All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
Sorted by date Results 2915 - 2964 of 3926
The Niwot United Methodist Church Choir’s (NUMCC) performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall on Nov. 18 was a memorable experience for the small but accomplished group of local singers. NUMCC, under the direction of Liz Olson, had been rehearsing for a few months prior to their performance of Pepper Choplin’s Christmas Presence cantata as part of a 275-member choir. Choplin, who also conducted and directed the choir’s performance, drew rave reviews from the members of NUMCC. “Pepper Choplin ha...
If your new ‘smart’ technology makes you feel anything but, then it might be time to call Neighborhood Tech Services. Launched earlier this fall by longtime Niwot resident Jim Dorvee, NTS provides a wide range of IT and computer support services for the home market, from audio/visual integration, to online and home security, to laptop tune-ups and repair. “There’s smart doorbells, smart locks, smart thermostats, and all of those things often need to work together,” Dorvee said. “It’s no...
Thursday, December 13, 2018 – Friday, December 21, 2018. A pop-up community planning outreach booth is placed at the Niwot Emporium lobby as part of the Boulder County Land Use Code update to the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), which includes property along 2nd Avenue from west of Murray Street to Niwot Road. The primary focus of the outreach booth is to gather community feedback and public comment to inform the revisions to the land use regulations for the NRCD, enabling members of the public to provide input at their convenience. T...
This year’s Nutcracker performance by the Centennial State Ballet will be giving a special present to the audience. In addition to the usual professional production quality that the company delivers annually at Niwot High School, there will be an all-new orchestra playing some of Tchaikovsky’s most memorable compositions. The Centennial State Ballet (CSB) chamber orchestra is composed of musicians hand-picked by the CSB’s conductor, Rick Thomas. According to Heidi Lawrence, CSB’s marketi...
Beginning in January 2019, Twin Peaks Charter Academy (TPCA) in Longmont will be the first school in St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) to offer full-day kindergarten free of charge. Prior to this opportunity, TPCA offered either free morning or afternoon kindergarten classes. Families wanting their children in a full-day program were charged nearly $2,700 per school year, because Colorado does not provide funding beyond a half-day of instruction. According to TPCA’s director, Joseph M...
Boulder County will host a community workshop on Monday, December 17, 2018 from 6 – 8:30 p.m. at the Left Hand Grange No.9. Boulder County is seeking public input to shape the Boulder County Land Use Code related to the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), which includes property along 2nd Avenue from west of Murray St to Niwot Rd. The primary focus of the meeting is to gather community feedback and public comment to inform the revisions to the land use regulations for the NRCD. Areas of focus will include density, circulation and mix of u...
Just over 20 years from now, already congested traffic conditions are expected to increase by 25 percent along Highway 119 (the Diagonal.) According to RTD’s website statistics, 45,000 cars, buses, trucks, and bikes use sections of Highway 119 on a daily basis. By the year 2040, some 56,000 vehicles will be a realistic number. Acknowledging the current aggravation of traveling along the corridor and wanting to prevent worsening conditions, the Boulder County Transportation Department and the R...
Steve Gaibler, owner of the bustling Niwot breakfast and lunch spot, Garden Gate Cafe, converted his Italian restaurant in Longmont into a second Garden Gate Cafe location. Talk about a quick change over -- Gaibler closed Ragazzi Italian Grill the day before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21, and on Nov. 27, he presented patrons with a duplicate of his tried and true concept. Surreptitiously, while the establishment was still serving pasta and red wine, Gaibler began to make a few aesthetic changes. He put up reclaimed wood on the lower three feet of the...
The winning word was ‘diminutive’, but the accomplishment was just the opposite for Niwot Elementary fifth-grader Andrew Hudgins. The second-time finalist outlasted 12 other talented spellers to claim victory in the school’s annual bee, which was held at the school on Dec. 5. “I read through the list every night and memorized most of the words,” Hudgins said of his victory strategy. “I also practiced with my mom every day. She would read me words and I would spell them.” That daily commitm...
There is a snowman and Christmas tree, Which are in plain sight, for all to see. It couldn’t be quicker, So please take a picture, To give all in town some glee....
