All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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An outstanding lecture on the life of William F. Cody by Steve Freisen was enjoyed by a crowd of at least 120 people on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at the Left Hand Grange in Niwot. As the first 2018 speaker at the Niwot: Then & Now lecture series, sponsored by the Niwot Historical Society, Friesen entertained the crowd with many anecdotes and details of the life of Buffalo Bill. Friesen had been the director of the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave on Lookout Mountain overlooking Golden for 21 years before...
This month’s progress issue features several area groups, clubs and organizations that are all about volunteerism. Though they may range in variety — such as the Niwot Historical Society, the Niwot Community Association or the Longmont Foundation — they have one common goal, and that is to make the community a better place to live, work and play. The next six pages of this issue feature several of the organizations, what they’re about and ways to get involved. We hope you enjoy learning about the many groups that make this community tick. N...
Recent infill development in downtown Niwot has prompted Boulder County land use officials to reconstitute the Old Town Niwot Design Review subcommittee. The subcommittee had lost members and stopped meeting over the years, but with the current development and recent proposals, county officials decided the committee should be active again. New members of the subcommittee include Niwot Business Association members and Niwot business owners Pat Murphy (Niwot Real Estate), Tim Wise (Wise Buys Antiques), Nick Mastronardi (1914 House) and Margo...
Niwot Historical Society’s first presentation in the 2018 Lecture Series will feature Buffalo Bill expert, Steve Friesen. Buffalo Bill Cody died 101 years ago but due to his colorful and very public life, his biography still captivates. “As a small boy I read about Buffalo Bill and thought he was just the coolest guy,” Friesen said. “But I discovered he was in show business and I was a little disappointed to think he was only an actor. I went on to learn he wasn’t an actor, he was the real deal and had an impact on the Wild West and our under...
On Feb. 6, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee considered five funding requests, got a sneak preview of the NBA’s 2018 budget and heard after-action reports for two popular events from last year. They also said goodbye to AC members Tony Santelli and Howard Treppeda, who will be stepping down at the end of the month when their latest five-year terms expire. Treasurer Harris Faberman led off with an update on the District’s 2017 finances. The LID collected $13,253.70 in sales tax revenue for Nov...
After a short thank you by Chuck Klueber, Niwot Business Association Streetscapes Coordinator, a few key people grabbed shovels on this brisk day, and moved some dirt for an official groundbreaking to start the Connectivity Project, which covers about 5000 square feet at the corner of Niwot Road and 79th Street. Aiming for an end of March completion of the dirt moving, rock placement, and infrastructure, Outdoor Craftsmen owner Scott Deemer said his workers were ready to start work as soon as...
At the heart of each community are places where locals gather -- newcomers are welcomed, food is shared, ideas are discussed, holidays are celebrated, accomplishments are acknowledged, information is disseminated and music is enjoyed. The result is a coming together that brings a sense of being part of vibrant community. Left Hand Grange No. 9 fulfills all of these needs in Niwot. Over 150 years ago, when the United States was primarily an agrarian society, people lived more isolated lives on...
Kirk Stewart wears many hats and, a kilt now and then too. A longtime resident of the Niwot area, Stewart steps up in many capacities for the community. Stewart’s professional life was as an aerospace engineer and a civil engineer. He has worked for governmental agencies and aerospace firms. For the past nine years, after leaving working life behind, he amped up his community service activities. Stewart is a very energetic member of the Rotary Club of Niwot. Through the organization he’s bec...
Retiree Joan Grunzweig is doing a poor job, … a poor job of retiring that is. After closing the chapter on the traditional working life of an elementary school teacher in California, she’s reinvented herself as a fabulous, frenetic, full-time, self-employed baker. These days she can be found in Niwot being a churning ball of energy that’s measuring, mixing, baking and decorating. Her Niwot-based business, Joan’s Petite Sweets, carries the tagline, “a few bites of confection perfectio...
The Niwot Historical Society received some good news - the 1910 fire cart was accepted in the Colorado Collections Connections’ top 10 significant artifacts list for 2017. The contest has been going on for five years, and Niwot has gotten enough votes from the public to be included on the list for the last two years — with the branded blacksmith doors making it in 2016. Niwot Historical Society president Kathy Koehler said that the cart is significant due to its construction and the time per...
