All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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It’s that time of year again, when the Left Hand Valley Courier features those who look to the future—the educators of our children....
Communities within St. Vrain are thriving and leading the way as Colorado continues to build and attract the top workforce and companies who want to call our thriving state home. St. Vrain Valley Schools is the educational home to more than 32,000 of Colorado’s students, with every school and feeder system committed to providing exemplary programming. While all schools share a high standard of excellence, as a district of choice, St. Vrain Valley Schools readily embraces a systemic approach t...
Boulder County residents are fortunate to have so many excellent options to choose from when it comes to education. The St. Vrain Valley School District, the Boulder Valley School District and an ever-increasing choice of private schools in Boulder County consistently rate above all state statistics in achievement. While we weren’t able to feature every educational option in Boulder County, the public and private schools profiled in this special section present a variety of primary and secondary educational choices to explore. Whether y...
Boulder Country Day has intentionally chosen to focus on preschool through eighth grade and we believe it is among our greatest assets. We firmly believe that a PS-8 school environment offers distinct advantages during the most critical years of a child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development. From the teachers we hire to the welcoming and safe campus environment to the curriculum we teach, our configuration allows us to focus on the unique needs of children ages 2.5-14 without the d...
This Halloween, the ghouls and goblins of Flagstaff Academy will be some of the healthiest trick-or-treaters around town, and also some of the most generous. Flagstaff students are encouraged to take part in an initiative created by the school’s Dragon Wellness Committee. The committee, part of the PTO, created this year’s Candy Climb in an effort to encourage healthy habits and activities. Spurred on by parents Tami Beaton and Jodie Popma, the initiative is a contest to get each student to don...
This is a “Big Year” for Niwot High School’s fall theater production. Only once every few years does an NHS production have a live student orchestra accompanying a big name musical. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” will take to the stage Nov. 8 through 11 starring a cast of nearly 50 actors. NHS drama teacher and show director Erin Anderson described the production as elaborate and glitzy. The Broadway version, updated in 2013, has songs that will be completely familiar, but the charact...
On Tuesday, Oct. 23, the Niwot LID Advisory Committee welcomed county commissioners Cindy Domenico, Deb Gardner, and Elise Jones to the Left Hand Grange for a “very timely” discussion of the state of local affairs during the past 12 (or so) months. Ordinarily used as an opportunity to showcase the town’s recent successes, this year’s presentation to the commissioners was fraught with anxiety about the county’s development moratorium, which was scheduled for a public hearing on Oct. 30. Ackno...
Editor’s note: Niwot High senior Hailie Johnson is eyeing a career in journalism and will be contributing to the Courier from time to time during the school year. She profiled her grandfather and great-grandfather and their efforts to maintain the Niwot Cemetery for this article. The Niwot cemetery is a historical landmark that has been around since the 1800s. It all started in 1881 when Nancy Hindmans’ great-grandfather Jerome Gould donated the 1.74 acre parcel to Niwot for a cemetery aft...
Owner of shuttered Colterra restaurant, Bradford Heap, announced that he is seeking to rebuild the fire-damaged restaurant in an expanded and perhaps mixed use format. While attending a Niwot community meeting held by Boulder County Land Use staff on Oct. 17, Heap said that the county’s statement that the plans to rebuild his restaurant were approved and “ready to go” was fallacious because he was unable to meet the county’s requirement for additional parking spots. Boulder County Land Use Dir...
Niwot's 21st annual Great Pumpkin Party was held on Saturday, Oct. 27. Featuring a dog costume contest, parade, and haunted house, this year's event attracted hundreds of visitors to Old Town and Cottonwood Square....
Cheryl DeLong of DeLong Design is parlaying her expertise in decorating and staging for real estate sales into offering home holiday decorating. As autumn sets in and Halloween is approaching along with other end of year holidays, her season is just heating up. DeLong expanded her design services, because clients and friends pointed out that upcoming social and family gatherings celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas, and ringing in the New Year are all reasons to hire an experienced decorator....
