All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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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...
Niwot resident Michelle Law, who was born in Illinois, raised in Ohio and moved to Colorado in 1997, is this week's Left Hand Laurel for her work as the Scout Leader and Advancement Chair of Troop 161-G, a scout troop established in 2021 when the organization simply became known as "Scouts." "The biggest thing I see," said Law, who has been involved with scouts from the time she was a little girl, "is you start as an 11-year-old fifth-grader and mature into a competent young adult." Law...
This week's Rock & Rails headliner is possibly the first performer in the series to have ever set foot on Whistle Stop Park's gazebo stage. Nalani is a Niwot High School graduate with deep area roots and fond memories of the concert series. "Rock & Rails is my home," Nalani said. "I remember when they built the gazebo and feeling that it was an anchor point for a community space. I just stood up on it, with my arms wide open, and wondered what the space would be like with the crowd, vendors,...
Coach Christina Ayers took her Niwot High School cheer squad to Colorado State University July 6-9 for a cheer camp, and they came home with first-place and second-place awards. "We attended the UCA Varsity Summer Camp at CSU this summer," Ayers said. "During the camp, the team won the Spirit Bananas on the first night, and during the showcase, came in first in the Camp Dance and second in the Game Day Routine." "Our objective this camp was to unite our team and continue forward with our...
According to Lily Sykes, Arts Student of the Week, "Music is a beautiful mix between emotion and mathematics." Sykes believes that is what draws her to it. "Music theory is fundamentally based in mathematics, and playing an instrument is a very mathematical process: press the right buttons, use the right muscles," Sykes said, "and the right sound will come out. However, this is not the magic of music. While making the right sounds is very methodical and important, true music goes beyond playing...
Skyler Messinger, a corner infielder for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Class A California League, was named the Colorado Rockies' Minor League Player of the Month for July. In 22 games during July, Messinger hit .326, with a .414 on base percentage and a .744 slugging percentage. His production included 10 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 28 RBIs and two stolen bases. "At the end of May I made a pretty big swing change," Messinger said. "My last year at Texas I hit with a really wide stance and...
When Niwot opens its football season on the road at Greeley Central High School on Friday, Aug. 25, the Cougars should have at least 16 seniors suiting up, the most in Coach Nik Blume's four-year stint as head coach. Collectively, they should weigh far more than a ton, with some players checking in at 275 pounds. For perspective, the Cougars had only three seniors last season, when they finished 3-7. "We averaged 30 kids in the weight room and 30 kids at summer practices this year," Blume said. "When I started four years ago, we were lucky to...
Walker Bounds was met with a "dream opportunity" when Niwot High School Athletic Director Joe Brown reached out to him regarding the school's vacant boys basketball head coaching position. The 2016 Niwot graduate played three varsity seasons for the Cougars and has long seen the program's potential for success. "Being a Niwot kid, growing up in Niwot and being around the program my whole life, it just meant a little more in the sense that it felt like I was coming home," Bounds said. "It was...
Although challenging, Sawyer Bennett learned a lot about his golf game while navigating the monstrous RainDance National Resort & Golf in Windsor on Aug. 15. The Niwot High School sophomore admitted that he was plagued by "careless mistakes" but he nonetheless held his head high after shooting a seven-over-par-72 on the longest course in North America. His 79 strokes placed him in a five-way tie for 10th individually at the Second Annual Resurrection Christian Invitational. "It's a test of your...
Walking away from last Tuesday’s Second Annual Resurrection Christian Invitational at RainDance National Resort & Golf Course in Windsor, the Niwot High School boys golf team had every right to feel good about its third-place finish -- highest among the Class 4A schools participating. But the Cougars also couldn’t be blamed for lamenting the one that got away. The Cougars’ three-player total of 238, which was 20 strokes ahead of the nearest 4A competitor, Mead High School, was just four strokes behind the first-place total of 234 posted by th...
