All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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I miss the mall. It’s hard to believe that things have gotten to the point where I think of the mall as a progressive, community-oriented piece of infrastructure. But considering what’s replaced it, yeah the mall wins, hands down. The specific mall I’m thinking of was called Crossroads Mall, which used to occupy the area of Boulder known now as “29th Street.” It had two stories, several department store anchors and lots of small specialty shops: bookshops, music shops, poster shops, shoe shop...
I miss the mall. It’s hard to believe that things have gotten to the point where I think of the mall as a progressive, community-oriented piece of infrastructure. But considering what’s replaced it, yeah the mall wins, hands down. The specific mall I’m thinking of was called Crossroads Mall, which used to occupy the area of Boulder known now as “29th Street.” It had two stories, several department store anchors and lots of small specialty shops: bookshops, music shops, poster shops, shoe shop...
Barb Van Winkle, Teacher Barb Van Winkle has worked for St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) for 31 years. She started at Niwot Elementary 24 years ago, where she taught fifth grade for a few years and then taught gifted and talented students for another 21 years. She said the students and parents in Niwot are wonderful. NES Principal Nancy Pitz said, “Barb has impacted thousands of lives throughout her teaching career. I will always remember her love for all students, her passion for the G...
The small two-story red brick building at 290 2nd Avenue, now Osmosis Art and Architecture was originally a Seventh Day Adventist church. When the congregation of the church disbanded in the late 1920’s, the building was renovated into a residence by Harry Slater. That’s most likely when the bell tower sitting atop the structure was removed. Local historian Anne Dyni has a photo of the building in one of her books. The building’s present owner Anne Postle said, “Ever since I bought it and Ann...
For more than 30 years, the Left Hand Grange has been a weekly hotspot for area bridge players. April marked the end of an era for Niwot’s Bridge Club when Jim Steele, the director of the Tuesday night games, died from injuries he received as a pedestrian in a hit and run accident. Steele, 82, was known as a man of many talents. He was an accomplished metallurgic engineer, a jubilant dancer, a performing poet, and an excellent bridge teacher. He was often spotted dancing at Rock and Rails events...
A bear visited Niwot last Tuesday, May 14. First reported midday Monday in south Longmont, Colorado Wildlife officers weaved through the area with each report of a sighting, but were unable to locate him. Another call, at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, placed the migrating bear near Hover Road and Highway 119, but an officer didn’t set eyes on him until he’d spent some quality time hanging out in Niwot’s Overbrook neighborhood and his stopover was publicized on the Nextdoor app in the late afternoon. The b...
A teacher’s job description doesn’t fit a set list of responsibilities, chronologically checked off and completed at the end of each day. In fact, the job description is ever-changing and unique to the day. Good teachers take on a variety of roles including mentor, advocate, or even friend during difficult transitions and personal hardships. Good teachers stay late, reinventing lesson plans and tirelessly answering parent emails. Good teachers return each day, patience renewed and ready to tac...
It was a night of full of laughter, full bellies, and good cheer. The Rotary Club club of Niwot, along with over 200 guests, celebrated the ninth annual Wine, Cheese, and Chocolate Extravaganza at the Longmont Museum on Saturday, May 18. Ron Grunzweig, this year’s President of Niwot Rotary, has been coming to the group’s marquee event for nine years, and said, “It’s the most successful event that has been done. I want to thank Lucky’s Market for supporting us for the past several years for...
Last week’s column was focused on the usefulness of the most well-known unwanted plant in American yards—the humble dandelion. Hopefully after learning more about the furry yellow flowers, more folks are interested in exploring the possibilities that there are plants growing all around us that are useful, tasty, and ‘weeds’ in perception alone. Just because they aren’t sold in stores or at farmers’ markets doesn’t mean they aren’t nutritious, delicious and edible. A walk in your neighborhood ca...
Spring has sprung--finally. Warmer weather means more opportunities to stroll around the neighborhood, and more neighborhood strolls bring all sorts of small wonders and little joys. A favorite little joy? Little Free Libraries abound in Gunbarrel, providing plenty of opportunities to check out a book or leave a book. Enjoy an evening neighborhood walk after dinner and pick up an interesting volume to read at bedtime....
