All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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Do you know of a local event, interesting story or local person the Courier might be interested in covering? Do you have comments about what you have read in the Courier or suggestions to make? We would like to hear from you at [email protected]@lhvc.com....
In the wake of 1914 House’s announcement that it will close as of July 7, 2024, Tony Santelli, a respected business professional and former president of the Niwot Business Association, has voiced his concerns about Boulder County's Minimum Wage Ordinance 2023-4. Santelli, who is a former site manager of IBM’s Boulder facility and a former owner of the Niwot Tavern, fears that this ordinance, if not addressed, could lead to significant financial strain on small businesses in Niwot and other areas of unincorporated Boulder County. Niwot's cur...
The crowd at last Thursday's Rock & Rails concert, June 13, received an unexpected treat when the Rotary Club of Niwot presented Pat Murphy with the Eli Buzas Community Service Award for 2024 on stage. Rotary president Wick Rowland made the presentation, with Awards Committee Chair Kamla Chopra during a break in the performance by the Alcapones. Murphy and her husband Larry were at the concert and Murphy took the stage to thank the Rotary. Rowland said, "The award is the Niwot club's highest rec...
Get ready to dance and sing along with headliners CW and Twenty Hands High on June 20 for their third consecutive year performing at Rock & Rails. The band performs a wide range of country and Southern rock favorites and a growing number of their own popular creations. In August 2023, the band was honored as Entertainer of the Year by the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame. Frontman CW Wooten said that, although they have a large repertoire of two-step selections, they tend to "stay more...
Caregiving for someone you love with dementia can test your limits, feel isolating, cause self-doubt and stress. Niwot area caregivers have a resource to help cope with the experience, a monthly caregivers support group which meets at Una Vida, 7960 Niwot Road, free of charge. Sarah Sutherland has led the group for the last two years. She started the group as a way to give back after a personal experience with the disease. "My mother had Alzheimer's," she said. "When her behavior and cognition s...
Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts of America) is without a doubt a great program for youth in our country to learn survival skills, earn merit badges, and gain leadership experiences. However, it could be very difficult to succeed in scouting without support from parental figures along the way. Parents are often the ones who help drive them to and from camps, provide encouragement and guidance, and even supply some, if not all, equipment for the scouts. Scouts develop bonds with each other...
The 4th of July celebration in Niwot is one of the town's biggest events and it is less than a month away. Julie Breyer, heads the 4th of July planning from the Niwot Community Association, and has been hard at work getting things prepared for the upcoming celebration. On Friday June 14, Breyer hosted the Niwot Nifties 4-H Club to start assembling children's bicycle decoration bags. Seven youth volunteers from the Niwot Nifties were present to help assemble the bags. Each bag is handed out the...
The work that began on March 15 on the Gunbarrel and East Boulder/White Rocks Trail was completed June 15. Boulder County reported that the trails are open all the way to 95th Street. The new Vesper Trail that makes a loop to the north toward Lookout Road off the Gunbarrel Trail will remain under a Wildlife Closure order until Oct. 31 according to Boulder Open Space & Mountain Parks. Trail closures can be found here....
Construction has restarted at the property at 6325 Lookout Road on the corner of Lookout Road and 63rd Street. The bare-framed structure has stood uncompleted for years in front of the Hampton Inn and Suites property on Lookout Road. Adjacent to both is a restaurant site which has recently opened again as Whistling Boar Provisions. Currently open only for breakfast and lunch while waiting for their liquor license, this latest eatery presents itself as a well-managed, community and farm focused...
The June meeting of the Niwot Business Association (NBA) featured Niwot resident Amy Scanes Wolfe, describing her efforts to create a suburban homestead through regenerative agricultural design. She described a small farming operation in Niwot on about an acre of land that is grounded in regenerative agriculture, with volunteers raising crops and farm animals with minimal resources from outside the community. She said, "That's what has stood out to me is how people are craving that genuine...
Do you know of a local event, interesting story or local person the Courier might be interested in covering? Do you have comments about what you have read in the Courier or suggestions to make? We would like to hear from you at [email protected]@lhvc.com....
Through the first week in June, residents may have noticed a larger-than-usual number of artists painting outdoors in Niwot and throughout Boulder County. They were working as part of the 2024 Open Studios Plein Air Festival, a juried experience open to artists throughout Colorado and the United States. This year's event was the first time the festival has been held since before the pandemic and last Saturday, the public had the first opportunity to view the results of their efforts, at an...
After a few weather delays, the Niwot Community Association (NCA) finalized the restoration of the mural in the underpass beneath Niwot Road. The first round of restoration took place in the spring of 2023, and the restoration was finished on Sunday, May 19, 2024. Due to the weather taking its toll on the paint, which caused bubbling, water stains, cracking, and peeling in several places, the NCA sought volunteers to help with the process of restoring the mural, which was initially painted in...