Niwot Dental, owned by Dr. Adam Saeks for over 13 years, is sponsoring a food drive to benefit OUR Center in Longmont. The public is encouraged to drop off non-perishable items at the Niwot Dental offices through Dec. 15. Donated food will be delivered to OUR Center, a non-profit, for distribution to clients. OUR Center serves to help the working poor, seniors, disabled, and homeless members of the community by providing those individuals or families with food, resources, and services to make ends meet. Kim Schwartz, office coordinator at...
Technology seems to have suppressed the ability for many of us to connect with our fellow human beings. Standing in line used to mean starting conversations with strangers and waiting for the bus gave us time to know our neighbors. Those opportunities to connect have been replaced with the all-too-common scene of 10 people waiting for the bus, with nine of them staring at their phones. But what if our phones and computers could bring us back to finding friends and making those everyday, human...
NextDoor, the social media app designed to build communities, has about 833 members in its Heatherwood division. Any member who is paying attention will notice that one name shows up over and over again—Leesah Patt. It’s not because she’s complaining about negligent neighbors, or trying to pick a fight over political viewpoints. When Leesah Patt’s name shows up, it’s because she’s offering to do something for folks in the community. Leesah lives in Heatherwood with her husband, Gavin, in t...
A rainbow has many symbolic meanings attached to it—one of the most common is that of prosperity and good luck—which makes it a fitting symbol for the eQuilter logo that now sits atop the company’s brand-new location on Spine Road in Gunbarrel. Luana and Paul Rubin started their online quilting supply business, eQuilter, in their basement in 1999. Within 60 days, they had exceeded their three-year business plan, and had to find a bigger space to rent. Now as eQuilter moves toward its 20th anniv...
Ridgeline Development Corporation has filed a request to begin a second phase of development in Niwot Hills Subdivision, located on the southwest corner of Niwot Road and 95th Street. The proposed preliminary plan calls for seven single family detached homes to be built beginning in the spring of 2019. Markel Homes Construction Company plans to build “some of the homes” according to the plans submitted. The original plans for the development were filed in 1999 and a total of 46 lots were app...
Earlier this year, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) tasked Boulder County Land Use staff to review and amend present agricultural land use code. Last updated in 2012, several designated areas of the code were identified as being in need of revision. In a letter to stakeholders and interested parties, Boulder County Land Use stated that several departments within the county “conducted an outreach project aimed at gaining a better understanding of the needs and issues of the agricultural community in Boulder County.” Based on the inf...
Second Avenue property owners vent frustration Early opposition gave way to a more cooperative spirit at a public meeting to discuss the temporary moratorium on new development applications in the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), held at the Left Hand Grange on Oct. 17. Dozens of Old Town residents, business owners and community members showed up to express their concerns to Boulder County Land Use Director Dale Case and his staffers, either about the six-month ban itself, or about the...
Residents of Niwot showed up in force at the community meeting to both question county officials and for many, to hold their ground regarding what their preferences are for development within the business district of their town. For the residents on 3rd Avenue, many of whom have lived in Niwot for several decades, two topics were high priorities: the county’s process around the development and the moratorium and secondly, the sanctity of the alley between their homes on 3rd Avenue, and the m...
Retired Niwot social studies teacher Douglas Duffy was recently diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, and now his friends and family are inviting the community to come lend their support. On Friday, Oct. 26, Bootstrap Brewing Company (6778 N. 79th St., Niwot) is hosting Drafts for Duffy to honor the longtime educator and coach as well as raise funds in anticipation of upcoming medical expenses. “We knew the community would want to support him in a fun way,” Niwot High counselor Leah Mes...
In a little over a month, Niwot United Methodist Church’s choir will be performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) saw one of the local choir’s performance videos on YouTube, and contacted Choir Director Liz Olsen with the exclusive invitation. The request came out of the blue, but was met with great enthusiasm. “We’ll be performing a Christmas cantata at Carnegie Hall on Nov. 18,” Olsen said. A cantata is a vocal composition with an i...