It was a busy month for the Niwot LID advisory committee, with a host of summer events on the funding docket, and some new business regarding liability. Things got rolling with Bruce Rabeler and the monthly treasurer’s report. On the revenue side, the county reported that LID businesses collected $25,585 in revenue during the first two months of 2019, down from 2017 ($27,290), but up from 2018, though the latter total is still not finalized due to what appears to be an erroneous credit that t...
Taddiken’s bright red trucks, adorned with whimsically painted tree branches, are a welcome sight throughout Boulder County. For 16 years, this locally owned and operated company has served the Front Range with their holistic approach to tree health, fostering a symbiotic relationship between man and nature. Recently, Taddiken is prioritizing projects that work to uplift and bolster the arborist industry throughout Colorado. Needing a larger workforce and wanting to provide an alternative to t...
We live in Boulder County, which clearly loves dandelions and eschews herbicides. With the mounting proof of the harmful effects of common herbicides, such as Roundup, I feel lucky to be surrounded by the sweet and furry yellow flowers that pop up in most people’s yards, on highway medians and next to sidewalks. However, I still see some neighbors with big jugs of herbicide, spraying away anything that’s not part of their garden aesthetic. It’s a free country, and folks are welcome to do as they...
He makes his living diving down more than a hundred feet to capture astonishing images of marine life and he lives in a barn in Niwot. Go figure. But Andy Mann’s work is about more than pretty pictures. Mann has quite the tale to tell. In 2003, at the age of 23, he moved to Boulder from Virginia for the mountains and the bluegrass music scene. A co-worker from The Sink restaurant asked Mann to come climbing and scaling the side of a mountain instantly became his obsession. Mann moved to E...
In theory it took a year and a half for Flagstaff Academy to be awarded the national designation of a School to Watch (STW), but in fact the award’s rigorous objectives have been in the works far longer than that. One of only 18 Colorado schools currently holding the title, Flagstaff Academy is also the first and only charter school to have earned the award. The STW program began in 1999 and is administered through the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform, and within Colorado is c...
As if the recent measles outbreaks among unvaccinated youth in the United States wasn’t worrisome enough, there are recent reports that older, previously vaccinated adults could possibly contract the disease. In 2019 alone, from Jan. 1 to May 3, 764 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 23 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is the greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. Colorado, one of the states with reported cases, h...
This planet is a wonderful teacher. Explore anything in nature closely and you will find all sorts of intriguing lessons to ponder. A couple months ago I shared the story of the largest and oldest tree in the world, Pando. A single clonal organism of Aspen that is a small forest in itself. Pando reminds us of the concept of diversity, especially as it relates to trees and natural ecosystems. Pando is a clone and has no genetic diversity. Overgrazing of young sprouts by cattle and deer has...
Calling it “an emotional decision,” co-owner Leslie Kaczeus confirmed that she and husband Steve will be closing Bootstrap Brewing Company’s Niwot taproom as soon as they are able to find a suitable buyer for the property. “It’s time for us to pass the torch to a new owner to reinvent this space,” she said. “We’re hoping to get a brew pub in there that can have a full liquor license and still serve our beer, make their own, serve other products—that would be the ideal situation.” Kacze...
It might be part of the human condition--we can be surrounded by magnificence and bounty in nature, but can’t always recognize or appreciate its value. Sometimes it takes a visitor or outsider to help us appreciate and protect that which we take for granted, because it has always been part of our surroundings. And on behalf of frogs and toads in the Andes, four St. Vrain Valley students have taken on that role of educating outsider, creating an environmental comic book to help remote Peruvian v...
Filmmaker Adam Rosenberg’s creations may make you cover your eyes, but you’ll be peeking through your fingers so you don’t miss a thing. Rosenberg’s post on Nextdoor let us in on his latest short film, The Runs. The final scene takes place in his own hood, Cottonwood East. Rosenberg warned, “Beware, the film relies heavily on potty humor,” and that wasn’t an analogy. It took about a day for anyone to comment on his post. Perhaps it was because the film starts with a man on the toilet, which...