After the opening night concert was cut short due to a thunderstorm, concertgoers were eager to get back on the dance floor at week two of Niwot's Rock & Rails summer concert series at Whistle Stop Park. The event featured a summery night of fantastic music, dancing, and community energy from 5 to 9 p.m. The evening began with The George Street Duo, which took the stage from 5 to 6 p.m. The talented pair, featuring lead singer George Street on guitar and Niwot resident Joe Pacheco on bass, capti...
Those who frequent 2nd Avenue's coffee shop, The Old Oak Coffeehouse, as well as those who regularly attend any community events, have probably noticed some friendly and regular faces behind the counter. This week's Familiar Face is one such barista, Noah Smith, who has been a friendly face at The Old Oak since March of 2022. Smith started the job when he was on a walk downtown and saw a "help wanted" sign in the window. He went in, inquired about the position, submitted his resume, interviewed,...
"The Last Ranger," published originally in 2023, was written by Denver resident Peter Heller, an adventure-seeking outdoorsman who has established his bonafides in traveling the world as an expedition kayaker. Heller's adventures have become fodder for his tales of the challenging descents in the Pamirs, the Tien Shan mountains, the Caucasus, Central America and Peru. He was on the ground team of purportedly the most ambitious whitewater expedition that wound through the treacherous Tsangpo...
Niwot's First Friday Art Walk took place June 7, from 2nd Avenue to Cottonwood Square, starting at 5 p.m. and lasting for at least two-and-one-half hours, although several businesses stayed open until 8 or 9 p.m. as well. It was the opening art walk to a series that will take place monthly this summer, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association in conjunction with Osmosis Gallery. There was a small scare for the opening of the art walk when a large power outage along 2nd Avenue,...
For the third year in a row, on June 8, the Slepicka family hosted another successful tractor show with assistance and sponsorship from the Niwot Community Association (NCA). The free event took place at their family farm on 79th Street in Niwot. Members of the Slepicka family who put the showcase together were property owners, Jerry and Marsha Slepicka (who purchased the property in 1989) with assistance from their son, Brandon. Both Jerry and Marsha grew up in Boulder and are Colorado...
With an uncertain, unpredictable forecast leading up to Lobsterfest on Saturday, June 8, the weather cooperated and good times were had by all at this year's event at Whistle Stop Park in Niwot. Deb Fowler, one of three head organizers of the event from the Niwot Business Association (NBA) along with Mary Coonce and Linda Klueber, reported 140 tickets sold for this year. "[Lobsterfest] is a fun, signature event for Niwot to kick off the summer," Fowler said. "It's a great opportunity to build...
Gargoyles are hard-working students, incredible team players, great friends, and an integral piece of the Niwot community over the summer at Lobsterfest and Rock & Rails. They assist in keeping events at Whistle Stop Park zero-waste. The Courier is spotlighting some of these friendly, essential volunteers. Meredith Champion has been volunteering as a Gargoyle for four years. She is currently an incoming sophomore at Niwot High School and is an active member of the Niwot community. Champion is a...
An open house was held Friday, June 7, for DRF Real Estate in partnership with Slifer Smith & Frampton at their 2nd Avenue offices in Niwot. The open house was held to celebrate the switching of office spaces between the two real-estate office locations, and to commemorate their continued partnership. Deborah Fowler has been a real estate agent in the Niwot area, with offices located in the back office space of the Niwot Emporium building at 136 Second Avenue for the past eight years. In that...
Do you know of a local event, interesting story or local person the Courier might be interested in covering? Do you have comments about what you have read in the Courier or suggestions to make? We would like to hear from you at [email protected]@lhvc.com....
As Assistant Principal and Athletic Director Joe Brown closed out Niwot High School's inaugural Hall of Fame ceremony, the echoes of applause reverberated through the auditorium, leaving a lasting impression on attendees. The five inductees – Tiny Koehler, Sue Prahl, Art and Debbi Stapp, Terri Ward, and Biff Warren– accepted the honor with grace, each telling stories the audience will not soon forget. On June 2, students, teachers, family, and friends gathered to recognize excellence. Dir...
Jerry and Marsha Slepicka are hosting the third annual Slepicka Tractor Show on Saturday, June 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Tractor Show showcases tractors and stationary equipment as well as tales about the equipment, guided tours, and food. It is an event that shouldn't be missed. New this year, the event will also be displaying a collection of garden gnomes and fairies. The Slepickas bought the vacant lot at 6675 N. 79th Street (where the event will be held) back in 1987. Boulder County...
The First Friday Art Walks start again next week with the opening on June 7, taking place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and hosted by Osmosis Gallery, helps local businesses associated with the arts and many local artists display their work. It also corresponds with the last day that the artists in the Boulder County Plein Air Festival challenge can complete their work. "It lets people know who we are, what we do and to attract customers, not...
