LID approves 6 event funding requests including new Cottonwood Concert

Niwot's Local Improvement District Advisory Committee (LID) approved funding requests for six events in Niwot from May to September, including several beloved Niwot events as well as a new music event. The May 2 meeting included annual requests from the Niwot Business Association (NBA), Niwot Community Association (NCA) and Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), and a request from a local restaurant.

Cottonwood Concert

Among the funding requests approved was a new event, a Cottonwood Concert, planned by Niwot Tavern, for August 26 from 2 to 9 p.m. in Cottonwood Square.

Stacy Szydiek, co-owner of the Niwot Tavern with Tara Shaheen, presented the request, asking for $12,000 for the one-day music festival toward the anticipated costs of $17,050. "Tara and I will cover the rest," Szydiek said in the application. "We are hiring The Samples original lineup that is currently on a U.S. Tour. We want to celebrate the fact that we all survived Covid."

Szydiek noted that the NCAA's Jazz Festival, which was held the past two summers in Cottonwood Square Shopping Center, was on a one-year hiatus and would not be held this year, which was confirmed by LID member Keith Waters, one of the organizers.

She said that there would be three opening acts, but the largest expense would be $7,500 for The Samples, a band originally from Boulder that is well known locally and nationally. Szydiek said that the band was playing in Cherry Creek later that week where tickets would be as high as $50.

Several LID Advisory Committee members asked about the cost of the event, and noted that the Jazz Festival funding for a one-day event had been $10,000.

"We really want to keep it all Niwot," Szydiek said of the vendors. "I think about 1,000 people will come. The owner of Cottonwood Square is doing Sirius radio ads. It will bring in people who have never been to Niwot."

LID chair Scott Firle spoke in support of approval, saying, "This is a unique event." Waters also supported the request, but after discussing the costs, said, "Could we do $10,000?" Sydiek responded that they might be able to reduce some costs.

After further discussion, Waters moved to approve LID funding of $10,000 and Lisa Rivard seconded the motion. Conditions of approval included returning to the LID with a master plan, with parking, safety and security concerns addressed. The motion passed unanimously.

Around the World Day

The LID approved funding for the NBA's Around the World Day, scheduled for Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event was held for the first time during 2021 as Colorado was starting to come out of the pandemic.

NBA Vice-President Deb Fowler presented the request. "Following the hugely successful Around the World Day the last two years, we would like to bring it back for a third year," she said.

Fowler expects around 30 businesses to participate. "We are asking any storefront business, be it retail, restaurant or services, to participate by adopting a country for a day and celebrate its culture with food, drink, (and) decor," she stated in the application. Funds were requested to cover marketing costs and music. On a motion by Sarah Cioni, and seconded by Waters, the LID approved funding in the requested amount of $6,269 out of the $6,720 total cost, with the NBA covering the balance.

Niwot Honeybee Festival

Another event approved for funding by the LID was the NBA's Niwot Honeybee Festival, slated for Saturday, September 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fowler and co-organizer Dawn Server presented the request for $6,720, with the NBA contributing an additional $500 to cover the costs.

The event, now in its third year, features the Tom Theobald educational speaker series at the Left Hand Grange, bee trivia, bee bingo, observation hives, kids' activities, mead tasting, and live music, both in downtown Niwot and in Cottonwood Square. "We're committing to entertainment in both places," Fowler said.

"Each year the crowd has doubled," Server said. Fowler noted that last year's August event was better attended in the morning due to extreme heat in the afternoon. LID member Mary Coonce moved to approve the request, Waters seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously.

Dancing Under the Stars

The NBA also requested funding for Dancing Under the Stars, an event managed by Catherine McHale of Power & Purpose Marketing. The 15-week event held in Cottonwood Square brings in 100 to 200 people each Friday night, beginning June 16.

McHale explained that the event originated in Boulder, but was brought to Niwot in 2020 when Boulder's regulations and restrictions made it too difficult to continue the event there. The funding amount requested was $7,350 out of a total cost of $13,850, with sponsors and the NBA covering the remaining costs.

"The event comprises a free dance class (mostly salsa or swing but with one evening of waltz and contra during the season), followed by free social dancing with a DJ afterwards," McHale wrote in the application. "The 2023 request represents an increased amount of funding over the 2022 [event] (but this is not all covered by the LID request)."

McHale noted that she is exploring purchase of a permanent dance floor as the temporary floor is installed and removed each Friday evening. In response to a question about the digital marketing expense of $1,000, McHale acknowledged that she paid her firm, Power & Purpose Marketing, for those services, which include 20 weeks of Facebook and Instagram management and engagement, local digital promotion, set up on local events pages, and video creation and editing.

LID member Cornelia Sawle moved to approve the request, Coonce provided a second, and the funding was unanimously approved.

4th of July Pancake Breakfast and Parade

The Niwot Community Association requested funding for the annual 4th of July events, which include a downhill mile run, a pancake breakfast, a concert by the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, and a parade from Niwot Road at the Meadowdale Road intersection through downtown Niwot.

Kathy Koehler presented the request on behalf of the NCA's 4th of July Event Committee, saying, "We're in line with last year," for the $8,890 total cost. The LID request was for $3,130.

"We provide the advertising, social media, posters, U.S.A. cloth flags for the town flower pots, provide a road crew and signage," the application states. In addition, the NCA provides patriotic decorations for bikes, trikes and strollers that participate in the parade.

Koehler noted that the NCA works with Niwot Market to provide the community pancake breakfast. "The Niwot community comes to town for this event every year and meets up with family, friends and visitors," she said.

The downhill mile run is sponsored by a Boulder running group, and Koehler expressed hope that some of the logistical problems encountered last year, which resulted in closed streets, would be resolved. "There were 100 runners last year," Koehler noted. Coonce moved to approve the request and Sawle provided the second, followed by unanimous approval.

Rock & Rails

Niwot's summer concert series, Rock & Rails, was the last event approved for funding by the LID. Now in its 17th season, the event is co-managed by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association and the Niwot Business Association, providing free concerts from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Whistle Stop Park every Thursday night from June through August.

This summer the free event will feature 14 concerts, with opening acts starting at 5 p.m. and headliners taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. The Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band will open for Girls On Top, a popular band with local members who have performed many times in the past.

The application describes the event as "the premier event of Niwot," often referred to as a "large block party." In spite of restrictions on composting, the application indicates that "the event remains a zero-waste event," with a new compost vendor that will accept CMA certified compostable cups and utensils. Gargoyles, a crew of middle-school-aged children, help patrons deposit materials in compost and recycle bins.

Many businesses sponsor the event, which is also funded by alcohol sales. Net proceeds are divided equally between the NCAA and the NBA, with most of the NCAA funds used to cover most of the maintenance costs of Niwot Children's Park.

Over 100 volunteers participate each summer, with Tip Jars to benefit other community non-profit organizations. Last year, the Tip Jars generated $25,821, shared by 23 different charitable causes. Coonce made a motion to approve the request for $10,000 in funding, and LID member Eric Bergeson seconded the motion, which was unanimously approved.