearheading a student council fundraiser, if it helps the NHS community, it's likely that Gray is involved. But his Niwot spirit doesn't stay on the campus grounds. As student council vice-president, he is working to forge a stronger relationship between the school and the town's organizations, with...
At its first monthly meeting of 2022 on Jan. 12, the Niwot Local Improvement District advisory committee approved two funding requests from the Niwot Business Association, heard an update about the parking lot, and discussed the final version of the 2021 strategic plan. Treasurer's Report After September's record-high revenues of $29,164, the LID's collections "settled" to a more normal $22,790 in October 2021, treasurer Bruce Rabeler told the board in his January report. Still, that was more th...
Niwot Community Association board members agreed at the Jan. 5 meeting that the organization wanted to help Marshall Fire victims that have found shelter in Niwot. Board members Pat Murphy and Mark Brigham, both real estate agents, said several fire victims are being hosted in Niwot and the area, with some needing “just about everything,” according to Murphy. “And I know we will have more displaced families coming soon,” added Brigham. Board members discussed at length how they wanted to help the fire victims. Board member Craig Rahenka...
On Jan. 29, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. the Niwot Business Association is hosting the second annual Après-Ski Pop-Up Celebration. Come to Downtown Niwot with your family and friends to enjoy all the frigid festivities, such as hot meals, horse-drawn carriage rides and live music performances. Restaurants and businesses will be serving special meals and selling merchandise for the occasion: Niwot Tavern will be serving chili; there will be a mulled wine tasting at Inkberry Books; other vendors will...
After a series of false-starts and long delays, the 14-space public parking lot on the west side of downtown Niwot could be open to cars in the coming weeks, according to representatives of the Niwot Business Association, who said the final permitting issues have been settled, and just one piece of the puzzle-solar bollard lights-remains. "Mark Ruzzin with Boulder County is working on the final contract for light installation," NBA Vice President Mary Coonce said. "Once that is complete, we can...
Like it or not, 2022 is just around the corner, and if your plans for the new year involve bettering the world, there's no better place to start than your own community. The Left Hand Valley is home to dozens of non-profit organizations that are making a difference, and they need engaged volunteers to help them do it. No experience is necessary; there's a position for you. By volunteering, not only are you helping your community, you'll also reap the benefits from connecting with others, learnin...
Behind any community event in Niwot, there is an unsung army of volunteers, handling details and logistics that most attendees overlook. Among them is the Niwot road crew, a group that has been dedicated to keeping the town's parades and festivals pedestrian-friendly since 2014. "We started with seven, and it blossomed from there," Dick Piland said of the group he founded as Niwot Community Association president nearly a decade ago. "It was amazing. We had people calling up insisting they get...
Thomas Cross "Tom" Theobald was born December 18, 1942, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Austin "Tex" Theobald and Betty Cross Theobald. Tom's early years were divided between living at a lake in southern Wisconsin with his mother, and in Colorado with his father. These early years fostered an appreciation of nature and the outdoors that stayed with him his whole life. Tom graduated from high school in Wisconsin and went on to earn a degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, putting himself t...
Boulder County is seeking applications for one opening on the Niwot Business Local Improvement District (LID) Advisory Committee, a nine-member independent board that "prioritizes expenditures of the LID sales tax revenue," and makes recommendations to the county commissioners, who serve as the board of directors for the district. The Niwot LID was formed in 1992 and was authorized to collect a half-percent sales tax to pay for street, drainage and other improvements in Old Town, beginning in...
In 2020, charitable giving rose to an all-time high in the U.S., even as many Americans struggled with uncertainty and disruptions. While that is good news for the nation's non-profit organizations, the unfortunate reality is that much of the bounty went to high profile causes and groups, leaving small and locally-focused charities scrambling to make up for lost fundraising opportunities. As 2021 comes to a close, many of those groups could still use some help to balance the scales. "There are a...
October 2021 marked the one year anniversary for the Little Shops at Niwot (7960 Niwot Rd., Suite D-15), a unique small business collaboration that began life last year as the Little Holiday Shops at Niwot. And though the storefront has rebranded and moved across the shopping center, the business, which functions as a type of co-op for local artists and vendors, has continued to see success. "When you think about it, there were a lot of pop-up vendors who lost their opportunity to do farmer's...
The 2021 holiday shopping season is just around the corner and, conveniently, you don't have to go much farther than that to start it off right. On Friday, Nov. 26, the Niwot Business association kicks off three weekends of downtown festivities with the 21st edition of Enchanted Evening, featuring Christmas traditions gone-by. "Niwot really comes alive during the holidays," NBA Vice President and event co-organizer Deborah Read Fowler said. "We're so excited for the tree lighting, Santa, the par...
As part of the effort to update the town's five-year strategic plan, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee invited leaders from more than a dozen local community organizations to a round table discussion at the Left Hand Grange on Nov. 2 to discuss how to prioritize tax revenues over the coming years and encourage cooperation among the groups on community projects. Among the groups represented were the Niwot Business Association, Niwot Community Association, the Rotary Club of...
A crowd of almost 100 gathered at the intersection of Franklin Street and Second Avenue on Sunday, Nov. 7, to honor veterans of the U.S. armed forces, including some 44 veterans with local connections featured on banners hung throughout the Niwot business district. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, under the direction of Debbie Benson, began with a selection of John Philip Sousa marches and other tunes, including Yankee Doodle Boy, Respect, The Thunderer, America, Stars &...
Liz Gould, proprietor of boutique shop Little Bird on 2nd Avenue in Niwot, reported the theft of several large rings from the store's jewelry display case last week. The rings were displayed on a rolled velvet bar that held six or seven rings. "They were all on one display, so someone just picked it up and walked away with it," Gould said. "They were sizes 10 to 12, which usually fit men. We have no idea who did this. Our jewelry cases have been open for the last two years since it is so much...
Victoria Keen, Deborah Read Fowler, and Dawn Server were busy bees getting together one humming hive of a festival on August 28th. The first ever Niwot Honey Bee Harvest Festival was buzzing with activities from a speaker series to a spelling bee, informational tables to retail booths, free bee antennas to candle making classes. All of the themed moving parts made for a fabulous new festival that will live on, and for that the Courier honors these three women's creativity and hard work with a...
What has thousands of legs and puts on a disguise to invade downtown Niwot each October? The annual Great Pumpkin Party and Parade, a family-friendly celebration of all things fall and Halloween. "The people make it good," longtime Niwot realtor and event sponsor Pat Murphy said. "Seeing all of the costumes that everyone comes up with and working with all of the volunteers is my favorite part." The free festivities, sponsored by the Niwot Business Association with support from the Niwot Local...
Work on a proposal to create a community garden space in Niwot is starting, Niwot Community Association board member Diane Zimmermann told NCA members at the Oct. 6 meeting. "The first step is to survey our NCA members to gauge interest and gather ideas, and then put together a community group made up of Niwot residents and NCA members interested in getting this project started," Zimmermann said. "We see so many Niwot residents with beautiful gardens and we could use their expert advice and...
In its first face-to-face meeting since March 2020, the Niwot Local Improvement District advisory committee heard a request to fund Niwot Holiday Magic, discussed the recent strategic planning meeting, and got an update on the public parking lot. It was also the first meeting for new business representative Keith Waters, who was appointed to a five-year term by the Boulder County Board of Commissioners last month. Waters is a professor at the CU College of Music and co-owner of Inkberry Books...