Five girls 4A state championships in the past five years. Two boys state championships and two runner-up finishes in the last four. To say that the Niwot cross country program is a championship machine may be an understatement. In his eighth year as head coach, Kelly Christensen has found a formula that other coaches around the state would love to steal. Christensen says it’s not that complicated. “The right kids are coming to Niwot and the families are super supportive. They drink the Kool-Aid,” Christensen says with a smile in his voice. “It...
The Niwot High School boys' soccer season officially started with a blowout 5-1 win at their home opener against the Pueblo West High School Cyclones last Thursday, Aug. 17. Niwot soccer has set itself a high bar as they are coming off a 14-4 season with some playoff success. This first win seems to have set the pace with hopefully a lot more success to follow. Senior Bo Gardner led the team in goals with two against Pueblo West. Senior Josh Rodriguez, senior Jett Fiener, and junior Naveen...
Niwot High School's softball field was mowed in stripes and the seats on the hill above the Cougars' dugout were packed for the first varsity game of the season last Tuesday, Aug. 15. Although NHS classes hadn't started yet, Principal Eric Rauschkolb and Athletic Director Joe Brown were on hand to talk with students and wish the girls well. "We're looking forward to a fun season and to learn expectations of the players as we go through," said Brown during the earlier part of the team's first...
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...
When Robin Abb ("Rockin' Robin") and the Niwot Business Association came up with the idea for Niwot's Rhythm on the Rails summer concert series in 2005 when the bandstand was built in Whistle Stop Park, she had already decided who should manage the sound. Craig Cutcliff, the sound engineer, remembers that moment clearly. "I started the first year that they had it. Rockin' Robin called me up," he said. "I had mixed her band. So that's when I started. And I've been doing it ever since." Cutcliff...
The Niwot High School Marching Band has been working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year. Members perform at a multitude of events throughout their tenure with the band including the Boulder County Fair Parade, Niwot High School football games, St. Vrain Band Night, and several local parades. These performances would not be possible without the substantial practice time and effort each band member puts into their instrument. The first practices each year that bring the group together...
After appearing in only a handful of Niwot High School boys tennis varsity matches last season, Pavi Soni enters his senior year as an improved player and one who should contribute frequently for the Cougars. Soni, along with Lauritz Strazenbach, started at No. 3 doubles in Niwot's season opener at Frederick High School on Aug. 10. The duo made quick work of their Golden Eagle opponents with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. While Soni admitted that his challengers were far less experienced, the clean sweep w...
Early in the boys golf season, Niwot High School Coach Ed Weaver wants to see as many players as possible tee it up and feel why high school tournament play is different from the individual events most of his players experience during the rest of the golfing year. “No matter how you carve it, playing high school golf tournaments is different. It just is,” Weaver said. “The kids put more pressure on themselves, I think. Anyway, they know they’re playing for a team score, which is different from tournaments over the summer when it’s just thei...
The Niwot High boys tennis team kicked off its new campaign with a clean 7-0 sweep of Frederick High School on Aug. 10. In his first match since taking over Niwot's No. 1 singles spot, senior LiChen Liao defeated his opponent, 6-1, 6-1, while sophomores Oskar Hansen and Charlie Kirtland won the No. 2 and No. 3 singles matches, respectively, 6-0, 6-0. Niwot's doubles teams found similar success on the Golden Eagles' home court. Junior Sebastian Moy and senior Kyle Davidson took the No. 1 doubles...
Niwot High School gymnastics Coach Marisa Purcell has seen some amazing Cougar teams in her now ninth year of leading the Cougars – 4A state championships in 2015 and 2018 and, more recently, top three finishes in each of the past three state meets. So, when she says she’s excited about this year’s edition, there’s probably plenty of good reasons. The Cougars are coming off a third-place state finish a year ago with a team made up of two sophomores and three freshmen, all of whom return for another shot at adding to the Niwot gymnast...
Niwot High School boys soccer coach Stephen Dimit is optimistic about the 2023 squad that begins play at home against Pueblo West High School at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 17, the first day of school. "We're pretty senior heavy," Dimit said. "Josh Ary came up big time for us last year," Dimit said of the senior defender. Ary is out for the first game with a minor injury suffered in the first week of practice, but is expected back soon. Senior midfielder Bo Gardner has moved up the field this year and...
