All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Jane Leland Langdon's art expresses what's in her heart - a genuine love for life and others. You've seen Langdon's oil and watercolor paintings in Niwot and Boulder County businesses and homes. She's the Niwotian you just can't help but notice because of her lovely large smile and easy laugh. I met Langdon years ago waiting in the check-out line at the grocery store where she struck up a conversation and I was thrilled that we continued to cross paths again and again. This Familiar Face column...
Amongst the shapes, colors, and textures inside Niwot's Osmosis Art and Architecture on 2nd Avenue, there's a face locals are well acquainted with - that of Michelle Henzel. She's raised a family, worked, and been an integral part of community events and organizations for more than 35 years. The Courier reached out to learn more about this vivacious member of the community. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) – Where is your hometown and what path brought you to Niwot? Michelle Henzel (MH) – I gre...
The craziness of 2020 can be quelled a wee bit with the reverent calmness of Chris Doyle's sunset serenades. The long comforting notes of his bagpipe feel like the entire community is taking deep healing breaths. We asked Doyle some questions to learn a little about his life story. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) – What was your hometown and how did Niwot become home to you? Chris Doyle (CD) – I grew up on the east side of Cleveland and finished high school in Chesterland, Ohio. I went to Mus...
Familiar faces abound where people gather for food and there's an especially magical food-centric connection that happens when you get to know the creators of your food. Those are the folks who rise at dawn, dig in the dirt, plant the seeds, labor in the heat, and thanks to their expert knowledge and cooperation from Mother Nature, months later you'll enjoy crispy heads of lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and aromatic basil. This month's familiar faces are a couple you're likely to see often in the...
The littlest children in the Left Hand Valley will get to have a relatively normal school experience this fall. Childcare was deemed as an essential service in March and some preschool facilities, especially those providing care to children of essential workers, never closed in the coronavirus pandemic. Others have started reopening under smaller classroom restrictions during the "safer-at-home" period. For schools that provide both K-12 education and also preschool, it has taken some time to...
Niwot Community Association members heard from Boulder County Commission candidate Claire Levy at their July 1 virtual meeting. Levy, who was uncontested in the Democratic primary, faces Republican Cinda Kochen for the District 1 seat in November. Kochen will virtually meet with NCA board members at their Aug. 5 meeting, along with county commissioner candidate James T. Crowder from District 2. Crowder will face Democrat Marta Loachamin who won the Democratic primary over Jonathan Singer. While commissioners must live in one of three specific g...
As the heat sets in and our early spring flowers fade and give way to summer blooms and vegetable gardens, you might have pollination on your mind. If not, maybe you should! Simply put, pollination is the transfer of pollen from one flower to another flower of the same species. Flowers need to be pollinated to complete their life cycle by producing fruit and setting seed. This is particularly important if you're growing fruits and vegetables, but also important at a much larger scale for nuts,...
Staging a multi-part choral performance featuring seven dozen voices is challenging even under normal circumstances, but add in online learning, social distancing, and a novice video editor, and things become even more complicated. That was the task facing Niwot High choir director Laura Roberts as she worked to give her students a final chance "on the stage" in a virtual choir performance of Omnia Sol. But as she soon learned, just because something is "virtual," doesn't mean it won't take a...
When historians write the history of the coronavirus pandemic, they might want to add this description of online learning from Niwot Elementary School teacher Dale Peterson, who does Google Hangouts with his first graders. "It's like if you go to a pet shop and let all the pets out of the cages and you spend the rest of the time trying to put them back in the cages," Peterson said. "I have 23 little boxes. One might have his feet in the air or his bottom in front of the camera, another is...
Sue Prahl doesn't see anything special about her 25-year tenure with the Niwot High athletics department, so when she learned that she had won the Colorado Athletic Directors Association's 2020 Award for Distinguished Service, her reaction was bewilderment. "I'm not a person who needs to be patted on the back, and I never have been," Prahl said of the honor, which was announced publicly on April 30, along with the Athletic Director of the Year awards. "You just go at it and do it. And so I was o...
Niwot's Little Bird is a symphony of good taste in every form - from art to jewelry, clothing to body care. Sonja Motley-Turman can be found amongst the treasures at Little Bird, offering customers her assistance. Her expertise in all things fashion and style won't come as a surprise to those who know her well. But for everyone else, here is some insight into Motley-Turman's life. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC): Where did you grow up and what brought you to Colorado? Sonja Motley-Turman (SMT):...
It's 6 p.m. on a Friday night in late October, and the unseasonably warm afternoon is quickly giving way to an autumnal chill as the sun slips behind Longs Peak to the west. At Everly Montgomery Field in Longmont, Niwot High Game Manager Sue Prahl grips her handheld radio as she scans the grounds, looking for the game's officials, or "black and whites," as she calls them, due to their striped uniforms. There's still an hour to go before kickoff in the upcoming football game between Niwot and...