Twelve years ago, Niwot resident Jilly Gossett came across a basic sauce recipe. She began to tinker and tweaked the recipe to make it her own. One day, her husband said, “This sauce is outrageous! You have to start giving this as gifts.” She did, and the list got longer and longer each year. One year, as she was giving a jar to the pastor at her church, he grabbed it excitedly and exclaimed,”Oh, good! Jilly’s little jar of crack!” While she thought it was a little ridiculous that her pastor wa...
The tradition of giving books as gifts is practically as old as the printed word itself and, in fact, books were among the first items mass-produced and marketed specifically as Christmas gifts, back in the 1820s. Nearly 200 years later, books remain a popular choice for both givers and receivers, and not just for the holidays. A book can be a token of intimacy, of friendship, or even of just shared interest. A book can sometimes say what we can’t, and giving one at just the right time can m...
Last year at this time, Dale Peterson’s bold vision for building and equipping a new classroom and then shipping it overseas seemed like an impossibly complex undertaking. But thanks to a willingly conscripted army of both local and districtwide students, a brightly painted two-story structure wired for electricity and solar power will be trucked out of Niwot on Dec. 8, bound for its new home at the Mwebaza School in Kyengera,Uganda. “I’m feeling overjoyed that we could have so many kids invol...
Mwebaza Foundation founder and president Dale Peterson was in good spirits after the closing ceremony for ‘Cougars/CDC Creating Classrooms,’ held at Niwot High on Nov. 29. “I’m feeling overjoyed that we could have so many kids involved,” he said about the months-long project to convert two shipping containers into a functioning classroom that will be used at the Mwebaza Infant Primary School in Kyengera, Uganda. “I am also feeling relief that I will get more time with my family, but mainly just...
It all started with a letter that many Heatherwood homeowners received during the week of Thanksgiving, and it has quickly turned into a community coming together to educate themselves so that they can protect their homes and families. The letter from Rocky Mountain Hydrocarbon, LLC, was sent to homeowners who were identified through county records as owners of the mineral rights of the land their homes are built upon. Through the venue of the social media app, Nextdoor, residents voiced...
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...
The switch for one of the county’s most spectacular holiday light displays is now in the “on” position. From 5 p.m. to 9:45 p.m., Dec. 1 through Jan. 7, Chuck Rodgers’ fanciful, musical, and brilliantly executed drive-through holiday light extravaganza is on display for free to the public at 5980 79th Street in Niwot. Rodgers has put up thousands of lights at his house on the crest of the hill since the late 1980s. His gift to the community is an annual tradition that brings great joy to chil...
Thanks to the social networking app Nextdoor, when there’s an escapee cat or a dog running the streets, within a nanosecond the neighborhood is alerted and folks spring into action. The internet has loads of heartwarming tales about forlorn pets who’ve made it back to the arms of their loving families owing to a shout-out on Nextdoor. In the blended country-residential areas of Niwot, Gunbarrel and Longmont, it’s not surprising that animals of the farmyard persuasion also often warrant our c...
Niwot’s annual holiday parade brought spectators of all ages to Second Avenue on Saturday, Dec. 1, as well as some very good boys of the four-legged variety. More than two dozen community organizations and companies made their way down Second Avenue in full holiday regalia, led by the Boulder County Sheriff’s color guard. Bringing up the rear was the old man himself, waving from his usual perch in the Engine No. 10 vintage fire truck....
Casting a vote in the inaugural People’s Choice contest for Niwot’s Community Corner at Sculpture Park is a simple process, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy on voters. With eight diverse and highly engaging pieces in the running, the hardest part is choosing only one. “Honestly I didn't think we'd get the number of quality pieces we have to fill this garden in this first go-round,” Niwot resident Scott Deemer said. Deemer, who owns landscape design firm Outdoor Craftsmen, was the chief archi...
What started as a proposal for a modest “connectivity point” at the southwest corner of 79th Street and Niwot Road blossomed into a high caliber public art space thanks almost entirely to the efforts of Niwot resident Scott Deemer, recipient of this month’s Left Hand Laurel. “It was Scott Deemer's artistic vision and the generous contributions from his company, Outdoor Craftsmen, that changed the Connectivity Project from something ordinary into something extraordinary,” Chuck Kluber of the Ni...
