All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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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...
Danny O'Connor, Senior Transportation Planner for the City of Boulder, presented an update about the proposed Gunbarrel shuttle at the Commuting Solutions membership meeting held on April 24. The proposed Gunbarrel shuttle would utilize microtransit, a new concept within the transportation world. This service would provide on-demand, point-to-point service within a fixed zone using vans or shuttles. The routing and scheduling provided by this service will supplement the existing transit network...
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....
Part three of a three-part series covering RTD regarding TABOR's Impact, RTD Northwest Rail and Front Range Passenger Rail, with an update on key state legislation. Commuting Solutions, a Louisville-based organization dedicated to finding innovative transportation options, held a membership meeting on April 24, providing a comprehensive update on the CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway from Longmont to Boulder. Representatives from the Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) Chrissy Breit, Chief of...
The Boulder Heritage Roundtable held its 32nd annual Archaeology and Historic Preservation Month awards ceremony at the Chautauqua Community House on May 8, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. There, Niwot's Kathy Koehler was presented with the Square Nail Award which recognizes individuals who have made significant and impactful movements toward historic and/or archaeological preservation/education in Boulder County. Koehler has been involved with the Niwot Historical Society (NHS) for over a decade and has...
The edge of spring verging onto warmer summer months marks the start of the House Blend Band concerts on Second Avenue. The concerts start on Saturday, May 18, at 6 p.m., with one concert every month throughout the summer. This year, the House Blend Band event will be working with the Boulder County chapter of Slow Food to provide salads at the event in addition to the spaghetti that is typically served at Old Oak Coffeehouse. All of the ingredients for the salads are locally sourced from farms and businesses in or around the Niwot area to...
The Left Hand Valley Courier is spotlighting various local neighborhoods, their history, issues and general nature. This week, the Courier is focusing on Gunbarrel Estates. Gunbarrel Estates has its roots in the early 1960s, when it was developed by Bowron Builders, Inc., the same company which created several subdivisions in Niwot. It's not only conveniently located near Gunbarrel's shopping, the Boulder Country Club, and employers such as Celestial Seasonings and IBM, it was thoughtfully...
Photography and beekeeping are Jeff Server's passions, but he did not expect to be talking about both at the opening of his photography exhibit at Inkberry Books. On the evening of Friday, May 3, Gene Hayworth and Keith Waters of Inkberry Books hosted one of their frequent receptions highlighting the works of local artists. Niwot resident Server, whose photography will be on display throughout May, is featured this month. Several attendees, expecting to hear Server's remarks about his eight...
Sales tax revenues for 2024 in Niwot continue to decline, based on data through February, with revenues down by 11% over the same period in 2023. Several funding requests were approved by the LID Advisory Committee (LID). Rock & Rails The 18th year of Rock & Rails, Niwot’s summer concert series, begins on Thursday, May 30, this year. The event takes place in Whistle Stop Park every Thursday night in June, July (except July 4th) and August, with 13 concerts total. Biff Warren, one of the three co-managers of the event, presented the funding r...
The Niwot Community Association held its monthly meeting on Wednesday May 8 at the Left Hand Grange No. 9 to discuss upcoming events, area reports, and provide a recap of what has happened in the past month. Coordinator John Barto reported that preparations are underway for the upcoming NCA Niwot Clean-Up Day, and should lead to a smooth running event on Saturday, May 18. Cooperation with affiliates from Boulder County, Western Disposal, Wildfire Partners, and Community Cycles has proven...
Niwot Sanitation board members and staff donned hardhats to break ground on a project to bring needed upgrades to the water treatment facility just northwest of 95th Street and Niwot Road on May 13. The project will upgrade the facilities, first built in 1967, to comply with current federal regulations governing wastewater discharge. The deadline for compliance is 2026, a date the District should be able to meet. Board members Jim Jones, Randy Lutz, Jan Swanson, Dick Piland and Jennifer Uhland...
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....
Heatherwood Elementary School held its annual Carnival on May 3, a windy spring day in a field of freshly blooming dandelions at Heatherwood Elementary School. The Carnival is the school's spring fundraising event and was significantly larger than last year's Carnival. Mara Oleson, co-president of the Parent Teacher Organization Board, or PTO Board, said that the carnival sold 350 wristband-tickets for kids and estimated that about 450 people attended. "I became active in Heatherwood's PTO last...
"Shocked," "I can't believe it," and "Oh, no!" were community members' immediate reactions to last week's announcement that Old Town Niwot's beloved 1914 House restaurant will close at the end of July. The shock changed to both sadness and gratitude, and then to concern over the future of other restaurants in Niwot and Boulder County. A couple of days later, a very frequent diner at 1914 House related his personal story of his relationship with the staff and other guests. The Niwot Community...
Part two of a three-part series covering RTD regarding TABOR's impact, RTD Northwest Rail and Front Range Passenger Rail, and an update on key state legislation. Commuting Solutions, a Louisville based organization dedicated to finding innovative transportation options connecting commuters to their workplaces, has strongly advocated for the CO 119 Safety, Mobility, and Bikeway Project. It held a membership meeting on April 24, providing a comprehensive update on the project, including its team,...