The first cold snap this fall found many of us appreciating the warmth inside our homes and offices, during the cold, damp weather. Many of us find ourselves waiting with “bated breath” and crossed fingers this time of year, hoping that our trees will be spared from an early snow or severe deep freeze. Perhaps you found yourself on the phone in a last-minute plea to have your irrigation system blown out ahead of freezing temps. Luckily, for now, we were spared that heavy branch breaking sno...
Niwot Historical Society’s Now and Then lecture series will present a 157-year history of the Boulder County’s Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) titled, “Bootleggers, Jail Breaks, Bank Robberies and Heroes” on Wednesday, Oct. 24. Calling themselves “two tired old veterans” with a combined 80-plus years of experience, Dr. William McCaa, a retired captain of the BCSO and Phil West, a retired division chief of the BCSO will present the fascinating legacy of their forefathers in the department and compare t...
Niwot is throwing its biggest costume party of the year when the 21st Great Pumpkin Party takes place on Saturday, Oct. 27. Children of all ages, dogs of all breeds, and scarecrows from every field are invited to join in the celebration on 2nd Avenue and in Cottonwood Square. Supported by Niwot’s Local Improvement District, through the Niwot Business Association, and organized by Pat Murphy, owner of Niwot Real Estate, the event has become a much anticipated annual tradition. All activities are...
International Baccalaureate programs, offered to kindergarten through high school students, aim to go beyond basic curricula by developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people. In the Middle Years Program (MYP), students are at the center of their learning. They draw connections between all subject areas, participate in a world language, and learning is explicitly linked to the world around them. The MYP has at its foundation the focus of helping students learn how to learn by...
There are traits that the male and female genders share, and many things that differentiate the two. And while some traits are fluid and can be present in either, there has been enough research to tell us that when it comes right down to it, boys and girls learn differently. Dr. Michael Gurian wrote a New York Times best-selling book on that very subject 10 years ago, effectively changing the conversation about gender differences in learning, and providing a guidebook for parents and teachers...
North Carolina-based author David Greenson will read his short story The Biggest Salmon Barbecue in the Galaxy at a reception to celebrate winners of the 2018 Summer Short Story Hackathon, on Saturday Oct. 20 from 2 - 5 p.m. at Niwot’s Inkberry Books (7960 Niwot Road,Suite B-3). Launched by Boulder’s Owl Canyon Press earlier this year, the literary Hackathon provided an opening and closing paragraph, and asked contestants to craft a story in-between, up to a maximum of 50 paragraphs. Bor...
Owing to a surprise six-month development moratorium imposed on Sept. 20 by the Boulder County Commissioners for the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), Bradford Heap, owner of Colterra Restaurant, a mainstay in the Old Town commercial area, stated, “The moratorium is preventing me from reopening [Colterra] and that’s what I know. That’s a fact. I can’t go into the particulars, but there are a lot of things.” Colterra, which opened in 2005, suffered fire damage to the kitchen in early mor...
Community Meeting for Boulder Land Use Code Update: Niwot Rural Community District 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. Staff will provide an overview and answer questions about the moratorium on new development. 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. More...
Store manager Brandon Chisam may look familiar because he is a longtime resident of the Left Hand Valley area, and has been working at Gunbarrel Liquor for many years. Considering his friendly, helpful and polite demeanor, if you’ve ever stopped in for a bottle of red or a six-pack of Colorado’s finest, chances are, you’ve run across Brandon. Left Hand Valley Courier (LHVC): Where are you from? Brandon Chisam (BC): Independence, Missouri. LHVC: How long have you been in this area and what broug...
We need to reach people “where they live, work and pray.” This recommendation came from Ellen Goodman, former Boston Globe columnist and founder of The Conversation Project in Cambridge, MA. She was talking about ways to spread the word about the importance of talking about what matters to you at the end of life. Studies show that over half of us will need to rely on others to make treatment decisions. A faith community partnership in Gunbarrel is holding a 5-part series entitled, “Th...
