All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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After a five-hour meeting to review its five-year strategic plan, the Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee decided that the best course of action would be to host the leadership of all of the non-profit organizations serving the Niwot community at a roundtable discussion. The purpose of the meeting will be to give each organization, including the LID, a better understanding of each organization’s purpose and short-term goals, as well as start a conversation about how best to share resources. Eight of the nine LID committee member...
Silence and Respect. Thus reads the first trail sign greeting visitors at the Sand Creek Massacre National HIstoric Site. Thirty Niwot-area residents, both young and old, traveled to the site on Saturday, Sept. 25, by bus exactly 17 months after the original excursion was derailed by the pandemic. What originally started as two busloads of Niwotians dwindled to a little more than half a bus, due to COVID concerns and the difficulty of finding a rescheduled date that fit everyone's schedule, but...
"Service above self" is the motto of the Rotary Club International, and for Niwot Rotarian Thom Lynch, no one has embodied that more over the past 18 months than Tara Shaheen and Stacy Szydlek, co-owners of Niwot Tavern. On Aug. 5 at Rock & Rails, he presented the two with the club's third annual Community Achievement Award, given to members of the community "who have displayed a heart of service, dedication, and love for Niwot." "When they bought the Tavern in January 2020, they had big plans...
A trip to the site of the Sand Creek Massacre site in southeastern Colorado is back on track – 17 months after the pandemic caused the original trip to be postponed. The trip, which was originally set for April 25, 2020, has now been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 25, with the bus leaving from Niwot Market at 8 a.m. The all-day excursion, organized by the Niwot United Methodist Church as part of its 150-year anniversary celebration, will take participants on a four-hour bus ride to the N...
On June 7, Niwot Boy Scout troop 161 held its spring 2021 Court of Honor ceremony at Whistle Stop Park, where they awarded merit badges, inducted six new Eagle Scouts, and recognized longtime scout leader Bill O’Donnell. “Bill loved all the young men he mentored over 28 years,” wrote Kathy Koehler of the Niwot Historical Society of the ceremony. “If you needed anything scout-related you contacted Bill for so many years - such a proud part of our Niwot community.” According to Koehler, Bruce Gri...
A combination of familiar favorites and new sounds will be making their way to the Whistle Stop Park gazebo this summer when Niwot’s popular weekly summer concert series Rock & Rails returns to the stage on Thursday, June 3. From blues-inspired rock, to Afro-style reggae, the 2021 lineup has a little bit of something for all music fans and even a few surprises along the way, according to longtime talent manager Satir DeMarco. “I wanted to create a combination of ‘comfort food’, to honor the fol...
"I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy.....Born on the 4th of July" The line from "Yankee Doodle Dandy" fits the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, which first performed on July 4, 2005, as part of the bandstand dedication ceremony in Whistle Stop Park. "The Niwot Business Association built a bandstand in the park reminiscent of the bandstand that stood for many years on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Murray Street," Biff Warren, one of the founding band members said. "We had everything ready...
Women's International Niwot Club, or WINC, as it has come to be known, has been active in the Niwot community for 11 years, though it was officially incorporated in 2015 by founder and current president Deborah Read Fowler. Fowler, a local realtor originally from England, first brought a chapter of the Daughters of the British Empire to town, but after several years of seeing most of the money raised by the non-profit group go to out-of-state causes, Fowler decided to form a more locally-focused...
Left Hand Grange No. 9 is the oldest institution in Niwot, and the oldest active Grange in Colorado, organized Dec. 20, 1873 and chartered in 1874, before Colorado was even a state..Since then the Grange has evolved from an agrarian organization serving a largely agriculture-based community, to a town center which continues to support the semi-rural character of the community and the values that have sustained the organization for over a century. The Grange building at the southwest corner of Se...
April is National Volunteer month, a moment when the US acknowledges and honors the impressive impact volunteers make by giving their time and energy. We can all make the world a better place by volunteering in big and small ways, and while pitching in, you're also bringing health and happiness to yourself. Here's a list of nearby organizations where volunteers make a huge difference. Note: For the past year, we've been told to stay socially distant during the pandemic, but many organizations...