Plans for a public parking lot west of Old Town Niwot moved forward last week after Boulder County officials cleared some administrative hurdles. At a public hearing held on Nov. 15, the Boulder County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of amendments to the Boulder County Land Use Code that will allow for “offsite parking in areas where onsite parking is constrained and where the allowance of offsite parking facilities would help maintain the character and function of the a...
Plans for a public parking lot west of Old Town Niwot moved forward last week after Boulder County officials cleared some administrative hurdles. At a public hearing held on Nov. 15, the Boulder County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of amendments to the Boulder County Land Use Code that will allow for “offsite parking in areas where onsite parking is constrained and where the allowance of offsite parking facilities would help maintain the character and function of the a...
It was over a quarter of a century ago that JoAnn Bell and Nancy Hindman joined the Niwot Cemetery Association. At that time there were around a dozen people in the group. But now Bell and Hindman, both in their mid-eighties, are the only remaining participants on the association’s board of directors, and they’re asking for more folks to join them in preserving the cemetery located just west of 73 rd St. on Nimbus Rd. Described as a pioneer-style cemetery, Niwot Cemetery dates back to the lat...
The 2017 Golden Hammer Award for volunteer service to the Niwot Community was presented to Kathy Koehler at the Great Pumpkin Party Oct. 28. Pat Murphy of Niwot Real Estate, who originated the award in 2009 in honor of late community volunteer Curtis Lizakowski, made the presentation to Koehler, noting that she has worked tirelessly for the community since moving to Niwot in the early 1970s. Koehler, a native of Boulder County, has been involved with the Niwot Community Association and the...
Efforts are underway to bring attention to one of Niwot’s most treasured historical gems – the Fire House Museum. It’s a tad too easy to be chatting on a stroll down 2nd Avenue and completely miss the lean wooden structure that sits back from the façades of the adjoining buildings. The Niwot Historical Society (NHS) recently put into motion two efforts – the renovation of the fire house museum building, and the restoration of the building site. NHS has successfully raised the needed funds to...
The final lecture of this year’s Niwot Historical Society (NHS) series will be 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the Left Hand Valley Grange Hall, 195 2nd Avenue in Niwot. Every other year NHS features a railroad-themed lecture. The upcoming train-related talk will be given by railroad historian and former curator of the Colorado Railroad Museum, Lauren Giebler. Giebler will present the captivating history of the American hobo experience. The term “riding the rails” was used to describe those who jumped aboard freight trains without permission and...
Niwot Community Association board members showed their support for the Niwot Fire House Museum restoration project by voting to donate $2,000 toward the project at the NCA board’s Oct. 4 meeting. Proceeds from the NCA’s July 4 pancake breakfast were used to make the donation. The restoration project, which must be done to meet Boulder County historic preservation requirements, is expected to cost more than $10,000, according to Niwot Historical Society President Kathy Koehler. “We must follow Boulder County requirements because this build...
Niwot Historical Society guest speaker Mona Lambrecht presented the fascinating story of Rocky Mountain Joe Sturtevant at the Left Hand Grange Hall on the evening of Sept. 27. At least 100 people attended. Topics covered included Rocky Mountain Joe’s irreplaceable contributions to preserving local history through his prolific photography, and his recounting of development in Boulder and the surrounding areas in the late 1800’s. Lambrecht, curator of History and Collections at the University of Colorado Heritage Center, is currently writing a b...
Voting is now open for Colorado’s 2017 Significant Artifacts contest, and the Niwot Historical Society has another item on the list this year. Kathy Koehler said that this is just the second year the society has been nominated and selected for the voting. Last year was the blacksmith door burned with various cattle brands. “To us it is precious because we have not been in this contest except for the last few years because no one had entered any Niwot artifacts in it until last year with the bla...
"Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!" Need the courage to push through your fears and have your dreams? Join this workshop and meet others who want to succeed in a safe and intimate environment. First time is free, then $20 per session. Every Saturday from 9am-10am at 8083 Meadowdale Square, Niwot 80503. Please register by calling or emailing Dr. Stacy Goresko at 720-290-2707 or [email protected]. Please bring a friend! Alzheimer’s support group An Alzheimer’s support group will meet on the first Wednesday of every month . Thi...