An email from Sarah Brown to the Courier read, "In May I started working at Lucky Pie in Niwot and have had the pleasure of working with Dylan, the general manager. We have a constant joke going at work about how he's the mayor of Niwot since he seems to know everyone that lives in the area. He's one of the kindest people I've ever known, let alone worked with. So, if you take suggestions for Familiar Faces, I'd love to see him in there! He really deserves all the recognition as he is a...
There’s just nothing like the anticipation of opening a package, so everyone loves it when the big brown truck stops in front of their house. UPS driver Gabe Amaya is Niwot’s main guy in the brown uniform driving that brown truck. The Courier wanted more than just a friendly wave “hello” from the reliable person who makes hundreds of stops around town. So we asked Amaya some questions and learned that his ties to the town run deeper than his daily route. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) Gabe Amay...
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, or where they’d like to know your name and serve you a warm cup ‘o joe often. One of those friendly places is Niwot’s Old Oak Coffeehouse - thanks in large part to manager Hannah Carlson, this month’s Familiar Face. Customers at Old Oak are recipients of Carlson’s smiles, stellar customer service and culinary contributions, as well as her curatorship of art and music. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC) - Where did you grow up and what brou...
Dec. 21, 1927 - June 6, 2019 Susie Jane Wilcox Banks passed away on June 6, 2019 in Longmont at age 91. She was born December 21, 1927 in Rockport, Arkansas.She was the first child of Doyle L. Wilcox, and Julia Jane (Hoskins) Wilcox. Susie was a graduate of Malvern High School (Malvern, AR) and earned a BA degree from Hendrix College (Conway, AR) in 1947. In August 1947, Susie married C. Wayne Banks, a United Methodist minister and educator. The young Banks couple were the proud parents of a...
The Niwot track & field team put on a show at this year’s Class 4A state championships, and now the Niwot runners have been showing off across the country. From the Music City Distance Carnival in Nashville to the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, the Cougars have been going up against the nation’s best and often coming out on top. Music City Distance Carnival, Nashville Two weeks after she won a second straight state title in the 800-meter run, Niwot sophomore Taylor James posted a per...
When he was just 24 years old, Justin Hirshfield was likely the youngest head chef in Boulder at his gig with Laudisio’s Ristorante. Hirshfield is familiar to those in Niwot because of his 12 years working at the Niwot Market where he could be spotted most days. But, about a year and a half ago he joined the team at 1914 House as their head chef, so now it’s the evening crowd that’s most likely to see him. You may never have crossed paths with Hirshfield when he didn’t have a hat on his head or...
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...
Your kids may be more familiar with Lauren Riegler’s face than you are, unless you’re part of the rather large diving community living in our magnificent landlocked paradise. If you’re not, the Left Hand Valley Courier would like to introduce you to Niwot resident Lauren Riegler as this month’s Familiar Face. Riegler is the director of outreach for the Ocean First Institute(OFI), a Boulder-based non-profit dedicated to ocean conservation through research and education. She and her husband...
New hands have taken over Niwot Massage, and the new owner is serious about rejuvenating--both bodies and the business. Laura Graziano might seem a familiar face to Niwot residents. She worked at Colterra for five years before the restaurant was closed due to a kitchen fire in October 2017. A Licensed Massage Therapist for the past two years, Graziano was building a private practice in south Boulder when the opportunity to take over Niwot Massage became available to her. The former owner of...
Serving food is what Regina Sidoti has been doing for as long as she can remember. Sidoti, 45, works at two restaurants in Niwot and a third restaurant in Longmont. You also can find her working concessions at Bronco games and other sporting events. Her can-do attitude and easy, outgoing smile are emblematic of her optimistic outlook. Sidoti is a very candid, genuine person who believes we all are more alike than not. She said, “There’s a little piece of you in every person.” That’s why it’s a...
Few things in life start out as an exotic indulgence, but end up being a craving that you’re able to satisfy daily. That’s what happened when a kind of secret Japanese restaurant opened in the far corner of the Niwot Market. Who would think this tiny western town would become a haven for raw fish lovin’ folks? It’s all owing to Tsukasa Hibino, owner of Sachi Sushi, who provides us with a free steaming mug of green tea, deeply warming miso soup, and melt-in-your-mouth sushi. Oh, and ramen S...
Just days after their exhilarating run in this year’s Class 4A state tournament, four key members of Niwot’s historic 2018 volleyball squad signed early letters of intent to continue their careers in the collegiate ranks. “It's such a small population that gets to play at the next level,” Niwot athletic director Chase McBride said while introducing signers Emma Falk, Zoe Gonzales, Audrey Richard and Madison Schoeder. “We are all proud of you and it's been such a fun month that you’ve gi...
Lamya Deeb may look familiar because she and her family are longtime residents of the area. Shopping, running errands, or taking children to and from school, it is inevitable that we all cross paths many times over the years. But you might find Deeb out in nature too, facing a glorious scene she’s capturing on her canvas. Or you may have met Deeb while she worked at Osmosis Art Gallery on a First Friday Art Walk. In any of these settings, you’ll find Deeb appreciating a connection with the envir...