Congratulations to all those intrepid travelers who went exploring during the Thanksgiving break. Though, by the looks of the fantastic picture the Brown family sent in, the bird, the scarecrow and his little dog too could still use a meal. First up is Dave Dell, who wrote, “That skeleton scarecrow/dog is in front of the first house on Niwot Rd. between 95th and 287 on the south side of the road. It's a blue house. I don't know its address.” Thanks, Dave. Then we have junior explorers Isa...
This past spring, an elk decided she felt perfectly at home on the Schultz Family Farm at the corner of Oxford Road and Highway 287. When she bounded the fence and joined Chester and Calvin, the oxen who call that field home, they graciously permitted her to share the field with them. There was some concern from passersby who thought maybe she was being held against her will. Others worried when they didn’t see her in the field and they thought she had been forced to move on or had been h...
Fifteen-year-old Fiona Nugent was a patient at Children’s Hospital of Colorado when a volunteer visited her room and told her about an art contest the hospital holds each year. Nugent was instantly interested and knew precisely what she would like to do. She wanted to create a painting of a landscape scene she’d photographed – it was of a snow-covered barn that had caught her attention on Airport Road. Nugent, a sophomore at Niwot High School, said, “I’ve always enjoyed art as a way to just c...
The results for the Enchanted Evening Window Decorating Contest are in! There were about 150 votes total, and while the competition was amazing and colorful, the clear winner for the 2018 season is Niwot Tavern. This is the second year in a row that the Tavern has swept the votes, and they credit their amazing wins to their window designer and decorator, Tom Studholme, who can be contacted at 970-619-9456 for people who wish to use his skills for their holiday window displays. The second place w...
On Oct. 17, the former home of Chris Finger Pianos and Powder Keg Brewing Company at 101 2nd Avenue in Niwot was sold to 3601 Park Ave Association, LLC, a New Jersey company. The LLC, registered to do business in Colorado, bought the building for $1,735,300 from the Christian and Barbara Finger Charitable Remainder Trust. Public records state the building was previously purchased in 1978 for $75,000. Architects Fletemeyer and Lee Associates will continue to occupy part of the building. The...
I look out and see patches of snow still frozen hiding in the northern shadows of plants and homes. We’ve been covered up several times in the last month by a wintery white layer of snow and even a little freezing rain. Ahhhhh…. a collective sigh of relief, seeing the mountains covered in white, knowing that we’ve been given the gift of moisture, a precious thing on the high plains. I’m grateful for that snow. Perhaps the El Nino phenomenon will settle in and bring us an abundance of precipi...
When Colorado coldness creeps in, the missing simple pleasures of digging in the dirt, admiring green textures in the yard, and watching buds turning to blooms can lead to an unfulfilled longing. Bringing home houseplants and cut flowers doesn’t always offer the same satisfaction that gardening can. Here are some easy indoor ideas to satiate those green thumb blues. Wheatgrass – This is like transporting a wee bit of your lawn inside, but you won’t have to mow it. You can just enjoy the fresh...
Since Michael Tomich and Patty Machen opened the door of Old Oak Coffeehouse a little over a year ago, it has lived up the symbolism of its namesake – it’s become a thriving and solid part of the community. So, when a smash and grab burglar made the cafe one of the victims of a string of small businesses robbed in the last two weeks, Tomich said the tree was a bit shaken. “To see someone in my shop, with a mask and gloves destroying and stealing,” Tomich said of the video footage he reviewe...
On Oct. 18, HPD (High Performance Devices) was recognized as and presented with the Photonics Company of the Year award at the Colorado Photonics Industry Association’s annual meeting. The Gunbarrel company received the award for achieving distinction in the industry and its contribution to the photonics economy in Colorado. According to the OP-TEC website, “Photonics is the technology of generating and harnessing light and other forms of radiant energy whose quantum unit is the photon.” This...