The Niwot Business Association (NBA) has announced the hiring of a new Economic Development Director (EDD), Niwot resident Catherine McHale. McHale’s first day on the job was Sept. 1 and she steps into what she described as a “vibrant business community.” The first thing on her to-do list: getting personally acquainted with each Niwot business. According to the formal job posting for McHale’s new position, it is best summed up as “the vanguard of NBA’s vision for the community’s commercial co...
Niwot Fire House Restoration Project by the Niwot Historical Society needs help from the Niwot community, friends and neighbors! The Niwot Fire House is a symbol of Niwot heritage and is located in the Niwot Historic District. There are historic educational displays inside the building and the Niwot Historical Society hosts open house evenings, giving tours of the displays along with period story-telling by volunteers. The Niwot Historical Society is working with Porch Front Homes as our contractor on the restoration project. Fire House Museum...
For Niwot student and history buff Stephanie Reitzig, Colorado Governor Ralph L. Carr is exactly the type of historical figure that deserves to be rescued from obscurity. As an outspoken critic of the internment of Japanese-Americans following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Carr’s commitment to civil rights and racial equality earned him enmity from fellow governors, voters, and the press, and is widely thought to have cost him a promising career in politics. This principled position in the f...
Rock & Rails will kick off its 12th summer concert series on June 1 with Mojomama w/ Bass Legends as the headliner at Whistle Stop Park in Niwot. Nick G and Nalani will open the event with music starting at 5 p.m. The headliner usually begins around 6:30 p.m. The weekly event is sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association in conjunction with the Niwot Business Association, and is free to the public each Thursday from June 1 to August 31. One of the three event managers, Vicki Maurer, said...
As part of the 2016-2017 “Niwot, Now & Then” Niwot Historical Society lecture series, a vintage fashion show organized by Susie Reisser was presented Thursday evening, April 27, at the Left Hand Grange Hall in Niwot. The event was well attended and the crowd was treated to a skillfully narrated fashion show and exquisite examples of men’s and ladies’ fashion from several periods of the 20th century. Dance troupe Watch Your Step!, under the direction of Dorothy Vernon, gave a fashion show wi...
When we first started the Courier I had the distinct impression that we were like one of those 1940s Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney movies, where the kids put on a show in a barn and then decide to take it to Broadway. We were seven people with diverse backgrounds – a lawyer, an architect, a paralegal, a photographer, a teacher, a banker and a FDA investigator. Not quite the butcher, baker and candlestick maker, but close. Our main goal was to highlight the academic and athletic accomplishments of area students that the two local dailies t...
As the membership drive for the Niwot Community Association kicks into high gear, the town is sporting banners at some town entrances, posters and brochures in Niwot businesses, and Burma Shave-style signs along Niwot Road -- all urging Niwot area residents to join the NCA. The NCA membership committee also has sent out emails to current members reminding them to renew and soon will mail renewal brochures to current and potential new members. The committee also plans to post a membership reminder on NextDoor, an online social network for...
Chief Niwot claimed that people who saw the beauty of the Left Hand Valley would stay here. It’s known as his curse or prophecy, depending on how you look at it. Then true to his character as someone who could see both sides of an issue, “Their staying will be the undoing of the beauty,” he reportedly said. Changes in the landscape due to human encroachment factored into the talk, “The Eagle in Chief Niwot’s Time and Ours,” given by volunteer naturalist Sue Cass on Feb. 2 as part of the Niwot Hi...
A “very lovely” park bench donated by the Niwot Community Association remains “rather homeless” in Niwot as NCA members work to find an agreed-upon location for the bench, NCA Board members were told at their Jan. 11 meeting. The metal park bench, which was donated by the NCA in 2016, is in storage until a permanent location can be found. Originally the NCA had discussed locating it near 1914 House restaurant on Second Avenue, but that location turned out not to be suitable. So now the NCA is working with the Cottonwood Park West Homeown...
When filmmaker Erika Volchan O’Conor was searching the internet for images of early Colorado, she saw a photo of the original Niwot United Brethren Church from the early 1900s, and she knew she had seen it in a sketch. The photograph had been sketched by Muriel Sibell Wolle, one of the four Colorado artists O’Conor featured in her film. The photo caused her to reach out to Rev. Pam Everhart, current pastor of the church, now known as the Niwot United Methodist Church after several mergers, and...