The "Peacemaker" bronze sculpture in Niwot's Sculpture Park, on the southwest corner of Niwot Road and 79th Street, is a big step closer to belonging to the community. The Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), which manages the park pursuant to an agreement with the Cottonwood Park West Homeowners Association and Boulder County, announced that it has received a commitment for a $50,000 donation towards the purchase of the sculpture created by renowned artist Bobbie Carlyle of Loveland. The...
Steve Durian, Boulder County's Director of Public Works since August 2023, plays a crucial role in overseeing the county's infrastructure projects. Durian's expertise and passion for his work are evident, as he was excited to interview for the position when it was advertised. With prior experience at the City of Boulder from 2000 to 2006 and continued ties to the area through property ownership and other connections, Durian is excited to navigate the intricacies of Boulder County's...
Commuting Solutions, a Louisville-based transportation management organization (TMO), is partnering with Boulder County on the CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Project. As a partner, they are leveraging their expertise to create a distinct identity for the Diagonal Highway corridor. This includes designing wayfinding signs, bus station architecture, and other elements along the new Bus Rapid Transit route. Audrey DeBarros, the Executive Director of Commuting Solutions, and Kelly...
Niwot's Lobsterfest is returning this Saturday, June 8 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Whistle Stop Park. While there have been over 100 tickets sold, there are still tickets left for the event, which is capped at 200 people. A $95 adult ticket includes entrance, a "Cape Codder" welcome cocktail, lobster, sides, designer cookies, and ice cream. At a cost of $35 for children, tickets include lobster mac and cheese, sides, designer cookies, ice cream, a juice box, and a fun-filled goodie bag. Beer, wine,...
The prospects for development of the land at 5701 N. 79th Street in Gunbarrel for use as a tennis facility appear to be more uncertain than ever. The land has recently been listed as for sale by LIV Sotheby's International Realty's Boulder office. The 20.24 acre lot is offered at an asking price of $2,650,000. Sotheby's listing describes the property as a "perfect canvas to build your dream estate." The listing states that it is zoned agricultural and is "surrounded by City of Boulder open...
Rock & Rails' 2024 season has begun. The Left Hand Valley Courier will be featuring volunteers at the event that are a major aspect of the weekly concerts. Volunteers are integral in the organization and operation leading up to and during Rock & Rails every year. The organizers of Rock & Rails have made great efforts to make it a zero-waste venue. If you are a regular or returning patron to the Thursday night concerts, you're probably familiar with the people who sit on top of the recycling and...
Do you know of a local event, interesting story or local person the Courier might be interested in covering? Do you have comments about what you have read in the Courier or suggestions to make? We would like to hear from you at [email protected]@lhvc.com....
It has been a little over two weeks since the May 11 fire that changed the lives of the Holicky family forever. The fire, which was contained mostly to their garage, caused smoke damage to the walls and ceiling of the family's Gunbarrel-area home. Fire damage to the ceiling exposed asbestos into the rest of the home, ultimately making the fire damage much worse than first thought. The belongings in the garage were completely destroyed by the fire, but most of the items in the house were also...
Niwot's wildly popular Rock & Rails summer concert series resumes Thursday, May 30, at Whistle Stop Park, a week earlier than in prior years. Once again, all summer long concertgoers will be able to enjoy music, dancing, drinks, food trucks, activity booths and people-watching. Concerts are held from 5 -9 p.m. every Thursday through August 29, except for a break on the 4th of July. The May 30 event features Deborah Stafford & the Night Stalkers as the headliner taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. One...
NCA Clean-Up Day is sponsored by the Niwot Community Association and is one of Niwot's biggest events every year. One of the NCA's board members has always spearheaded the event since its conception over twenty years ago. One NCA board member has been involved with the program for over 10 years, and has served as the lead program manager for the past four years. For his volunteer efforts in managing and coordinating Niwot's Clean-Up Day, this month's Left Hand Laurel is awarded to John Barto. Ba...
On March 11, 2024, construction was set to begin on the new Vesper Trail, with portions of the East Boulder-Gunbarrel Trail to be closed for use between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through June. The trail is currently closed from the Boulderado Drive and Cambridge Street access point in the Heatherwood subdivision to a point approximately one mile east. In addition, beginning May 13, repair and resurfacing work began on the East Boulder - White Rocks Trail between Boulderado Drive and...
The main hall of Left Hand Grange No. 9 is in the midst of getting a big update. Improvements to the gathering space over the past year are now officially from floor to ceiling. In May, newly installed ceiling tiles and freshly painted walls renewed and greatly improved the space's ambiance. Both bathrooms have also been updated with new fixtures and paint. Next up, literally, will be new lighting fixtures. The Grange invites the public to stop in and to peer through the windows to get a good lo...