The poignant Shel Silverstein book, The Giving Tree, speaks to the gradual, but ultimate sacrifice a tree makes for a little boy. This month's Niwot Historical Society's lecture topic of Culturally Modified Trees (CMT) is close to that premise, but it displays more respect, and there's no unhappy ending. Archaeologist Marilyn Martorano has been studying the phenomenon of CMTs since the mid-1970s. Fresh out of college, Martorano was tasked with surveying in the Rio Grande Forest. She said she...
Niwot Historical Society president Kathy Koehler went for more than a year without a haircut and last week, Liz Edge, owner of Ivy and Thistle hair salon on Second Avenue, styled Koehler's hair so it could be donated to Hair We Share. The non-profit organization makes wigs and hairpieces and provides them at no cost to those suffering with hair loss due to a medical condition. Koehler and her two daughters have donated their long tresses in the past. Koehler said of her new hairdo, now more...
Railroad historian Larry Dorsey will open this year's Niwot Historical Society lectures series with a presentation highlighting the advent of the railroad and its impact on Colorado's history. The lecture is titled In the Footsteps of the Iron Horse – The Influence of the Railroad on Colorado History. The term Iron Horse refers to steam locomotives which came on the scene in the 1800s gradually replacing actual horses which had been the prominent means of transportation. Dorsey, a long-time r...
The Niwot Historical Society recently elected two new directors who were inadvertently omitted from the How things get done in Niwot series in the March 10, 2021 issue. Amy Scanes-Wolfe and Kirk Stewart have joined the board of directors, and Joe Betts, who now resides in Wyoming, has become a consultant to the board. The website of the organization is www.niwothistoricalsociety.org....
The plat of Niwot was filed in the Boulder County records on March 30, 1875 by Porter Hinman and Ambrose Murray, laying out streets, alleys and lots on both sides of the railroad tracks, but Niwot was never officially incorporated as a town under state law. As a result, Niwot does not have a mayor or city council, and is governed by the Boulder County Commissioners. All of the buildings west of the railroad tracks are long gone, moved or demolished when the Diagonal Highway was built beginning...
Have you ever wondered what life was like in Longmont when settlers first came 150 years ago? If your answer was yes, then look no further--former Courier reporter Amy Scanes-Wolfe has turned her writing talents toward historical fiction and released the first of her "They Came to Stay" series in February. "I've always loved writing," said Scanes-Wolfe. "I got away from it when I got into farming, but I really wanted to tell this story [of Longmont]." Scanes-Wolfe grew up in Longmont and said...
Roses are red Violets are blue Here are things we love (About living in the LHV) And we bet you do too Our Incredible Trail System Whether you are out for a leisurely stroll, a serious hike, run, or a bike ride, the Left Hand Valley's miles of trails offer something for everyone. Every season offers its unique vistas near and far, from snow-capped peaks in the distance, to the beautiful architecture of bare branches against the sky in winter, to the verdant fields and flowers in the summer....
The COVID-19 pandemic turned life upside down for most of us over the past 12 months, but it was especially hard on the local non-profit community, which saw its donations dry up as traditional fundraising events and activities were postponed or canceled. Fortunately, there's still time to help balance the scales as we count down the final hours of 2020. Among the many provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) passed back in March, was a change to an IRS rule...
In 1975, the Lutheran Medical Center Foundation was created as a way to support a nonprofit hospital in West Denver. Since then, it has been renamed the "Community First Foundation" (CFF) and has sought to create change beyond just the Denver Metro. Then, CFF became involved with ColoradoGives.org, an online tool that is a way to connect with and support nearly 3,000 nonprofits around the state. In 2010, CFF and ColoradoGives.org kicked off Colorado Gives Day, which has garnered $355 million in...
In the closing line of the poem First Things First, W.H. Auden writes, "Thousands have lived without love, but not one without water." Water is the topic of author and retired water resource manager Bob Crifasi's lecture for the Niwot Historical Society's latest Now & Then lecture series set to be released on Nov. 18. Crifasi's lecture, "From Desert To Oasis, A Land Made From Water," will be available for the public to watch on the Niwot Historical Society's YouTube channel. Crifasi worked for...
