How Does Niwot Work - Part 4

The Niwot Cultural Arts Association, often referred to as the NCAA, has nothing to do with March Madness, or intercollegiate sports. In Niwot, the NCAA has everything to do with charitable activities involving arts and culture.

The NCAA was formed in January 2009 by Tim Wise, Mike Anfinson and Biff Warren at the urging of the Niwot Business Association. The NBA, through Wise's efforts as head of the Historic Projects Committee, had worked with Bank of the West to establish Whistle Stop Park on a parcel of land behind the bank next to the railroad tracks.

The NBA acquired a historic caboose and placed it in the park to celebrate the town's railroad past. The NBA then built a bandstand resembling a historic bandstand that had been located at the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Murray Street.

In 2006, the NBA worked with Boulder Creek Events to establish a farmer's market and summer concert series at Whistle Stop Park, which won the Governor's Award for Excellence for a downtown event, which has now evolved into the Rock & Rails summer concert series.

In early 2009, Bank of the West approached the NBA and offered to sell the park parcel at a generous discount if a non-profit charitable organization could purchase it. The NCAA was quickly formed, and by July, $40,000 had been raised from the Niwot community through tax-deductible donations, and the NCAA bought the park.

As Niwot's new charitable arts organization, the NCAA soon expanded its activities, and additional board members were added, with Anne Postle, Michelle Henzel, Alyson Bell, Vicki Maurer, Holly Dapolito and Satir Demarco replacing Wise and Anfinson.

Postle, an architect and an artist as well as vice-president of the NCAA, brought First Friday Art Walks to Niwot, in conjunction with Osmosis Art & Architecture. Henzel, an artist who serves as NCAA treasurer, suggested a Let's Wine About Winter event based on a similar event her daughter took her to in a Chicago suburb, which has become a favorite tradition in Niwot, celebrating culinary arts and wine in the dead of winter. Together Postle and Henzel created the Why Not Niwot? Juried Art Show, celebrating and encouraging creation of art about Niwot.

Bell is the marketing and publicity guru of the NCAA. She has enlisted Tool Studios, owned by Bell and her husband Charles Bell, to provide pro bono website creation and support, marketing expertise and advertising services to the organization. She also serves as one of the judges for the juried art show every year.

Maurer, a paralegal at Warren, Carlson & Moore LLP and business manager for the Left Hand Valley Courier, is a co-manager of the Rock & Rails summer concert series along with NBA representative Dan Hawk of Edward Jones, and also serves as secretary of the organization. She is responsible for organizing, managing and training a large group of community volunteers who serve beverages at the concerts. Maurer has spearheaded the organization's effort to make Rock & Rails a premier local event, which has generated up to seventy thousand dollars a year to support the community projects of the NCAA and the NBA, as well as other local non-profit organizations.

Dapolito, who owns Nourish & Company in Niwot, handles the non-food vendors for Rock & Rails, which add to the ambiance of the event and provide activities for children. Demarco books all of the music for Rock & Rails, and has done so since the event's inception. She also arranges music for First Friday Art Walks and other community events.

One of the largest undertakings by the NCAA was the development of Niwot Children's Park, across the street from Whistle Stop Park. When Jeff and Cynthia Lambert had the idea of creating a public park for children in Niwot, they partnered with the NCAA and Boulder County to purchase the land for the park and construct the park. The land purchase was partially funded by lottery funds, with the cost of development of the million-dollar facility coming from community donations, contractor donations and volunteer efforts spearheaded by the NCAA.

The NCAA, along with the Left Hand Grange, sponsors the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, which first performed at the dedication of the Whistle Stop Park bandstand in 2006, and now performs at up to 14 events each year.

Most recently, Postle and the NCAA have continued working with the NBA, the Cottonwood Park West Homeowners Association, and other community groups and volunteers, including NBA streetscapes coordinator Chuck Klueber, artist Lisa Rivard and David Lee of Fletemeyer & Lee Associates to establish the Sculpture Park on the southwest corner of the 79th Street and Niwot Road intersection and preserve the tree carvings of Eddie Running Wolf. Plans are also in the works to add a Family Art Walk once gathering restrictions are relaxed.

The NCAA is entirely supported by donations and proceeds from its sponsored events. Go to http://www.niwotarts.org to make a tax deductible donation.