Each year, the University at Colorado-Boulder honors secondary educators across the state who go “above and beyond to support students as they pursue their higher education dreams.” This year, one of those honorees is Niwot High computer science teacher Teresa Ewing, who was described by Principal Eric Rauschkolb as a “kid magnet.” “Niwot High is a stronger school as a whole because of Teresa Ewing. She has a passion for computer science education; she really loves kids, and she combines...
To the Editor: The following comments are related to Bruce Warren’s Editorial in the May 1st Courier entitled: ‘Broken Trust in Niwot.’ However, first of all we would like to say…Welcome back, Biff. We hope you continue to heal and regain your strength. There are a few misconceptions in his article that need clarification. - Biff states: “In 1996, the county prepared an alley study, which concluded that commercial property owners on 2nd Avenue should have very limited access to the alley,while 3rd Avenue residents were allowed full use of th...
Besides the obvious deliciousness listed in the title Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Tasting, the fundraising event hosted by The Rotary Club of Niwot also hits on some other high notes – an evening of musical entertainment, the opportunity to take home fabulous auction items, while giving to the community. The venue for the ninth anniversary of the notable event is the Longmont Museum and the evening is Saturday, May 18, from 5 to 9 p.m. One hundred percent of proceeds go toward the Rotary C...
Dawson School recently held two of its students' favorite annual events - Rube Goldberg Day and El Mercado. While one teaches science and engineering and the other is focused on Spanish, both are examples of the engaged and relevant learning that is a priority at Dawson. RUBE GOLDBERG DAY: When is the last time you heard sixth graders casually having conversations with each other about a fulcrum? This marvelous annual event invites sixth-graders to create an unnecessarily complicated answer to a...
If I were God, looking down from on high, it’s one of those situations where I’d consider breaking my long-standing policy of non-intervention. I wouldn’t, though; as always I’d just sigh, and ruefully shake my head. Since I’m not God, however, I don’t have that option. Instead I have to participate, daily, in the frustrating inscrutability of the stoplights that govern the intersection of Niwot Road and the Diagonal. Part of what makes it especially maddening is its inconsistency. Sometimes i...
In the late 1960s, a handful of Gunbarrel and Niwot parents formed a sandlot baseball league as an alternative to leagues in Longmont and Boulder. Over the next five decades, that ragtag group blossomed into Niwot Youth Sports, which serves hundreds of the area’s budding athletes each year. On Sunday, May 5, NYS kicked-off its 50th anniversary season, and executive director Pat Longseth said it’s on track to be one of their biggest yet. “This is the largest turnout we’ve had for basebal...
You are enough. It’s the simple, powerful message that ABLE to Sail, a local non-profit, works diligently to impart into the belief systems of the teens who take part in their sailing camps. Today’s teenagers face more challenges than any have for generations—school shootings and social media, for example—often resulting in drug use, suicide and poor life experiences. ABLE (A Better Life Experience) to Sail was founded in 2012 by Diane McKinney with the sole aim to help each teen realize the “se...
At a public hearing on April 23, the Boulder County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve revisions to the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD) land use code, and end the divisive building moratorium that it unceremoniously dumped on the town 215 days before. “I appreciate everybody participating in this,” Commissioner Matt Jones said in his closing remarks before the vote. “I know it’s a lot of work, and nobody’s coming out with everything they want, but I appreciate people that have the...
The Niwot Community Corner park was created in 2018 at the corner of Niwot Road and 79th Street. In the fall of 2018, Community Corner was enhanced with a Sculpture Garden with artworks chosen from various artists for display for up to a year. This continues a monthly series about the artworks and artists chosen for Community Corner at Sculpture Park. We pick up with “Desert Visions” by artist Myles Howell, a large, smooth structure with elegant curves carved into the Bardiglio marble. Ori...
“Little boxes on the hillside...Little boxes made of ticky tacky...Little boxes on the hillside...Covered with flags all the same...There’s a pink one and a green one...And a blue one and a yellow one...And it’s up to you to get them ‘cuz they leave them, by the way.” Utility locator flags are those tiny wire and vinyl or plastic flags of various colors that are stuck in the ground in your neighbor’s yard, along the highway, on medians, right-of-ways and near construction sites throughout...