Small towns like Niwot are an endangered species throughout the US. For a small town to survive or even thrive, is heroic. What makes Niwot different? Our Voice, which speaks to us weekly, is a large factor behind Niwot's success. Our Voice reminds us that Niwotians' are really a special breed. Our Voice reminds us that unlike other towns, we volunteer and govern ourselves. Our Voice helps us celebrate our volunteer leadership associations with fancy nomenclature that make things happen, like the NBA, NCA, NFL, NCAA, LID, and not so fancy,...
4 marks the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment which guaranteed women the constitutional right to vote in the United States. However, this year does not mark the 100th year of women voters in Colorado as the state actually granted women voting rights in 1893, 27 years before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. The Niwot Historical Society will be exploring the history of women's suffrage in Colorado with Dr. Rebecca Hunt in the latest NHS Now & Then fall lecture series. Hunt's...
For her 48 years of "service, dedication, and love for Niwot," the Rotary Club of Niwot honored longtime resident Kathy Koehler with its second annual Community Achievement Award. "This year's winner could not be more deserving," RCN member and past president Doug Montgomery said during the presentation, held at Old Oak Coffee's OctoberFeast Celebration on Oct. 3. "To say that her love and care for the Niwot community has been on full display since she moved here in 1972 would be a colossal...
Leonard Sitongia is an essential worker, or more fittingly, an essential volunteer for the Niwot community. Even before Leonard and his wife Christine moved to their Niwot home in 2014, while waiting for their North Boulder house to sell, he stepped up to be an area representative for the Niwot Community Association (NCA). For the past three years, he's also been the organization's secretary. Hearing about his history, it's clear that connecting through community engagement is Sitongia's modus...
The ability to travel during COVID-19 may feel sidelined, but time travel is still possible thanks to the Niwot Historical Society's lecture series. Unfortunately, the annual NHS lecture series can't take place in person at the Left Hand Grange, so the organization has come up with another venue in which to immerse the public in local history. The first of three speakers will take to the internet in September with a lecture titled, "The Switzerland Trail, a Boulder County Railroad," presented...
Though difficult to comprehend in our current environment, the events of COVID-19 mark an unprecedented moment in our shared human history. Focusing on local historic impacts, the Niwot Historical Society has put out a call for pandemic-related information in an effort to, as its mission states, "preserve, collect, and protect the history of Niwot." The historical society is asking volunteers from the community to help document this moment and the impacts of COVID-19 in Niwot's history. The...
She howls, sews masks, plots to honor grads, helps kids learn, gets them moving, organizes the occasional birthday car-parade, and that's just some of the stuff Diane Zimmermann does during a pandemic. Supporting others is a way of life for the Niwot resident. "Anywhere there is room for helping out. I'm always up for that," Zimmermann said. Some of her volunteering is organized, such as her work for the Niwot Community Association and the Niwot Historical Society, and some she does on her own....
Last week's surprise winter storm might have seemed out of place in April, but as a recently donated artifact to the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) attests, spring blizzards are nothing new in the area. According to the April 6, 1957 edition of the Niwot Tribune (1921-1958), the area was "buried" under 18 inches of snow, which disrupted local phone service for four days. The Tribune clipping was one of several items donated to the NHS in March by longtime member Judy Gould Dayhoff, who has been...
Left Hand Water Effective March 16, 2020, the Left Hand Water District has closed its administrative office building to the public through March 29. The District will continue to provide services to customers, with staff rotating work schedules or working remotely or in the field. Payments can be made over the phone or online through Xpress Bill Pay; customers are strongly encouraged to make payments via these methods. The District's water remains safe to drink; as all drinking water...
When a Channel 7 News crew showed up on Second Avenue on Saturday, January 28th, Kathy Koehler was ready to give them a tour of the Fire House Museum and an overview of Niwot's history. Little did she know they weren't there for the town--they were there for her. "I've volunteered with Kathy on the board of the Niwot Historical Society and Niwot Community Association," said Leonard Sitongia. "I think she volunteers with just about every organization in Niwot. Her volunteering is on a heroic...