Niwot resident Dr. Alan Stern has been appointed by President Donald Trump to become a member of the National Science Board (NSB). One of five new members to join the board, Stern will serve a six-year term through May 2024. Other appointees are scientists Maureen L. Condic of Utah, Suresh V. Garimella of Indiana, Steven Leath of Alabama, and Stephen Willard of Maryland. Stern is the associate vice president and special assistant to the president of Southwest Research Institute headquartered in Boulder. The distinguished planetary scientist...
A collaboration of the Boulder Ballet with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra (LSO) usually signals the heartwarming end-of-the-year classic, The Nutcracker Ballet. Along with what we’ve come to expect, there will now be the addition of an extra-special show at 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 1 when performers will host the Gentle Nutcracker, a sensory-friendly production that will be welcoming to all audience members. Tchaikovsky’s musical score is synonymous with the story of “The Nutcracker and the K...
Chris Doyle (left) and Paul Schafer, members of the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, perform on bagpipes in a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I at the Niwot Cemetery on Nov 11....
With most of its business for 2018 concluded, the Niwot LID advisory committee turned its gaze to 2019 at its regular monthly meeting on Nov. 13. Up first was newly-elected LID treasurer Bruce Rabeler with details about his recent meeting with liaison Mark Ruzzin and officials from the Boulder County finance department. Starting next year, the county will be implementing new rules concerning procurement, which may mean changes to current LID funding processes. Among the most significant changes...
Niwot’s 2018 holiday season officially gets underway on Friday, Nov. 23 with the 18th annual Enchanted Evening in Old Town and Cottonwood Square. “It is a wonderful family and community event,” Dr. Nancy Bureau, co-owner of Left Hand Animal Hospital commented. She is helping to organize this year’s festival for the Niwot Business Association, along with Chuck and Linda Klueber. “The best part of the evening is enjoying the sense of community that this event brings.” This year’s tradition-ste...
What can hit 200 mph, has played a part in such beloved films as “Viva Las Vegas,” and has scads of international groupies? It’s the legendary Shelby Cobra and the Shelby Mustang. Gunbarrel is home to a museum that goes above and beyond in honoring the engineering, elegance and triumphant history of the line of autos that racers completely obsess over. The world renowned Shelby American Collection is ironically located on a quiet and unassuming cul-de-sac, in a completely nondescript build...
Bob Keesy's kidneys were failing so he asked for someone to give him one of their kidneys. One way he asked was a huge banner on the fence behind his house in Niwot which read, "Bob needs a kidney." He just needed one kidney, but lucky Bob was offered two. UC Health sorted it out and transplanted the one that matched him best. It was a gift from Frankie Dubar-Nelson. Almost four months after surgery, both donor and recipient are back to their normal lives. Dubar-Nelson is doing "super-good" she...
Colorado has rocks that, well, rock. They are called lithophones, and a local archaeologist who first came across these strangely shaped stones 40 years ago is finally sharing their musical story. Longmont archaeologist Marilyn Martorano first laid eyes on the long, baguette-shaped rocks almost four decades ago, as a volunteer at what is now Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado. The clearly hand-shaped stones, which had been discovered in the area, were housed in the...
Nationwide, results of the highly anticipated 2018 midterm elections had a little something for everyone, but that was not the case in Boulder County. Locally, democratic candidates received large majorities, as did ballot measures supporting election reforms and oil and gas industry regulations. Here is a look at some (unofficial) results of particular local interest. On average, registered voters in Boulder County cast their ballots at a higher rate than their counterparts elsewhere in...
Inspired by Niwot’s “wonderful” holiday decorations coordinated by the Niwot Business Association, members of the Niwot Community Association board decided at their Nov. 7 meeting that they wanted to contribute to the town’s holiday ambiance by adding some decorations at the west entrance to town along Niwot Road. “The decorations in Whistle Stop Park, our trees and throughout town are just beautiful, but we know the budget is already prioritized and plans are in place at this time,” NCA area 3 representative Pat Murphy said. She suggested t...