If it isn’t clear by the random water bowls outside of boutiques and every other person walking a dog or two, Boulder County was made for dog lovers. More often than not, dogs are seated side by side with their human guardians at outdoor cafes, and we have our fair share of natural pet supply stores and dog-friendly trails. And let’s not forget that your well-behaved mutt is as welcome in the aisles of McGuckin’s Hardware as you are. Maybe even more, if your pooch is a real cutie. But even...
It’s no secret that college is expensive, but these days even planning for a post-secondary education can be pricey, between exam fees, application fees, and college visits. Unfortunately, these costs can sometimes keep an otherwise deserving student from taking advantage of every opportunity. In 2018, the Niwot High School Education Foundation (NHSEF) partnered with the school’s counseling department to found the Adopt-A-Cougar program, which helps Niwot families with these costs. “What peopl...
School teachers are arguably some of the hardest working people with one of the most difficult, but important jobs. A top complaint that many educators have is that they are expected and forced to fill too many roles at once, stretching their time to be not only educators, but counselors, planners, purchasers, often with their own funds, and social workers. So when a parent or community member volunteers in the classroom, that act helps ease some of those burdens, freeing up our teachers to do...
The first thing Ted Plank, division manager for Boulder County Transportation Department, wants people to know is, it’s a big misconception that the county doesn’t maintain roads. “The county does a ton of maintenance, starting with potholes,” Plank said. “We do crack sealing operations in all our subdivisions. We sweep them, we snow plow them. We clean culverts and drainages.” Whatever the issue might be, maintenance is done. What the county has to do though is prioritize projects, with safety...
Tiny homes have an undeniable charm about them. They’re - well, let’s just say it – they’re super cute. An entire neighborhood of tiny homes is downright adorable. But for one particular community, the tininess is ultra-lovable, because it’s about opening up a whole new world for each resident. The people living in those homes were simply trying to make it through another day, and they were suffering. Now they’re being helped big-time, and deservedly so. The residents are veterans who took an...
For lovers of the standard pop and jazz classics, the Longmont Chorale and Longmont Concert Band are joining forces to provide an afternoon filled with compositions by such artists as Irving Berlin, the Gershwin brothers, and the Beatles. The May 5 concert will feature many favorite jazz standards, big band pieces and well-known pop tunes in recent and refreshing arrangements. Gary Lloyd, Director of the Longmont Concert Band, and Scott Hamlin, Longmont Chorale Artistic Director, are enthusiasti...
The Niwot Community Association did one of the things it does best at its April 17 annual meeting for members – connect NCA members with the broader Niwot area community. The group invited the principals of Niwot Elementary School, Sunset Middle School and Niwot High School to speak to meeting attendees about the academic and social achievements, strengths, school focus and infrastructure changes at each of the schools. The presentations grew from concerns from some NCA board members about e...
Boulder Country Day School held its 30th anniversary celebration on April 17 at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder. The event included performances by alumni musicians Foxman James, senior faculty member at the Boston School of Music Arts, and Henry Dickhoff, professional pianist currently touring with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, as well as performances by Travis and Christine LaBerge, owners of Parlando School of Musical Arts and the BCD Spotlight Singers. It was an elegant evening with...
Fans of contemporary fiction, take note. On Friday, April 26, best-selling author Peter Heller (“The Dog Stars”) will be appearing at Inkberry Books (7960 Niwot Road) in Niwot to discuss his newly published novel, “The River,” the story of a leisurely canoe trip that becomes a harrowing tale of wilderness survival. “It’s very exciting for us,” Inkberry owner Gene Hayworth said. “We try to be a place that encourages both new writers and invites more experienced writers to come into the book s...