On Wednesday, Nov. 2, over 20 people gathered at the Lefthand Valley Grange Park in Niwot to celebrate the dedication of benches as part of Zhou Ming “Ming Ming” Sun’s Eagle Scout project. Those in attendance were from Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Left Hand Grange No.9, Niwot Boy Scouts of America Pack 161, Niwot Historical Society, Niwot Community Association and other community members. Stan Snyder, a landscape architect with Boulder County Parks and Open Space, was in charge of the p...
On Wednesday, Oct. 26, the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) held a lecture at the Left Hand Grange, featuring the Boulder County Latino History Project. Presenters included Marjorie McIntosh, a distinguished professor of History Emerita at the University of Colorado-Boulder; and Linda Arroyo-Holmstrom, a Boulder native, retired educator in the local public schools and a committee member of the Boulder County Latino History Project. NHS President Kathy Koehler said the two speakers centered their...
For all the dog lovers out there, Left Hand Animal Hospital in Niwot is putting on this year’s dog costume contest, after sponsoring it last year, following the Great Pumpkin Party parade on Saturday, Oct. 29. “Pat Murphy started it and she invited us to work with her two years ago,” owner Nancy Bureau said. “She agreed that [the hospital] could take over the pet costume portion and she’s still putting on the children’s parade.” The dog costume contest will begin after the parade, and in front...
On Oct. 5th, the Niwot Historical Society and President Kathy Koehler kicked off the 2016-17 Niwot: Now & Then lecture series with an examination of baseball and its impact on the town. From its earliest days, when Evart “Toots” Conilogue got together with his brothers and friends to form the Niwot Farmers; to the modern era, when Coach Bob Bote led the Niwot High Cougars to five state championships in eight years, the national pastime has been an integral part of Niwot’s civic identity. In Ba...
The Niwot Historical Society is continuing its lecture series, and the newest could knock it out of the park. A panel of speakers will discuss the history of the sport of baseball in the area, each with their own bank of knowledge and insight to provide. “We’re putting together a panel of people or their families who have been involved in baseball in the Niwot area from the very early 1900’s to the present,” organizer Biff Warren said. The speakers include: John Conilogue: His ancestors go way back in the Niwot area, he has a lot of artifac...
With only five Thursdays left in the season, Rock & Rails is enlisting a noteworthy lineup to end the summer with a bang. Headliners such as Chris Daniels and the Kings with Freddi, The Hazel Miller Band, and Face are expected to attract plenty of fans to Niwot’s popular summer concert series. Since its inception in 2006, Rock & Rails has grown to be one of Niwot’s most well-known summer events, with locals and visitors alike filling Whistle Stop Park every Thursday evening. Attendance has bee...
Lectures, artifact exhibits and publications are the usual methods used by historical societies to preserve the history and culture of a town. But in Niwot, the Niwot Historical Society has created an unusual publication – coloring pages drawn by area artists that feature Niwot landmarks. The project was sparked last fall by a question to historical society board member Donlyn Arbuthnot from a local realtor. The realtor wanted to know if the historical society had a coloring book that she c...
Idell Marie Leinweber of Niwot died Friday, May 6, 2016 at Someren Glen Retirement Community, Centennial, Colorado. She was born March 9, 1924 to Charles A. Kneale and Augusta Idell (McKee) Kneale. Idell’s grandparents, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Kneale moved to Niwot in 1888. Thomas was from the Isle of Mann. Her grandparents and parents owned farms east of Niwot on the north side of Niwot Road and Gunbarrel Hill. Idell attended grade school in Niwot and graduated from Longmont High School. She went to business school in Denver. She was employed by D...
On Wednesday April 27, the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) was lucky enough to hear the presentation, “Quilts That Settled The West,” by Jeananne Wright. Besides being a collector (she has one of the most complete quilt collections in the U.S.), Wright is an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser, and gives about 30 talks each year. This lecture, one of 11 programs she shares, focused on the Oregon Trail, quilts made from 1840-1870, and what happened to the settlers that made them for their journey. Wri...
The January meeting for the Niwot Community Association (NCA) was held on Wed., Jan. 6. Some board members were absent due to colds or being on vacation, but the meeting proceeded as normal. NCA members discussed nominations for outstanding NCA volunteers, to recognize people who volunteer their time and efforts at various NCA events. Nominees don’t have to be NCA members, although they can be, but they can also be community members who just enjoy lending a hand. The meeting also included a discussion on various donations the organization g...