Niwot-based performer Nalani may be spending a lot of time with her music pals in Nashville these days, but she will always have a soft spot for her hometown concert series. “I was practically raised at Rock & Rails,” the bassist and vocalist said. “That environment is where I learned to love music.” Nalani returns with her bass to Rock & Rails on Aug. 16 as the opening act for the vocal band Face, another local act garnering nationwide following. Nalani’s mother is Satir Demarco, a longtime...
Former University of Colorado Head Football Coach Gary Barnett will be the guest of honor at the fifth annual Cougar Classic golf tournament, hosted by the Niwot Touchdown Club. Barnett, a friend of the Niwot football program and former Niwot resident now living in Gunbarrel, reached out to second-year head coach Jeremy Lanter late last year to offer advice for overcoming a winless season. In 1996, Barnett co-authored High Hopes: Taking the Purple to Pasadena, a memoir of his third season as...
Singer- songwriter Kevin Dooley has been in the music business for decades, traveling across the US and Europe. Music is his passion and Colorado is his home. You can find him playing guitar and performing his original folk music on main stages, festivals, and pubs across the Front Range. But sometimes you’re fortunate enough to be part of a more intimate audience of fans right here in Niwot at First Friday Artwalk on 2nd Avenue or at the Niwot Market Friday night dinners. This summer, y...
Niwot High campus supervisor La’Mar West suspected something might be up when Principal Eric Rauschkolb invited him to an after school meeting with St. Vrain Superintendent Don Haddad last month, but he was absolutely “shell-shocked” when he found out that Haddad was there to present him with a Superintendent's Excellence in Education Award. “I had no idea it was coming,” he said. “I’m not one of those people who is big on awards or titles or anything, so the fact that I got it was pretty cr...
You may have seen the most interesting man in the world walking in Niwot. His beard is white, his jacket and shorts reminiscent of a jungle explorer’s garb; his stride is measured and purposeful. David Bjorkman (DB) and his wife, Victoria Thomas, are Niwotians who met, lived, studied and worked in “unusual circumstances” as told by Bjorkman, and he’s not being dramatic. LHVC: How and when did you come to live in Niwot? DB: Victoria built a house here in Niwot in 1976. I arrived in 1983, after o...
It is with great sadness that we report the heartbreaking news that Ed Navarro, longtime sports photographer for the Courier, passed away Dec. 31 after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Though his death will be felt deeply by his wife Trudy, a retired teacher, and his two children, Ed “Lucky” Navarro and Emily Marcellus, his friends and the many lives he touched will also experience a great loss. I knew Ed as a lawyer in Longmont for many years before he took up photography. I recall seeing him...
Niwot head softball coach Bobby Matthews didn’t use the term “rebuilding,” but after losing seven varsity players to graduation or transfer, the seventh-year head coach knows his team faces an uphill battle in the loaded Northern League this season. “We’re very young, and we’re very inexperienced,” he admitted. With just two seniors, two juniors and only 14 players total, Matthews will be looking to an exciting but still unproven sophomore class in the fight for post-season tournament sl...
Shayla Amaya-Sidoti has been a cheerleader since she was five years old, and it paid off in a national championship at age 15 with Ignite, a competitive co-ed cheerleading program based out of Lafayette. “I was so excited,” Amaya-Sidoti said. “It was unbelievable that we won.” The 28-member squad traveled first to Minneapolis last December, winning the regional competition in the age division and a $25,000 “full pay” award to go to the national championships, known as the Summit, in Orlando, FL...
The Niwot Inn has been under the direction of mother and daughter duo Cornelia and Carissa Sawle for just over a month, and they are excited with the new business. Cornelia is a native of the Chicago area, but lived in Colorado through several periods during her life. Carissa attended the University of Colorado for marketing. “My daughter loved being out here and talked me into coming back to Colorado, which wasn’t hard to do,” Cornelia said. Cornelia has owned restaurants in San Franc...
The Fourth of July is a special time in Niwot because it not only celebrates America’s freedom, but does so with the only parade in Boulder County for the holiday. Julie Breyer, third-grade teacher at Niwot Elementary School, is part of the Niwot Community Association (NCA) and has been the chair of the parade for the past three years. This will be the NCA’s fourth year orchestrating the parade (that will take place on Monday, July 4), although the parade has been around for many years. Bre...
It was a familiar sight for junior Tommy Stager of the Niwot High School wrestling team, being at the Colorado State Wrestling Tournament for the third time in his career. Unlike the last few times though, Stager had some company to share the experience with. Sophomore Alex Gazdik also qualified for the tournament for the first time in his short wrestling career. They both fought hard in the three days of events at the Pepsi Center, but ultimately it was Stager who finished in the top three. Cougar Head Coach Bobby Matthews said this was a...
