LID approves funding for summer events

Sales tax revenues for 2024 in Niwot continue to decline, based on data through February, with revenues down by 11% over the same period in 2023.

Several funding requests were approved by the LID Advisory Committee (LID).

Rock & Rails

The 18th year of Rock & Rails, Niwot’s summer concert series, begins on Thursday, May 30, this year. The event takes place in Whistle Stop Park every Thursday night in June, July (except July 4th) and August, with 13 concerts total.

Biff Warren, one of the three co-managers of the event, presented the funding request to the LID on behalf of the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA). Warren noted that over 100 volunteers donate their time to the event, which is co-managed by the NCAA and the Niwot Business Association (NBA) who divide the net proceeds. The event is a zero-waste event, with teenage “gargoyles” sitting atop compost and recycle bins to assist in waste placement.

Opening acts, which are generally local musicians, begin performing at 5 p.m., with the headliners taking the stage at 6:30 p.m. “About half of the bands are crowd favorites who come back every year, including Face, The Long Run, Last Men on Earth, Hazel Miller, and Chris Daniels & the Kings,” Warren said. “We try to bring in new bands every year, and some of them come back every other year.”

Warren noted that the event brings visitors to Niwot from many other nearby communities, including Boulder, Longmont, Lafayette, Broomfield and Superior. The funding requested from the LID was $10,000, based on “the number of people who attend the event, the importance of the event to the Niwot business community, and the value of the large contingent of volunteers organized by the NBA and the NCAA who make the event possible,” according to the application.

The event shows a net profit every year as a result of beverage sales and business sponsors. Warren explained that the NCAA’s portion of the funds are used to pay for the maintenance of the Niwot Children’s Park across the street from the concert venue, which totalled $15,665 last year according to the application

He also noted that Rock & Rails returns over $1,000 in sales tax revenue to the LID every year, and also raises funds for other local non-profits through the Tip Jar Program, which generated $27,864 last year for 19 non-profit organizations. Since the inception of the concert series, over $632,000 has been returned to the Niwot community from the event through tip jar donations, net proceeds, and sales tax revenues.

After a brief discussion, the funding request was unanimously approved.

Dancing Under the Stars

Catherine McHale presented an application on behalf of the NBA for funding for Niwot’s other popular summer event, “Dancing Under the Stars.” The 14-week event is held every Friday night in Cottonwood Square, beginning June 28 and continuing into September.

McHale explained that the application makes provision for one “rain date” as last year the weather forced one cancellation.

A free dance class is held from 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. each night, with dancing following. “Dance styles are mostly salsa or swing - the two most popular dance styles in the area, but we still also have one night for contra/folk, waltz…and country,” McHale wrote in the application.

The event draws 150 to 200 people each night, with a DJ providing the music, except on a few occasions when live music is presented. McHale requested $7,710 from the LID toward the $14,210 total cost of the event. Other funding is provided by the NBA and event sponsors.

McHale noted that a portable dance floor is rolled out each night in the parking lot in front of Little Shop and Winot Coffee, and portions of the dance floor have to be replaced every year.

LID member Heidi Storz asked about the possibility of a permanent dance floor that could also be used for parking at other times, and LID member Cornelia Sawle asked whether a pavilion could be constructed to provide a permanent site for the event with a permanent dance floor. McHale responded that the dance floor is often cited by dancers as an important feature of the event. “People really appreciate it,” McHale said. She also noted that it was important to keep the event near local restaurants and retail shops, and that so far, a permanent flooring solution had not been found.

After a brief discussion the funding request was unanimously approved.

4th of July Pancake Breakfast and Parade

Kathy Koehler presented a funding application on behalf of the Niwot Community Association for the annual mid-summer celebration of our nation’s independence. She noted that this year’s event includes the traditional pancake breakfast, named in honor of the late Bert Steele of Niwot Market, followed by a parade from Cottonwood Square through Old Town Niwot.

This year’s event will not include the Downhill Mile run from Niwot High School to Cottonwood Square. Koehler said that last year the closure of Niwot Road left residents on the north side of Niwot Road with no way out of the subdivision for an extended period during the race, making it impractical. That comment sparked a discussion, with LID member Carla Hunter asking about an evacuation plan for Niwot, something that was not considered before the Marshall Fire.

Koehler noted that most of the $3,765 requested from the LID would be used for publicity, bike decorations for children participating in the parade, and porta potties. She said that the NCA would cover an additional $5,925 in costs, including insurance, the event permit, Sheriff’s patrol, and supplies.

The NCA also budgeted for $1,500 in donations to volunteers from community organizations who help put on the event. Proceeds from the pancake breakfast are used to offset costs, with a designated charity as the recipient of any net profit. “Last year $1,000 went to the Niwot Community Connection and $350 went to fund pocket gardens,” Koehler said.

Breakfast is served in the parking lot of the Niwot Market from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., with bike decorations starting at 8:30 a.m. A concert by the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band, will begin at 9 a.m., including all of the military service songs, several marches by John Philip Sousa, and other patriotic music.

The parade starts at 11 a.m. and is expected to include the Niwot High School Marching Band, the Lefthand Bagpipers, 20 classic cars, tractors, animals floats from local businesses and organizations, school groups and hundreds of children on bikes and trikes, and in wagons and strollers.

Koehler noted that the popular event was cited several years ago as one of the primary reasons LID chair Scott Firle moved his family to Niwot. She also noted that 18-inch flags of high quality would be placed in flower pots throughout the business district for the event.

After a short discussion, the funding request was unanimously approved.

Honeybee Harvest Festival

Dawn Server and Victoria Keen were on hand to present the Niwot Business Association’s funding request for the Honeybee Harvest Festival, set for Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The NBA requested funding for $6,711 with the NBA planning to contribute $500 to the event. Server said the event this year would be held on 2nd Avenue, which will be closed from Niwot Road to Murray Street.

“There’s an advantage to having the crowd more concentrated,” Keen said, noting that last year several people in Cottonwood Square commented that they did not know there were events downtown, and people downtown did not know there were events in Cottonwood. “We don’t need as many music venues, and we will need fewer volunteers,” Server said. Carriage rides will also be eliminated for the 2-block event.

Last year the event drew 54 vendors to town. “This year we expect 70,” Server said.

In addition to live music, the Tom Theobald lecture series, named in honor of the late owner of the Niwot Honey Farm who was a prolific author and speaker, will take place at the Left Hand Grange from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the past, speakers have addressed the critical role of honeybees in the food chain, the environmental threats to a thriving bee population, and the practical aspects of beekeeping.

Other planned activities include bee trivia, mead tasting, beeswax candle rolling, cooking with honey, and a pollinator-themed art show. There will also be multiple activities for children, including storytime, a puppet show, and a pollinator-themed costume contest.

Four food trucks will line up on the east side of the Left Hand Grange, and local restaurants will feature bee-themed food and drinks. The event is expected to bring visitors to Niwot from the surrounding communities. LID member Cornelia Sawle noted that in the past, the Honeybee Harvest Festival brought the eventual purchaser of the former Colterra property to town.

After a short discussion, the funding request was unanimously approved.