Jamie McGregor kept busy playing music at Niwot High School, where he graduated in 1984. "I played in the marching band, the concert band, the jazz band, and the orchestra," he said. Then he added with a laugh, "I was the ultimate band geek, with the key to the band room." He began playing at age three, when a neighbor gave him a toy drum set (allegedly to annoy his parents), and he began studying the drums in earnest in fifth grade. At Niwot High he studied percussion with band director Mike...
Guerrilla Fanfare Brass Band brought its high-energy brass to Niwot last Thursday. Aug. 3, and the crowd loved it. The group, featuring trumpets, trombones, saxes, drums and a tuba, crowded the stage and entertained the audience with funky instrumentals that everyone enjoyed. The weather cooperated as predicted storms bypassed Niwot, unlike the rain and windstorm on Tuesday night that took down the entry-gate structure at Whistle Stop Park. One of the two tipi-like tripods was damaged when it...
The stage is set for both Zoe Cameron and her Niwot High School softball team to make some noise on the diamond this fall. Now entering her fourth varsity season, Cameron is one of multiple seniors eyeing a big final year, including power-hitting pitcher Anne Booth and shortstop-centerfielder Autumn Rutherford. Niwot certainly boasts a few accomplished bats and Cameron hopes to provide another steady thump in an already dangerous Cougars' lineup. "This season, I really want to look at my...
Niwot High School Golf Coach Ed Weaver was hoping that the first tournament of the 2023 season would give him a glimpse into how his team stacked up against its Longs Peak Conference competition, especially perennial powerhouse Riverdale Ridge High School. Based on the results, Weaver has reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead for this team. At last Thursday's Pace o' Play Palooza tournament at Mariana Butte Golf Course in Loveland, the Cougars battled the Riverdale Ravens, the 2021 4A st...
Take a solid core of outstanding returning starters, sprinkle in some transfer talent and add a dash of fresh new faces, and Niwot High School softball Coach Bobby Matthews thinks he has the recipe to challenge the top teams in a very strong Longs Peak Conference this season. After finishing 9-14 and missing the regional tournament a year ago, Matthews believes this year’s team has just the right ingredients to compete with conference foes like Riverdale Ridge High School, Frederick High School, and Roosevelt High School. Riverdale, the c...
The Niwot High School boys tennis team hasn't forgotten how last season ended. After putting together a 9-4 regular season, including an 8-0 match record in the Class 4A Region 5 League, head coach Aimee Irwin was surprised when Niwot was seeded No. 8 in the state tournament, with an early match against the No. 1 seed. The Cougars, disappointed by their low seeding, were then edged 4-3 by eventual 4A state champion Kent Denver in the quarterfinals. Minus the now-graduated Luke Weber, most of...
Niwot Youth Sports held its bimonthly board meeting at the Niwot Inn and Spa on July 19 and board members were given some exciting news about the Monarch Improvement Project (MVP). NYS president Pat Longseth told the board that the building was weeks away from opening, would be ready to greet the NYS Fall Ball Softball Season, and was inching closer toward its $500,000 fundraising goal. The board is now planning a grand opening celebration and hoping to get additional community support to raise...
Tuesday, July 25, saw The Peter Fund host a concert in Whistle Stop Park in conjunction with the recognition of the first five Kindness Counts Award winners in the non-profit's effort to recognize and reward acts of kindness. The evening opened with two bands, The PSB and Pearl Vision, each made up of local high school students who knew the late Peter Bonn-Elchoness, who died of a rare heart condition during his senior year at Niwot High School last fall. The music concluded with a performance...
The 2022 Niwot High School boys golf season did not end the way Coach Ed Weaver, or his Cougars expected, but chalk it up to lessons learned and experience gained. Now it’s time to tee it up for a new season. The golf season started this week at a furious pace with team tryouts and qualifying rounds Monday and Tuesday, and the first league play Thursday in Loveland with a varsity event at Mariana Butte and junior varsity play at Cattail Creek. For Emmett Shell, his senior season will be an opportunity to showcase the talent that makes him o...