A long-anticipated library branch of the Boulder Public Library District (BPLD) is being prepared for opening next year. A five-year renewable lease agreement was reached for use of the now-unoccupied former FirstBank building and property at the intersection of Spine Road and Lookout Road in Gunbarrel. At a May 14 meeting of the district board of trustees, David Farnan, Director of the BPLD, enumerated the outstanding amenities and features of the physical structure and location for the...
It was the Boulder Library Foundation, not the Boulder Public Library District itself, which released the minutes of the Boulder Public Library District Board of Trustees’ important May 14, 2024, meeting to the public. These minutes are included on the library’s website: Boulder Public Library District -REGULAR MEETING- Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (https://boulderlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/05.14.24-Regular-Meeting-Packet-final.pdf) Specifics about the Gunbarrel library project, including the Gunbarrel lease, costs, other locations con...
As Rock & Rails concertgoers enter Whistle Stop Park, they can't miss the greeters holding large tip jars. Each week of Rock & Rails, non-profit organizations that have been approved following an application process are invited to collect donations for that week. In return, they help with set up, take down, and operation of the event. Half of the tip jar collections at the May 30 concert will go to Scouting America (the name changed from the Boy Scouts of America earlier this month). Donations...
The CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Project, a crucial initiative to enhance safety, mobility, and add a bikeway along the CO 119 corridor from Longmont to Boulder, is set to start construction on the bikeway portion in the fall of 2024, with updates provided late summer 2024 according to a Boulder County news release. The entire project is scheduled from fall 2023 through spring 2027. CO 119, unfortunately, holds the second-highest crash corridor for bicyclists in Boulder County. From 2015 through 2019, there were 17 bicycle crashes,...
The Boulder County Plein Air Festival, hosted by Open Studios, begins this week at the former feed store in Niwot and will run through July 5. Seventy artists submitted portfolios this year on a national level. This is reported to be one of the largest Plein Air Festivals in the country, with the largest award packet offered by the festival, according to Mary Horrocks, the Executive Director of Open Studios. This will be the first national plein air contest since the COVID pandemic. The competition, which started in 2017, stopped in 2020 due...
One or more vandals caused significant property damage at Monarch Park's Hangge Fields the night of Friday, May 17, or early the next morning. To make matters worse, minority groups were targeted with racist and homophobic graffiti sprayed on a dugout close to the parking lot. For over 50 years, the non-profit Niwot Youth Sports has organized youth sports programs year-round for children ages 4-18 in the Niwot-Gunbarrel area. At Monarch Park, the organization uses a total of six ballfields for...
Do you know of a local event, interesting story or local person the Courier might be interested in covering? Do you have comments about what you have read in the Courier or suggestions to make? We would like to hear from you at [email protected]@lhvc.com....
Volunteers from the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and the Niwot Business Association gathered at Whistle Stop Park on Saturday, May 18, to clean out the Depot building, wash down the beer trailer, hang sponsors' banners and make sure the park is ready for the 18th season of Rock & Rails. The popular summer concert series kicks off on Thursday, May 30 at 5 p.m. when The Delta Sonics take the stage to open for Deb Stafford & The Night Stalkers. Co-Managers Vicki Maurer, Dan Hawk and Biff Warren...
The Niwot Community Association's annual Clean-Up Day event, held May 18, was its most successful to date. There were 203 vehicles that attended (including those who made multiple trips). In the days leading up to the event, there were 13 membership dues paid (new and/or renewed) with an additional 24 on the day of the event. The NCA currently tracks 34 new members who have signed up this year with many who still have not renewed their membership. New elements and accepted items that were incorp...
Michael Tomich and Patty Machen were busy most of Saturday, May 18, setting up the stage and sound system for the opening night of the House Blend Band's 2nd Avenue summer concert series that evening. Although a brief windstorm with a few raindrops threatened to delay the start of the popular concert series at 6 p.m., the storm clouds quickly moved through and the show went on. Tomich and Machen, who own The Old Oak Coffeehouse, organize the House Blend Band for the free summer concerts, with...
Dave and Maggie Lee of Niwot are kind and gracious. They know what they value and stand for, and they have focused on their values as much as possible during their long marriage. Prioritizing their family, pursuing meaningful work, nurturing longtime friendships and serving others through their church are consistent themes in their lives. Dave is from Pueblo, Colorado, Maggie from Salem and Portland, Oregon. The two met in high school after Dave's family moved to the Northwest. Dave graduated...
For Liza McConnell, Research Farm Director for Sprout City Farms, farming and working at Jack's Solar Garden is a multi-sensory experience that began as a passion for cooking good, fresh food. "Really freshly grown food is a wonderful experience - the flavor, color, and vibrancy is just amazing," said the Niwot resident. "The first time eating food directly from a farm really made an impression on me." Helping others experience the same fresh food and finding regenerative farming practices that...