There's a bushel of phrases about pie: "It's as easy as pie," "Bye, bye Miss American Pie," and "You're such a sweetie pie." Pie is quintessential fare around the world, whether it's filled with custard, fruit or something savory. For John Lehndorff, the highly respected food critic and, more to the point, renowned pie expert, this particular pastry has been at center stage throughout his 40-year career. The Niwot Historical Society asked Lehndorff to share his knowledge of all things pie at...
Morse Coffin. William Dickens. Porter M. Hinman, William Gould. Marcus Emery. Abel Cushman. Neva. Niwot. Do you recognize any of these names? The names of people connected to the Sand Creek Massacre of November 1864 adorn our streets, historic properties, ditches, and history books. Porter T. Hinman platted the town of Niwot with Ambrose Murray in 1875. He was a friend of Chief Niwot and reportedly never forgave his sons--Porter M. Hinman and Platte Hinman--for participating in the notorious...
It's been nine months since the moratorium on development concluded for downtown Niwot and as yet, no new projects have been born, and new land use codes have not been put to the test. When the Boulder County Commissioners (BOCC) approved updated land use codes in April 2019, the nettlesome issue of access to the mostly unused alley between the residential side of the alley facing 3rd Avenue and the commercial area facing 2nd Avenue had yet to be laid to rest. BOCC approved more prescriptive...
Colorado state minimum wage is $11.10 an hour. But by various exemptions provided by law, many agricultural workers make only $7.25 per hour. That might be enough during the long days of summer, but for those whose livelihoods fluctuate with the seasons, winter can be an economically trying time. Casa de la Esperanza means House of Hope, and this local organization is dedicated to supporting agricultural workers and their families year-round. In 1993, the first migrant laborers moved into this...
Thanks to the Niwot Historical Society archives, we get a glimpse into Niwot's bygone Thanksgiving celebrations. On Nov. 22, 1957 "The Niwot Tribune" reported an evening church service at the EUB Church, a middle school rendition of "Wildcat Willie Carves the Turkey," and advertisements from Curtis Confectionary encouraging readers to "Start Now with Your Christmas Lay-Away." First and second grade teacher Dora Chappell reported, "Last Friday we made many vegetables and fruits for our Horn of...
Pete Wernick, aka Dr. Banjo, fell for the stringed instrument in his teens. What brought a banjo into the hands of a NYC kid? It was the legendary Earl Scruggs of Grand Ole Opry fame that first piqued Wernick's musical taste buds. Decades of picking and plucking have made Wernick a world-renowned musician, songwriter, and educator who calls Niwot, CO his home. Dr. Banjo has entertained audiences at Niwot's Left Hand Valley Grange more times than he can count. The next appearance at his hometown...
The 2019-2020 Niwot Historical Lecture series begins with a bang – a bang on an ancient musical instrument that is. In the first of four planned lectures for the upcoming season, archaeologist Marilyn Martorano, will discuss the lithophone, one of the rarest prehistoric artifacts discovered in Colorado. "I always loved the archeology in the San Luis Valley, it's so diverse - from prehistoric times thousands of years ago to the historic period," Martorano said, "but I never thought I'd be s...
In the scheme of a community with a two block downtown, Left Hand Valley Grange No. 9 is almost a super structure. The austere corner building with a single third-story window at the peak makes for a big cream colored wall wrapping around the corner. A simple sign sits above the front door. The door is disproportionately small not just in comparison to the building's bulk, but because of all that has passed through it and what that entryway symbolizes. A 35-year resident of Niwot, Kellie Beran l...
About 100 years ago, Esther Anderson formed the Tip Top Sewing Club of Niwot, and the town's long relationship with 4-H was born. Over the decades, the local group has gone through various iterations, including the Niwot Calf Rustlers (ca. 1939), the Niwot Left Hand Challengers (1948-51), and the Niwot Needlers and Nibblers (1965-72), to name a few. For the past four decades, the club had been known as the Niwot Nifties, and they just wrapped up a highly successful stint at the 2019 Boulder...
More than 35 lecturers covering a broad spectrum of topics have captivated and informed audiences since the start of the Niwot Historical Society’s (NHS) Niwot Now and Then lecture series in 2011. Originally, Niwot’s history was the focus; delving into such topics as the historical role of the trains, Chief Niwot’s life, and the legend of Haystack Mountain. Gradually the lens of the lecture pulled out to explore more of Boulder County and the Front Range, examining archeological evidence of ea...