Over the summer, Niwot High School has been temporarily closed while the school’s plumbing system is updated. The school was closed the Tuesday after Memorial Day and will reopen on July 31 after nine weeks of construction. “The school has grown a lot since it opened in 1972,” said Niwot High principal Eric Rauschkolb. “Some of the plumbing was original and we were starting to have some problems with the pipes backing up.” Due to the age of the building and the growth of the school, there was an odd mix of older pipes and newer systems w...
Skyler Messinger, now playing third base for the Fresno Grizzlies in the Colorado Rockies' organization, last played on it in 2017. His brother, Connor Messinger, played on it a few years earlier before heading off to play baseball at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and later the University of Nebraska at Kearney, then returning to Niwot as an assistant coach. Last season, seniors Jed Kilpatrick, Julian Lettow, Diego Castro and Jaedyn Adler played on it, together with a number of...
The Niwot High School football season is officially gearing up as the players have played their last 7-on-7 games. The games took place this summer against both Weld Central High School and Silver Creek High School (twice). Their first two games were successful as they took home "wins" and gained experience. While their final game last Wednesday was a close "loss," it was still a great learning moment for the team, according to the coaching staff. The 7-on-7 games are non contact, with no...
This summer has been all about football for Niwot High School incoming senior Mats Lehan. On top of Niwot's offseason morning workouts, the wide receiver/free safety spent time training at Jenkins Elite, a Denver-area camp focused on developing high school players. Plus, Lehan attended prospect camps at both the University of San Diego and Colorado School of Mines with the goal of getting noticed by college coaches. "They were a lot of fun," Lehan said of his experience at the prospects camps....
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...
Beautiful blue skies and high temperatures brought out a huge crowd to the July 13 edition of Rock & Rails. And the bands didn't disappoint. Award-winning songwriter Tim Ostdiek got the evening started and was joined by Jenny Balagna, bringing their upbeat mixture of folk originals and covers to the stage. Ostdiek and Balagna are both based in the Longmont area and perform around the Front Range, often with a full complement of band members, but Niwot was treated to an intimate performance by...
The Niwot Community Association (NCA) held its monthly meeting on July 12. This was the first meeting of the new schedule, with monthly meetings moving to the second Wednesday of the month, and it was held at the Left Hand Grange for the first time. The new meeting time and location worked well. The NCA has previously paid to clear the weeds from the north side of Niwot Road at the west entrance to Niwot from the Diagonal Highway, thanks to arrangements made by board member Pat Murphy. The thin strip of ground between the sidewalk and fence has...
Finding success on the big stage isn’t anything new for Elise Cranny, but this year’s trip to the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships was particularly special. Beyond securing her third straight 5,000-meter national title and her first in the 10,000, the 2014 Niwot High School grad was perhaps most pleased when she utilized an energized mindset to produce a pair of gold medals. “Overall, it was probably one of the proudest I’ve (been) leaving a meet,” said Cranny, who placed 13th in the 5K at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. “More so than that o...
On the 4th of July, the pancake breakfast fundraiser outside of Niwot Market attracted over a thousand people this year. The breakfast was sponsored and implemented by the Niwot Market, Pat Murphy-The Niwot Group of Compass Real Estate, the Niwot Community Association, the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms, the Niwot Local Improvement District, the Niwot Business Association and many volunteers. Proceeds from the event will be distributed among the Niwot High School Marching Band to assist with their...
"It seems like it's probably been twelve years at this point," said Mark Trippensee of Last Men on Earth as the band prepares to return to the familiar bandstand in Whistle Stop Park on July 13. "[Rock & Rails] is a hometown gig for us, which we don't do a lot of in the summer," he continued, "so it's always nice to have that amount of people come out." Last Men on Earth's music ranges from classic rock and pop, to country from the 70s, 80s, and current popular music. But what can patrons...