Unity Longmont Spiritual Center (ULSC), an inclusive spiritual community which meets at The Meditation Place in Longmont, will be offering a spring concert featuring local musicians Clint Brown, David Coile, Tim Ostdiek, Shanna in a Dress, Teresa Storch, and Christina Hildebrandt, CMT. The concert will be a mix of funky folk, blues, rock and soul and is open to the community. Dava Money, spiritual leader of Unity Longmont Spiritual Center, says that the center is part of the world-wide movement...
Double-digit population growth and competing budget priorities have combined to put financial pressure on the Boulder Public Library, and now the Library Commission wants area voters to consider whether to fund a separate district that could potentially bring new services to Gunbarrel or Niwot. On April 12, Joni Teter, former chair of the Library Commission, and City of Boulder’s Library and Arts Director David Farnan held an informational meeting with representatives from the Niwot Community As...
On April 16, Governor Jared Polis signed SB-181, also known as “Protect Public Welfare Oil and Gas Operations,” into law. The bill, which had originally proposed significant changes to Colorado’s long-standing oil and gas regulatory system, changed shape as it passed through both the state House and Senate and weathered the amendments that allowed it to land on the Governor’s desk. While neither the proponents nor the opponents of the bill are entirely satisfied with its final form, its existence, according to Anna Lee Foster, Communi...
Snow and cold seemed a distant memory as hundreds of school aged children gathered at Niwot High on Saturday, April 20 for the 40th annual Niwot Easter Egg Hunt, hosted by Pat Murphy. On hand for the celebration were entertainers Sami the Clown and Eddie Spaghetti, and the Mountain View Fire Protection District stopped by with their truck. The Easter Bunny also brought along a few of his furry farmyard friends as part of a petting zoo....
Coffee, booze, and marijuana - all legal substances that make you feel a little body-mind “something something.” Now you can add Kava to that list. Imported from such exotic South Pacific Islands as Fiji, Vanuatu, and Solomon, Kava has become Boulder-bound going straight to The Root Kava Co., the first bar of its kind in the county. Opened in October 2018, The Root is owned by four partners; Winn Kirkpatrick, John Callahan, Pat Irvine and, the newest partner, Keller Heurich, hailing from Niwot....
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...
When the tragic loss of a child happens, immediate sympathy focuses on the parents who experienced that loss. But the siblings of that child suffer more than the profound loss of their brother or sister--they might also lose their parents’ attention and focus to their parents’ grieving process. It is why Gunbarrel residents Kjerstin and Shaun Davies created Charlie’s Guys, a 501(c)3 non-profit that works diligently to remind bereaved siblings that they are loved and not forgotten. In August 2017...
Sitting around a campfire with a high-quality, cold craft beer can in one hand can be considered one of the great simple pleasures of living in Colorado. But not everybody enjoys beer, and glass bottled cocktail ingredients don’t really work on a backpacking trip. That’s where Slalom Fox jumps in. Crafted and canned in Longmont using fresh juices and premium liquors, this small company wants to fill a niche that has been left empty by overly sweet, malt-liquor based canned cocktails that are...
Dawson School teaches language and world cultures to students K-12; by middle school, students can choose between studying Spanish, French and Mandarin, and by upper school, they can choose to apply for Dawson's immersion/exchange program. Dawson has had long-standing partnerships with schools in Sevilla, Spain, Tours, France, and Chongqing, China, sending Dawson students to live with host families and attend schools there, and in turn, inviting those students to do the same at Dawson. Earlier t...
According to its 2017 original schedule, 71st Street in Gunbarrel was due for complete reconstruction beginning in spring 2019. Instead, the project has been rescheduled to start in early winter 2020. In terms of the total project, it still included: - Full reconstruction of 71st Street from Lookout Road to Highway 52 - Widening the road to include paved shoulders - Improved pedestrian crossing for the LoBo Trail - New mixed-use path on the west side of the road from Lookout Road to the Gunbarre...
When local realtor Pat Murphy started hosting the annual Niwot Easter Egg Hunt, she wanted to give something back to the community that had supported her growing business in its formative years. Now, after four decades of watching both Niwot and the event flourish, she also feels grateful for the opportunity to create cherished memories for multiple generations of area families. “I am blessed that I’ve be able to work in this town all this time, and as a thank you for everybody’s business and t...