Boulder County is now accepting applications for the Niwot Design Review Committee, a panel of local residents that serves as a referral agency for new development applications in the town’s historic district. The county is seeking five new members for the board, which meets on an as-needed basis to review new building proposals for compliance with design and aesthetic standards that preserve the historic character of downtown Niwot (paint color, building materials, signage). The NDRC then makes...
Patty Strecker of Niwot is unabashedly red, white and blue patriotic. The co-founder of the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms will serve as the Niwot July 4 parade Grand Marshal, an honor given by the Niwot Community Association board which sponsors and organizes the parade. She has asked the entire cookie moms group – about 40 strong – to walk behind the grand marshal’s car in the parade. “I was just utterly shocked to receive this honor,” Strecker said. “I am not the only one who helps in this eff... Full story
After a long, cold winter, Niwot residents are ready to get out and savor Colorado in all of its summer-time glory. Rock & Rails is back bringing entertaining performances to our community all summer long. Lovingly referred to as the neighbors’ largest block party, Rock & Rails provides tenured residents the chance to bump into old friends and catch up, while also giving new residents the perfect excuse to get involved and be a part of this great community. The 14th annual Rock & Rails kicks o... Full story
Like a lot of kids, Dr. Joe Sertich had a thing for dinosaurs. But his childhood fascination didn’t subside and the Colorado native turned his inquisitiveness into a dino-lover’s dream career as a Curator of Dinosaurs. Now his life is filled with paleontological learning, researching, and the uncovering of bones for the same institute that fed his curiosity as a child, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS). Thanks to the suggestion of Niwot volunteers who clean fossils at the museum’s l...
Donating money is wonderful, but engaging with a cause by giving your time and energy is likely to have an even greater impact – to that cause, and to you. It’s completely guaranteed that by volunteering you’ll be making the world a better place, and besides the obvious gratification of bringing about positive change for others, you’ll reap the benefits of connecting with others, which is proven to ward off depression and lower your blood pressure, and will generally make life more satisfying. Y... Full story
Writer and filmmaker Ethan Knightchilde presented his premier Ghost Towns of the American West lecture to a packed crowd at the Left Hand Valley Grange in April 2018. Even those standing in the back of the room that evening walked away feeling entertained and educated by Knightchilde's study on hundreds of western ghost towns. As a result of the debut Niwot Historical Society speaking engagement, this year Knightchilde is bringing an updated version of his presentation to an even larger... Full story
DNA testing companies like 23&Me can tell you about your genetic origins, but they can’t tell you much about the fateful encounters, harrowing escapes and happily-ever-afters that helped those genes make their way to you. For those curious about the human drama in their family’s story, researching and preserving genealogical information doesn’t have to be a major undertaking, according to local historian and Gunbarrel resident Dina Carson. Carson is hosting the workshop Publishing Your Herit...
Have you been out for a walk in the morning in Niwot and then midday stopped at the Niwot Liquor Store to pick up provisions, and perhaps in the late afternoon you were on your way to meet friends on 2nd Avenue, and on each outing you chanced upon the familiar face belonging to Rob Gordon? Gordon gets around town like no one else. Why? Because Gordon walks dogs and housesits; he’s a clerk at the liquor store; he works at the Niwot Inn; he does yard work around town; and he delivers newspapers e... Full story
Larry Dorsey will present this year’s first Now and Then lecture hosted by the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) at the Left Hand Grange Hall, 195 2nd Ave.at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 27. Chronicling a dramatic event that was emblematic of difficulties plaguing the nation in 1911, Dorsey’s presentation is titled, “Shoot Out at the Superior Depot, An episode in Colorado Labor Wars.” Dorsey, a retired Boulder Valley School District high school history teacher, chairman of the Superior Histori...
The tradition of giving books as gifts is practically as old as the printed word itself and, in fact, books were among the first items mass-produced and marketed specifically as Christmas gifts, back in the 1820s. Nearly 200 years later, books remain a popular choice for both givers and receivers, and not just for the holidays. A book can be a token of intimacy, of friendship, or even of just shared interest. A book can sometimes say what we can’t, and giving one at just the right time can m...