"[Niwot] is a comfortable town. Even if you don't know someone, you probably still recognize them." Chris Teta said this is why he has been involved in the Niwot community since 1988. Teta is originally from New York and moved to Colorado in 1986 to attend college at The University of Colorado Boulder. He received a degree in political science and later got two masters degrees in urban planning and public administration. He is a member of the City of Longmont Planning & Zoning Commission....
Niwot is no stranger to wildlife occasionally roaming into this neck of the woods every now and then. There have been recent sightings of lynx, bobcats, foxes, deer, raccoons, snakes, prairie dogs, and even bears. While this is not the first instance of a bear making its way into Niwot, it surely is the furthest east that we know of. There have been several bear sightings in the Lake Valley area, closer to the foothills. And there was a bear on the railroad tracks across from IBM during daylight...
Now entering her senior season, Sarah Bitterman is working once again to prove both to herself and to her Niwot High School softball coaches that she can contribute at the varsity level. Bitterman was used sparingly as a pinch hitter last season but made the most of her limited opportunities, going 4-for-11 at the plate with three RBIs. She is now using her final high school summer to sharpen her swing while also becoming a more solid defender. "I like to hit a lot, so I've been trying to streng...
Two local acts, and first timers at Rock & Rails, got the crowd going at the weekly concert Thursday, July 6. Although rain threatened the event earlier in the day, the clouds parted just before the opening act, providing a perfect night for music, dancing and food. Dechen Hawk started the night with his indie soul ballads. Having moved to Boulder when he was five, the "adopted Colorado native" says he has always loved music. But when his father was diagnosed with brain cancer when Hawk was 14,...
Niwot High School golfer Mina O'Dell wanted to do something to help animals and settled on a charity golf tournament as the best avenue. Her efforts paid off when she delivered a check to the Longmont Humane Society on June 30 for $5,120. The tournament, held at Twin Peaks Golf Course June 24, was a 4-person best-ball scramble. "We all had so much fun golfing and laughing," O'Dell said. "After playing 18-holes of golf, we served an all you can eat taco bar lunch catered by Marco's Tacos. The...
Clocking the fastest times is far from the ultimate goal at REAL Training. Under longtime director and founder Maurice Henriques, the track and field club's primary focus is helping young athletes develop character and a work ethic that can be used throughout life. Henriques, often referred to as "Coach Mo," is using this summer to instill those values into his REAL athletes, who hail from high schools across the Front Range, including Niwot. "REAL" is an acronym for Responsibility, Education, A...
"Why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast food?" This excellent question was posed by the fictitious character, Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, from the television show "Parks and Recreation." Quite frankly, it appears a large majority of Niwot agrees. The only thing that makes breakfast foods better is when that food is shared with friends, neighbors, loved ones, and new faces. That, and when a portion of the proceeds go towards helping our community. This year's pancake...
Although storm clouds threatened and a few sprinkles danced their way through the early evening, the weather was no match for the well prepared and excited Rock & Rails crowd on Thursday, June 28, where two bands new to the event were ready to entertain the crowd. The night opened with the Teresa Storch Duo, made up of Storch and her husband Peter Lacis. No strangers to the stage, the Duo have toured internationally, performing at festivals in Scotland and Ireland. Their music focuses on...
The weather has been amazing, and the outdoor air quality in Boulder County is better than most states in North America. It's time to dust off the bikes, hit the trails, and explore the healing power of nature and physical activity. There are seven community trails in Niwot and one regional trail that run through town. The community trails are from 0.6 to 1.5 miles long, mostly with gravel surfaces. They are relatively short and easy, perfect for quick exercise before or after work or a slower...
Niwot High School's band program is full of dedicated musicians, and that includes the drumline. The marching band as a whole is under the instruction of Wade Hendricks, and the drumline is being instructed by Scott Barto. Once the audition and selection process, held in the spring semester, has concluded, the Summer Sectionals begin. During these Thursday early morning practices, members of the drumline are given time to learn and master fundamental techniques in order to begin memorizing...