On October 24, 2018, Mr. Jessie Slepicka asked Ms. Jenna Carlson to continue their adventure in life by becoming his wife and moving to a yet to be decided state as he pursues his PhD. (She said yes!) Jenna is the daughter of Ms. Traci Carlson of Colorado and Mr. Jarrit Carlson of South Dakota. Jessie is the son of Jerry & Marsha Slepicka of Niwot. Jenna is a 2014 graduate of Rapid City Stevens High School and a 2018 graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. She is currently employed as...
When the last of the harvest has been pulled from the garden, it’s time to put those beds to, well, bed. Preparing your garden for winter will make for healthier, heartier plants and soil next spring. If you put in a little extra work now, it will pay off once the weeds usually make their appearance when the weather warms. Believe it or not, weeds don’t wake up in the spring. They start planning garden domination during the quiet winter months, when no one is giving them a second thought. Fir...
Poverty is a very real, yet complex issue in Boulder County. The federal government considers the poverty level to be a family of four living on $25,000 or less a year. In Boulder County, however, that family of four would need to earn over $86,000 a year to pay for all the things needed to raise a family--housing, medical care, food, transportation, clothing, taxes and all those necessities that add up. Every year, the Boulder County Circles Campaign presents a poverty simulation event that is...
Colorado is a beautiful place. It is filled with open, wild spaces, and that unbridled nature is why many of us live here. With open, wild spaces comes wildlife. Lately, our local news has been filled with sightings of mountain lions and foxes in our own backyards. Much of this is attributed to human development encroaching on their habitat. As winter approaches, they need to hunt a lot now to survive later. Learning how to coexist with these non-domesticated critters is essential if you’re a pet owner. CATS Most cats love to be outside, becaus...
Niwot’s Economic Development Director Catherine McHale welcomed a crowd of over 30 people to the dedication of nine pieces of public art installed at Community Corner, at the intersection of Niwot Road and 79th Street. “We wanted it to be accessible to people, something they can experience,” McHale said. “We tried to choose pieces that fit with the community. All pieces are available for sale, but should be here between six and nine months.” The Sculpture Park Committee, consisting of McHale, A...
Shortly before her family went to Boston early this year for Mila Makovec’s experimental treatment of Batten Disease, Mila’s symptoms worsened to the point that her mother, Julia Vitarello, thought she might be losing her daughter to the fatal genetic disease. The quantity and severity of seizures Mila was having skyrocketed to 30 times a day for two minutes at a time. Seven-year old Mila slumped forward most of the time, was losing her ability to hold herself up when standing and walking, and...
Two Boulder law enforcement agencies are investigating a string of “smash-and-grab” burglaries that occurred at seven area businesses in the overnight hours of Tuesday, Oct. 30, and at least one more on the night of Nov. 5. Three businesses in the Cottonwood Square shopping center (7960 Niwot Road) in Niwot and four businesses in Gunbarrel’s King Soopers shopping center (6565 Gunpark Drive) suffered damage to glass windows or doors, and an unspecified amount of money and property was also stolen...
Halloween is an exciting time for most children - running through the dark streets with friends, knocking on doors, getting free treats, and being someone else for one day a year. And two local community volunteers believe it’s a day that should be available to any child who wants to participate, regardless of whether or not their family can afford a snazzy costume. Leesah Patt and Peri Shaplow met over a post on the NextDoor social media app, quickly connected and after a short phone call, got to work to make their latest community effort a r...
More than two dozen people stepped up to the microphone in the Boulder County Commissioners’ hearing room on Oct. 30 regarding a temporary halt of development in downtown Niwot. The commissioners could vote to maintain, modify or rescind the moratorium they initially approved on Sept. 20. Dale Case, Boulder County Land Use Director said his department’s recommendation was to uphold the six-month moratorium on development in the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), but with the exclusion of...
A close friend of Joyce and Victor Johnson’s brought them to the attention of the Courier, knowing the couple would be interesting to profile in our Familiar Faces column. They’ve made the most of the area by building strong friendships, strolling around town, and enjoying local restaurants and businesses. Their love for each other and the community are inspirational and heartwarming. Here’s a glimpse into their lives. Can you give us a little background on yourselves and how you met? Vic Johns...