September 2018 was a big month for Flagstaff Academy Preschool. The program reached its 10th anniversary, and it also achieved a level five quality rating from Colorado Shines. Colorado Shines, a Colorado Department of Human Services and Department of Education free resource, enables families to find licensed programs in their communities that are committed to offering quality services. Using a comprehensive approach to evaluate early learning programs, the organization looks at health and...
If you grew up in America, chances are you’ve had at least some exposure to Mickey Mouse and his creator, Walt Disney. It’s more likely that a larger part of your childhood, and your children’s childhoods, has been influenced by the imagination of those pioneers who were at the forefront of creating the cultural phenomenon that is the world of Disney. On Oct. 18 at the Left Hand Grange, Niwot resident Laurie Algar will share a unique insider’s perspective on what the early days of the Magic K...
For 25 minutes on Oct. 5, students at Sunset Middle School walked, jogged or did something in between to raise money for some exciting events coming up during the school year, as well as some much needed supplies and equipment. “We’re hoping to sponsor a student dance,” said Assistant Principal Mary Ellen Graziani, who also did her share of jogging for the day. “We’re also looking to continue expanding our IB program through professional development and buying more technology for the classroom...
In the wake of the Boulder County Commissioners’ temporary moratorium on new development applications in the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), the Niwot LID advisory committee welcomed Land Use director Dale Case and his staffers, Jose Ruano and Denise Grimm, to the Oct. 2 meeting to discuss the wider implications of such a ban, as well as the next steps in the process. They also considered a funding request, elected a new slate of officers, and discussed the agenda for the upcoming m...
Wednesday, Oct. 3 marked the last day for Bell, Book, Candle and Coffee (BBCC) at its Niwot location at 198 2nd Ave. Christine Lucas, who opened BBCC in June 2016, said earlier that she plans to continue the business, but has not secured a new location. Lucas, a longtime resident of the area, said she opened the store with her retirement savings, moving it from the Boulder Airport and expanding her merchandise offerings so that it would be the “department store” for the town. Inventory was ver...
The accolades just keep coming for Bootstrap Brewing Company. At last month’s Great American Beer Fest in Denver, its 1956 Golden Ale was awarded a silver medal in the Golden or Blonde Ale category, beating out 125 other entries for the prize. With a “crisp, dry” taste, the Golden is the Niwot brewery’s lightest and most drinkable beer, and serves as the base for it popular pineapple-infused Chillax. When Bootstrap co-owner and chief brewer Steven Kaczeus created the brewery’s signature...
We may think our furry family of dogs and cats operate well on their instincts, but when it comes to what they are willing to eat, they can easily go off track. Our own common sense isn’t always so sensible either. Veterinarians Dr. Lise Cummings with Niwot Veterinary Care and Dr. Nancy Bureau, co-owner of Left Hand Animal Hospital, are first call responders for our pets and know from experience how easily our pets can get into a health scare after ingesting the wrong thing. What behavior to w...
For the much of the past two decades, students in Finland have been ranked at or near the top of an international study that compares the academic achievement of 15-year olds in reading, math and scientific literacy in 73 countries worldwide. So when Niwot High principal Eric Rauschkolb was offered the chance to travel to Helsinki over the summer for an in-depth review of the Scandinavian country’s educational system, he jumped at the chance. “The educational company Education First, they off...
Drivers heading east or west on Franklin Street in Niwot need to be aware of newly installed stop signs. The now four-way stop at 3rd Avenue was included as part of the site plan review for the future Left Hand Animal Hospital at 304 Franklin St., formerly The Neighborhood Learning Center of Niwot. Stop signs were already in place on 3rd Avenue where it intersects Franklin Street and for many years residents on the southern block of 3rd Avenue have experienced difficulties seeing approaching traffic from the east due to cars parked in front of...
