Familiar Face: Colleen Beebe

There are so many familiar faces around Niwot, especially for weekly regulars who attend Rock & Rails. Some faces are most familiar when they belong to those who have spent a majority of their life in Niwot and are continuously involved in the community.

Colleen Beebe is one such familiar face. Beebe moved to Colorado in 1975 after her father, who annually visited this beautiful state to ski, fulfilled a dream of living here. Unfortunately, he passed away only 16 months after the family moved to Boulder County. However, Beebe's mother chose to stay here and raise their four children, despite the rest of the family remaining in the midwest.

Beebe not only grew up in Niwot, but attended Niwot Elementary and Niwot High School. She then went on to attend college at the University of Northern Colorado and at Colorado State University before moving out of state in 1986. However, she was not gone for long as Colorado still called to her as her true home, and so she moved back in 1989. "[Niwot] still has the same, wonderful, small-town vibe that it had when I was growing up," said Beebe.

While her day job is spent working for the State of Colorado as she has for 22 years, she loves volunteering at Rock & Rails. This will be her ninth season behind the bar serving up smiles with a side of cold, adult refreshments.

She recalled that her Rock & Rails volunteer position began when "my son's final season of high school baseball was winding down. I mentioned to Biff [Warren] that I wasn't quite sure what to do with my new-found time [during] the summer." Warren, who was one of her son's coaches, then suggested that she join the crew at Rock & Rails.

Beebe said she loves volunteering with the Rock & Rails crew because of their "hard-working" and "fun-loving" nature. "Most Thursdays are pretty exhausting, but I love it," she said. "It's a good workout after sitting behind a desk all day."

With the plan to retire from state government in the next few years, she plans to move on to even more community involvement by working with a non-profit organization.

Beebe also enjoys her time, when she's not working or volunteering, listening to live music, whether at Red Rocks, Fiddler's Green or another location. "It's my first choice," she said. She said she feels very fortunate to have so many music venues to choose from in Colorado. She especially loves the outdoor venues where she surrounds herself with the "stunning beauty" of Colorado. "I still always whisper a thank you to my father for sharing this gift that is Colorado, and to my mother for staying."