This year’s Jazz on 2nd Ave, the eighth year for the event, welcomed more than 1500 participants over the weekend of Sept 15-16, according to organizers. With the event’s profits used to fund jazz education, Colorado Jazz Group, the 501(C)3 non-profit organization that stages the festival, hopes to expand its visits to Front Range schools and continue to inspire a new generation of musicians. 2018 Jazz on 2nd Ave’s Funk and Jazz Festival Festival director Rachel Cohen said total sales were...
The removal of ash trees infested with the emerald ash borer beetle (EAB) located in the Boulder County right-of-way will begin this October. If you’ve been notified that any of your ash trees are subject to removal, now is the time to act. Trees that have been marked with a blue ‘X’ will be removed starting this October, and then more removals will occur throughout 2019-2020. In the spring, Boulder County also marked trees with orange plastic bands, notifying adjacent residents that marke...
An intrepid adventurer, reporter Lowell Thomas’s trailblazing work in the 1900s meant an award carrying his name would be synonymous with pioneering exploration and epic voyages. Planetary scientist, principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto, author, and Niwot resident, Alan Stern was recently bestowed the Lowell Thomas Award in Engineering Exploration for his accomplishments and ongoing endeavors. The Rocky Mountain Explorers Club, one of 30 international chapters of the p...
Kelly Morrow and her fourth graders from Boulder Valley Waldorf School pose with a Certificate of Appreciation for visiting historic Niwot with the Niwot Historical Society on Sept. 26. More than a dozen students joined the walking tour, which started at Whistle Stop Park and headed east on Second Avenue. Because there are older post office boxes in the museum, the tour stopped into the Niwot post office to see the post office boxes used today. While visiting, USPS clerk Martha talked to the...
When out for a stroll, With your pooch or a friend, You may see this box, As you come ‘round the bend. No typical box, this, But you’ll soon see why, For while it’s made for the ground, It can fly in the sky. From world to weird world, Though time and deep space, It’s wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey, All over the starry place. “Bigger on the inside!”, Is what they all exclaim, And this small blue cop box, Holds fast to that claim. When you open the door, To what’s hiding inside, Enough words on paper, To take you far and wide. Beyond the bounds of...
Altona Middle School (AMS) choir director Kim Needham Watkins’ routine mammogram earlier this year prompted doctors to recommend further testing. Follow up images indicated that she had cancer in her lymph nodes. The doctor’s phone call with the diagnosis came an hour before she, husband Jason Watkins, and their eight-year-old son Daniel boarded a flight to Germany to meet Jason’s biological family for the first time. With the frightening news heavy on their minds, the family spent the next...
Boulder County Land Use Director Dale Case knew he was walking into a hornet’s nest when he met with eight Niwot developers on Oct. 1. In the ten days since the county enacted a six-month moratorium on new development in the Niwot Rural Community District (NRCD), concerned local business and property owners have politely and not so politely let their displeasure about the halt be known. “This moratorium, out of the blue, with no prior warning, is totally outside the spirit of cooperation tha...
Our chair was discovered, That’s not a bummer. The rhyme that follows, Isn’t hard to swallow. Here’s what people wrote in And all scored a big win. The Cubs chair on 79th Street in Niwot was the mystery Left Hand Chair....
November’s election will determine the next Boulder County Commissioner to serve a four-year term with incumbents Elise Jones and Deb Gardner. Each candidate must live in District 3 (Niwot, Gunbarrel, Louisville, Lafayette, Superior, East Boulder, Erie), but is elected at-large and on each issue, acts on behalf of the entire county. Running for the office are Gary Cooper (R), Matt Jones (D), and Cliff Willmeng (G), one of whom will replace District 3 Commissioner Cindy Domenico in January 2...
There’s a school in Kyengera, Uganda named Mwebaza. Two hundred students and six teachers spend their days learning and teaching there. More than 8,000 miles away, at Niwot Elementary School (NES), 450 students and 18 teachers spend their days doing the same thing. Dale Peterson is one of NES’s teachers and he has helped bring together the hearts, minds, and souls of the people of Mwebaza and NES. Peterson began his career as an educator 23 years ago as a student teacher at NES. As part of a w...
